I can't cook.

[patandchickens]

Though I have become a better cook over the years, what I have really become good at is to save a mistake. I have learned to take something in which I have put too much salt and take part of it out, freeze it for next time and add new ingredients to make up the new batch. Or simply double the recipe except for the extra ingredient.

In fact I saved a magazine article once on how you fix that cooking mistake- hmmmm.......... -should dig that out again.

Hey, that would make a really good thread -- hope you don't mind, I'm going to start one about that I am always on the lookout for more, and different, sorts of 'saves'

Pat

 

[freemotion]

I teach weight management and healthy lifestyle classes, and one of the things I've finally figured out is that generally (hold onto your socks, I am not speaking about anyone here, remember, I don't know any of you!) people don't value food preparation anymore. It is more of a cultural thing. A woman's place is in the kitchen....WHAT?!!??!?!? Well, now we HAVE to stay out of the kitchen, or we might lose the vote.....

OK, tongue-in-cheek......but there is a grain of truth in it. I had to work VERY hard to control my thought process in order to become proficient with cooking. The biggest battle was that it is NOT a waste of my valuable time. It is an HONOR to prepare healthful food for myself, my dh, my animals (no kids, unfortunately) and any guests who come into our house.

So now I teach to that, in a tactful way, of course. The first step is to retrain your thinking and any time a negative statement about food prep comes into your head, replace it firmly with a positive statement, such as, "Look at how wonderful it is to create a meal and help keep us all healthy. This is a fantastic use of my time."

The other important first step is to get into the habit of planning your meals in advance, at least the night before if not sooner. And always, always, always do some food prep well in advance of the meal. I do some every night AFTER supper. When I come home, tired and hungry, is not the time to start thinking about what to have for dinner....it'll be take-out, or cheese and crackers!

So when there is a late afternoon farrier appointment, that is the day for a crockpot meal. Also, train other family members to help. Someone else can be assigned to stay in the house and take the food out of the oven when the timer goes off, etc. If they are trainable, that is!

And the third important step is to be realistic, and give yourself lots of time to create new habits, and don't give up, even if you fall into old patterns for weeks or months.

We went from take-out several times a month, pizza at least once a week, to almost never. Every meal is now prepared from scratch, and snacks, and we LOVE it. I just started canning and grinding my own flour. That seems so hardcore, I know, but the process started several years ago and like a snowball rolling downhill, it picked up size and momentum. Most importantly, to encourage you, WE LOVE IT!!!! And are quite proud of ourselves, in case you didn't get that.....

Even a year ago I was intimidated by the idea of baking a chicken!

You can do this!

ETA: oh, yeah, you asked for resources......lots of instructions online, and even some videos on youtube can take the intimidation factor away. I watched lots of canning videos before even ordering my canner. And watched them again after getting it! And I would be happy to be a resource if you'd like help on anything that I do well.

 

[Wifezilla]

Start slow and small. Learn the basic techniques. Don't be afraid to fail. Have fun

This site has a lot of the basics....
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/technic.htm

 

[FarmerChick]

I cook very basic.
A piece of meat (broiled, baked, sauteed)
a veggie or 2
a biscuit or cornbread for Tony and Nicole
and some type of small dessert or fruit for later after dinner.

I don't truly cook. I do one step wonders. Works for me..LOL


what I cook the most is breakfast---wow---breakfast I think is hard to get on the table all warm at once. I don't have enough burners.......pancakes, bacon, eggs, maybe biscuits, jelly, sausage gravy......that is only 1 time per week as a treat but I end up with 50 pans and dishes from that one meal...LOL

 

[Dace]

Jenna what you really need is not recipes but more of an understanding of specific methods and why they work. Once you have that then you are well on your way to playing with your food and figuring out what works for you and your family.

Back to my earlier questions...fill me in and I will help you get started

 

[hoosier]

There is a really interesting article in Backwoods Home this month about cooking with rice and beans - Check it out there. There are quite a few recipes at the end of the article.

(It always amazes me how that magazine seems to be right on target with what we're discussing here!)

Thanks for posting that! Those are the types of recipes I am looking for.

Now if they would just send us an issue of Backwoods Home! I am starting to get more than a little upset that we have yet to see an issue.

Someone posted about a hillbilly housewife site that has a lot of ideas to use bulk beans, rice...

 

[reinbeau]

I've found them very responsive via phone, the woman who answers is a sweetheart and will make things right for you, I'm sure.

 

[freemotion]

Yowza! I just checked out their recipe index, nice bunch of recipes. Lots of ideas for the stuff that comes out of our gardens. I have also ended up on their site many times while researching ss topics. Great site.

 

[lorihadams]

Hey Jenna, check out thefamilyhomestead.com This site has a lot of good recipes and variations on basic foods like beans, oats, rice, etc.

I have found that a lot of trial and error works for me...I took pictures of my first really good pan of scratch biscuits!!!

Good luck!

 

[homestead jenna]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and all. I think the recommendations about learning basic processes and things is where I need to start. Dace - I'm at work but I'll likely pm you when I can get more thoughts together.

I love to "cook." But I realized that my "cooking" is a lot of recipe following...instead of genuinely being able to take food and make something yummy and nutritious with it. I was watching Frontier House on DVD from my library and it brought home the notion that you can drag out someone's recipe OR you can know what to do with certain types of ingredients.

My dh is LDS and they talk alot about the food storage in that group...and I always wondered what one could actually DO with a five-gallon bucket of soybeans....stuff like that. freemotion - you are correct - people don't value food preparation anymore much...that's why fast food places get away with...uh...murder.

I think also I was prompted to this from recent events in the economy...what if things became seriously disrupted...or there was another Katrina-like catastrophe...and all you're left with is what's in your pantry or a five-gallon bucket of soybeans...what would I do with it to keep my family alive?

Learning some basic food science might be just the ticket.