Cooking, as many of you have probably seen, is one of my passions. I try to make breakfast and supper every day (some people call it dinner but we won’t get into that). I have to thank my mom for that, as well as teaching me how to cook and sharing her most valuable recipes. I knew that some people didn’t know how to cook, but I got really depressed seeing videos of how many people don’t know how to cook simple things. The channel Epicurious has done a few challenges called the “basic skills challenge” where 50 people try to make food like scrambled eggs, pancakes, fried chicken and more. In the beginning they start out with having people who don’t know how to do it and eventually show people that can, and then how a professional chef does it.  I don’t know why, but seeing people not know how to cook something as simple scrambled eggs made me really depressed.

Ever since I was young, I have always appreciated the relationship I had with my parents as well as the tools and skills they taught me throughout life. When I grew up and went to college, I knew I didn’t want to eat the traditional college diet (even though I REALLY LOVE ramen, so it wouldn’t bother me) and that is where I realized that people really don’t know how to cook basic food! When I first moved into my dorm I was lucky that my parents had a mini fridge with a small freezer which was the absolute best! My mom made some lasagna and other dishes that I could pop into the oven during a cold day in ND, as well as soup and other meats! One of the recipes I love making is a simple cajun rice dish (not gumbo actually) with andouille sausage and bell peppers. I love dishes that I can just stir occasionally and then forget about it! I utilized the dorm kitchen to cook and frequently had other dorm residents ask me what I was cooking and how good it smelled. Not to toot my own horn but I had friends and other residents ask me to cook for them frequently. Well jobless Bre was obviously not going to buy their ingredients so I gave the person a list of what ingredients they needed. Thank goodness they loved it (I made them pork chops and parmesan angel hair noodles). I tried to have him watch me while I cook and I wrote down my recipe so he could recreate the recipe for himself! 

Now that I have rambled for long enough, I’m here to tell you why you shouldn’t be scared of cooking! Many people I have met are scared of cooking just because they don’t know how. Completely understandable but you can break that mentality! The only thing stopping you from learning how to cook or do many other things, is you! Yes, YOU! If you want to learn how to cook the best advice I can give you is don’t be afraid of taking chances. Reading recipes, watching videos, or even attending cooking classes are just a few ways to begin your cooking journey. Another thing I have noticed people are scared of (and rightfully so) is making sure your food is cooked properly and all the way through. If you are scared of your meat being undercooked (poultry especially) I would invest in a meat thermometer. I recommend digital thermometers! They usually come with a sheet of temperature readings, and what temperature meat should be cooked too! I purchased mine from Target 2 years ago and it works great! Grab the same one here! 

People are also legitimately scared of burning everything in sight which may include their house. This one I laugh at because on most stoves there are a few knobs that specifically control temperature. Stove tops that are gas operated are easily the best too adjust temperature settings quickly, but if you live in an apartment like me you most likely have coils or a flat top. If you have the aforementioned it can be a little tricky to control the temperature. My advice is always start at a medium to medium high temperature (unless a recipe calls for something different) and if whatever you are cooking seems to be cooking to fast, you can adjust the temperature in the beginning rather than trying to throw it off the stove. Lastly, I would try following a few tried and true recipes (whether they are your parents or one’s from Pinterest). If you are using a site like Pinterest, try to find highly rated recipes. Most of them have comments discussing what changes they made and how you can make them better. I have a Pinterest board of just food, with recipes from desserts, gourmet, and even simple 20 minute meals! If you are interested, you can check it out here! I am on Pinterest literally every day so new recipes will be added daily! These are just a few ways to get the hang of cooking, as well as why you shouldn’t be scared of it!

So I know I can not come back without having a small discussion. My WordPress subscription expired and I didn’t realize it and the reason I didn’t renew it right away was because I wanted to spend some quality time with family as well as take some time for myself. Many of us don’t do either so by having a few weeks off, I was able to really enjoy some quality time and reflect. I wrote some content and I very proud of as well as film for a couple videos so more content will be up soon! Thanks for sticking around and being patient with me, I’m so excited to be back!

UPDATE: HI MY COMPUTER CRASHED AND WOW. This post was supposed to go up yesterday and I finally got it fixed at 11:54 PM so it will be up around 2 PM FOR SURE today. Thanks everyone!