How I Learned To Cook!
I learned at a very early age how to cook.
You see, I’ve been on my own since the ripe age of 17. I lived with other people, slept on couches, and then found roommates. I lucked up here and there on home cooked meals from my great grandmother, my aunt, and god mother, but it wasn’t enough. I believe I ate junk food for about two years DAILY (Fried chicken, Pizza Puffs, Pizza, chips, etc)! That was my life for awhile. I had grown so tired of eating junk food I began experimenting on my own, first with frozen foods then on to the real deal.
The very first meal I made was tacos!! To this very day, tacos are one of my favorite foods to eat. I actually followed the instructions on the back of the taco seasoning pack! I browned some ground beef, added water, and the contents of the taco seasoning packet. You literally couldn’t tell me anything! They came out ok... by that I mean they were edible lol! I topped them with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese and dug in. They tasted ok, but by the next day I was sick🤣🤣🤣. I later found out my body had a hard time processing beef. I spoke to my work mothers about it and they suggested I use ground turkey the next time. So I began this adventure again but with ground turkey! This worked out way better for me, I just had to learn how to season it properly.
In my beginning stages of cooking I leaned a lot on my aunt and god mother for help and cooking tips. As I think back I’m tickled because they rarely gave me measurements when I called. My aunt would be like “stand over the pot and pour until I say stop”, lol!
I eventually met a guy I liked. I knew I liked him more than others because I wanted to cook for him. This pushed me to up my cooking skills even more. We eventually got married. So I began buying cook books to help a sister out. I experimented all the time with recipes. The food would turn out ok but what it really helped me with was growing my tastebuds and maturing my palette. I learned what so many different products, seasonings, and herbs tasted like.. all through trial and error. From there the cook was born.
When trying new recipes for the first time, I would follow the instructions to a T. Then the second time I would make changes that catered to my taste. It was that simple. The food went from good to great!
I never went to culinary school. My aunt, uncle, god mother, mother in law, and the food network were my teachers. I learned to cook because I had no choice. I knew surviving on chips and greasy restaurant food wasn’t going to cut it for me. I also wanted to be a good wife.
Today I cook regular meals with flare. Nothing super fancy just trumped up basics. That’s my specialty. Sometimes life deals us a tough hand but I encourage you to stay strong because your gifts are lying on the other side of that storm. 😘
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. ”
Until next time…
-MM
