I Wasn't Really Meant to Cook....

It was such a joke in our family...I'd never be one to cook a meal. My grandmother cooked large italian dinners and my mom wasn't too bad in the kitchen either. I, however, wasn't much good beyond Ramen noodles and peanut butter toast. I had no idea how to cut up an onion and I'm still not too sure of how to make a good egg.

I even had to call my grandma last weekend to find out how to make a whipped fruit salad.

This never bothered me really. I didn't want to be in the kitchen. I was awkward there and didn't know a wok from a skillet. It was much easier to just hit a drive thru or order a pizza, and when money got tight, frozen dinners and hot pockets were my best friend. There's been a few times I'd cooked or baked something, but I always ended on a stressed note and a lack of motivation to clean up the kitchen.

In May, I moved on the little bit of money I had left and realized that I had to suck it up and learn some skills. Fast food is expensive. I had to be creative and let's face it...how creative can one really be when you're dealing with frozen food and peanut butter and jelly? So I started small, bought a couple cookbooks, surfed a few websites, and broke out the crockpot. It wasn't long before I was cooking on the stovetop and the oven. Believe it or not, I'm actually up to cutting onions.

Though I go through phases where I don't necessarily want to cook, when I am doing it, I love it. I love not having to think of anything but the food and I love the sense of accomplishment I get from a meal well cooked.

Inspired by the masses of cool blogs and recipes I've been finding lately, as well as my new little "hobby" of taking pictures of the food I cook and some that I just eat, I've decided to start my own food blog. Mostly, I want a record of the recipes I try so I can use them at a later date. It's also fun to share with friends and let's face it...I love to blog. So here we go. I don't guarantee something everyday, but there may be days filled with stuff (weekends).

Let's see how this goes...

This was originally published on "Never Meant for the Kitchen" on 12/16/08. I've definitely come a long way since then. One thing that hits me about this post is how I talk about having just talked to my grandmother, who passed away in 2009.