*Linking up to WIAW to share my recent dinners and journey in the kitchen*
Before I started cooking for myself the kitchen simply, but very importantly, housed food. Let me rephrase that, the kitchen housed already made food. I would walk in, open the fridge, see nothing prepared – only ingredients – and declare there was nothing to eat. Ok, sometimes I still do that. Anyone else?
Source
I was intimated by cooking. Boiling water, a hot oven, tons of sharp tools and raw meat did not appeal to me. Plus, when I did help my mom with dinner, it was stressful, exhausting, I asked a billion questions and still nothing ever came out perfect.
Lemon tarragon chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, zucchini noodles with almonds, basil and broccoli in a dijon dressing.
When I first moved into my apartment sophomore year, most of my meals did not taste good. Basic chicken came out dry, burnt, undercooked or flavorless. I ruined my baking sheet and sautéing pan because I didn’t use enough oil and they got overheated. As a result of these “failures,” I ate at Whole Foods multiple times a week. Goodbye, paycheck.
Dijon-lemon salmon, roasted broccoli with lemon, roasted sweet potato topped with coconut oil and cinnamon.
After a year and a half I still have a long way to go, but I’m improving. I’ve gotten to know the levels of my stove, when the burner is ready, and what temperature works best for baking in my oven (although I still have many mishaps with that). I’ve ventured into the spice aisle, tried new-to-me foods and purchased what I consider “extravagant” kitchen gadgets: multiple sizes of knives, a spiralizer, and soon, a food processor.
Honey mustard salmon (which broke when transferring to the plate), roasted sweet potato, roasted cauliflower with turmeric
I still eat generally the same things for reasons of price, taste preference and skill level, but slowly I’ve branched out.While I still have a lot to learn, particularly how to cook protein other than chicken and fish, I don’t get bored with my meals like I did last year. I add flavor, oil, and sauces as well as vary cooking technique. Things actually come out edible…major win!
It takes an effort to get in the kitchen, yet it’s not stressful. When I’m in the mood to cook I really enjoy it. Let’s not jump to conclusions and assume I’m going to cook for myself when I’m home for spring break (sorry, mom) but I might experiment more ;) I’m proud of how far I’ve come but most importantly, I’m excited to learn more, try more and eat more. Who’s with me on that?!
What is your must-have kitchen gadget?
What is your go-to spice (other than salt and pepper)? Rosemary.
