Aaahh... cooking.

I am trying to improve my kitchen skills. I’ve now grand-mastered pots and dishwashing techniques. There are always drinks in the fridge and it's always clean - nothing past use-by-dates and edible stages! J

Next challenge – cooking.

I used to be a good cook, even though some dishes I tried to cook for the first time were disastrous. For example sinigang, cooked with sayote. I grabbed a packet of sinigang broth and bought vegetables that looked the same as what was on the packet's picture. Sayotes are "never used" for sinigang, but it tasted good. Unfortunately I also didn’t know the skin was inedible so my brother was spitting it out while eating!J Even so, dishes I knew to cook may be limited but my picadillo, beef stroganoff, quiche lorraine, beef goulash, mango mint sambal and a few others were always… superb… to say the least.

I don’t like cooking, which made me detest kitchens. My stress level goes up and the air feels somewhat thinner as soon as I enter the imaginary line separating the kitchen from all the other spaces in our house. I’m also a klutz in the kitchen so I get hurt easily. There were many incidences involving knives and other kitchen equipment. Once Harold asked me to wash a pot he needed, I grabbed it and within 5 seconds I had a long cut on my finger where blood was dripping profusely. How and where I cut myself on Harold’s well-used pot we don’t know.

Some people are relaxed when they cook, and they even love it! Others think it has to be done, nothing to it. For me, it’s always a big deal so I choose to eat out, bring home food, order for delivery, or cook the easiest meal I can think of and get it over with quickly.

My man loves his food, especially home cooked meals. We are lucky he can whip things up really well. Like today, salmon with coriander – cooking it for the first time, but smelling good already. Unfortunately for him, he’s particular about his food. He likes very specific dishes. He’s not an adventurous eater. If dishes are different (e.g. salmon and coriander), it needs to be his decision. That’s why he’s not a fan of the dishes I can cook, or like to cook.

Harold said he loves cooking for me, taking care of me; but he whines that he is always the one doing it. It’s a very touchy subject for me, so when he bags me to our friends, I literally growl and say something like, “If you eat what I like cooking for you, then I’d cook more”. If you could see me during those times, you could actually picture me like a bull with horns on my head, and smoke coming out of my nose and ears. It’s a very touchy subject….

I do hate being at times helpless. I’d like to eat healthier at home. I crave for more variety. Plus I LOVE the look on my baby's face when I prepare food for him. Wish I can feed him breakfast cereals or fried eggs/sausages all the time!J

I’ve conquered harder fears… I’ve faced head on many challenges. Learning and being able to just “whip things up” could be treated as another obstacles to cross over. So… next challenge – cooking. Any good tips, anyone?