Culinary Evolution

Culinary Evolution

What are you doing to keep yourself busy during this crazy time of quarantine? One thing that I am continuing to do is cook. 

A few years back I read something the author of The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin wrote about human nature. She stated, 

“You can choose what you do, but you can’t choose what you like to do.”

In talking with some of my friends I have found this to be true when it comes to cooking. Some of us like to cook, and others not so much. I happen to be one that does, but I can’t say I was too great of a cook for many years. 

Growing up in a home with six kids I did not learn to cook from my mother. She was busy running a household, and her quick, efficient manner of cooking produced meals each night promptly served when Dad walked through the door. Taking the time to instruct her brood would have definitely slowed her down. 

My first experience with cooking began in junior high Home Economics. It was there I learned to make my beloved Pigs in a Blanket, a meal Chuck endured during our first few years of marriage. As a young teenager I was able to take a cooking class sponsored by the electric company, and learned how to peel hard boiled eggs, and make a delicious peach crisp. 

When my college roommate and I moved into our first apartment we began cooking simple meals, and occasionally I would fix something more special for a pot luck at school. When Chuck and I got married, I was excited to test my culinary chops, or should I say choplets even more. 

Of course, back then most of my meals revolved  around Hamburger Helper and Bisquick inspired dishes. My often used small appliance was the Fry Baby since fried foods were still the rage in the mid-eighties. 

 After Brittany was born, and I returned to work, I deemed myself the Queen of the Twenty Minute Meal.  My ability to create meals using canned and boxed food was pretty darn good. Of course, it was rare for an actual piece of fresh produce to make its way onto my family’s table. Although maybe not the finest of cuisine, I am happy to say that we did sit down as a family regularly to eat dinner together. 

It was during Brittany’s junior year in high school that my culinary skills began to elevate. You see up until then my overly active imagination had an unfounded fear of chef knives. I suppose I had watched one too many murder mysteries in my younger days and refused to use anything but a small paring knife in the kitchen.  

I began watching Rachel Ray in the afternoons, and was inspired to purchase a chef knife, and a large cutting board. This and the purchase of a garlic press from Pampered Chef pretty much transformed my cooking. I began chopping onions, peppers, and celery fearlessly,  and mincing garlic regularly. 

What I discovered was that fresh ingredients made all the difference. Something as simple as Goulash was transformed by adding peppers and onions. My confidence was beginning to grow as I stepped out of my comfort zone accepting the fact that cooking is all about trial and error, and sometimes you win, and other times not so much. But guess what? There’s always next time. 

As my cooking began to evolve, my interest in health began to pique as well. I began following the blog 100 Days of Real Food which encouraged me to choose foods with five or less ingredients that I could easily pronounce. My grocery cart became unrecognizable as I shopped the perimeter of the store. 

After choosing less processed foods over a period of time, I moved on to choosing more plant-based foods. Although we do eat meat, I found some extremely delicious plant-based recipes that Chuck and I loved. Now I always try to include fruits and vegetables with each meal. 

As a child a vegetable was something yucky that came from a can, and was generally gagged down as we were required to finish everything on our plate. Remember those starving children from far-off lands?

I sometimes think my mother would be shocked to see how much I actually LOVE vegetables today. The secret is in how they are prepared. If you haven’t experienced roasted vegetable yet then you have really been missing out. Sautéing vegetables in broth vs oil is another way to enjoy these beauties. Served raw with hummus is one of my favorite ways to add veggies to my lunch. Slicing a small apple into paper thin slices actually has taken the place of chips with my sandwich.

My culinary evolution really has been a labor of love. Just like Gretchen Rubin says choosing to cook, for me is easy because I enjoy it so much. Now interestingly I really don’t care to bake. To me it’s boring measuring ingredients into a bowl, and then waiting for something to bake in the oven. I like the hands on experience of chopping and stirring when it comes to cooking. 

The other problem with baking for me is the finished product. Usually it’s something high in sugar, and buttery goodness which just doesn’t work into my WW plan on a daily basis. Of course, I do like to indulge every now and then, but I leave the baking to the professionals, and generally reserve these for special occasions.

I’d love to think that I might have encouraged you to give cooking a try if you’ve been reluctant to do so, but I do understand if it’s something you just don’t enjoy. I’ve found Gretchen Rubin to be right more times than not when it comes to human nature.