My Thoughts on Cooking

Hello everyone

Today I thought I'd take a short break from my usual posts about the dishes I make. Don't worry though they will be back in full swing either tonight or tomorrow. For this post I thought I'd talk about my thoughts on cooking, why I do it, and why I think everyone should give it a shot. Here it goes.

I came across the Food Network back in 6th grade while channel surfing in my living room. A person that I didn't recognize at the time (Giada De Laurentiis) was demonstrating how to make Balsamic Chicken Drumettes. The food made my mouth water, and I was hooked. From then on I watched various food network shows and was amazed that I could watch television and learn how to cook at the same time. After multiple viewings of the food network I decided to try to make the dish that started it all: balsamic chicken drumettes. Being a novice in the kitchen lead to some difficulties while making the dish. For starters, I didn't know how to tell if the chicken was cooked through. After some hurdles the dish came out not bad. It was a good start. Over the years my desire to make good food for people has only grown, and that has in turn led to this blog.

I cooked on & off throughout middle & high school, and my interest for cooking really peaked in my 11th grade food and nutrition class. Every day we were either cooking a dish or learning about a new nutrition topic. We even got to watch the food network. It was my little culinary version of heaven.As stated in a previous post, I received an 102 in that class. I took the final, even though I would've gotten an A had I skipped. This class led to me to choose my major in nutrition, and I feel 100% that I've made the rightI decision

I enjoy cooking because it is one way for me to do something for other people. There's no better feeling then when someone says "Hey that dish was really good" or "This was super delicious". I'm always amazed that I can yield such a fantastic result from manipulating some ingredients and applying heat. The two things I put every ounce of effort into are my running and cooking. Any time I make a dish I always ask for the most honest feedback. I'm always looking for ways to improve, and value the advice of friends, family, or anyone who has tried my food. I always joke to pretty much everyone how much I'd love to be on something like Food Network Star in the future. As much as I say it sometimes I feel like I could never do it. I put so much passion and work into my cooking that I'm not sure I could take it being critiqued on national television. Maybe someday I'll get to see what the experience is like. Who knows?

I think people who don't cook should give it a shot. If you cooked something new once a week or even month  I think you'd be impressed with yourself. We all lead busy lives, but if you have time go for it. In my blog I try my best to make recipes that can be done in less then an hour, and have components that can be made ahead of time. For example, my chili recipe tastes even better when made 1 day prior to eating.  You could make the dish on a weekend, and store in the fridge for whenever you want it that upcoming week. Alot of times we go and eat our meals at restaurants if we can afford it. Let me let you in on a little secret about restaurants that we don't always think about. The motive of a restaurant is to make a profit. They sell their dishes at a price higher then the cost to make them. If you try to make some dishes you see at restaurant at home you will save alot of money. While I'm not going to try and cook elk anytime soon, I think alot of us can make a basic pasta dish. At a restaurant pasta dishes cost at least $8-9. Boxed pasta costs about $2 at the grocery store. Add ingredients that you want to that pasta or look up a recipe. You will save money by making it yourself.

Cooking is a huge passion of mine, and I hope to use this passion in the future. I think it would be awesome to combine my passion for cooking & nutrition to teach healthy cooking classes. I encourage everyone to get in your kitchens, and try something new. You don't need to be a chef to make a good meal, and things just seem to taste better when you make it yourself. Hopefully you've enjoyed hearing where my passion for cooking came from. See ya all in my next post/