Cooking 101

All this talk about compulsory cooking makes me smile.    Cooking, I know is not everyone’s favorite thing to do (you know who you are, missy… hehe) .    My friends who don’t cook usually get my speech explaining that cooking is relaaaaxing and creative.   

I cook all sorts of things.   Hand me a recipe.   All I have to do is read and measure.   

The thing is, my mom involved me in cooking when I was very young… 7, if I remember correctly.   My involvement in the Girl Scouts sometimes sent me seeking a cooking badge or two.    I try to do the same with my own daughter… she makes simple things like scrambled eggs…  helps me make cookies…make pizza.    She’s curious.   She loves to measure and I’m teaching her to read instructions.    It’s a fun thing to do together, really.

I enjoy recipes which allow me to be creative.  Some of them don’t even involve cooking.   A green leaf salad can be nice, for example.   Get a big plate, arrange it nicely with fresh vegetables (tomatoes fresh from the garden, onion, garlic, maybe some avacado, shrimp or chicken), a spritz of salad dressing.. you’re ready to go.

My mom taught me ALL about baking… scads of different cookies for Christmas, cake for special ocassions (even decorated some of them, thank you), etc.   My dad makes the most excellent Chinese/Korean food.   We also have those invaluable family recipes from the slovak and English side of the family, for example, Kolache  and suet pudding were common things to see during Christmas holidays.

But all of this talk about compulsory cooking has me thinking about all those nights when I just don’t want to be bothered with cooking.  Oh, I do it, but sometimes it’s just something quick to get it out of the way.     I need to think about doing something more creative with it again.

What’s your favorite thing to cook?