Wait…I Can Cook?

We interrupt your expected sticker loving journal blog post to bring you something a little different. Anyone want to hear a little about my cooking? I said that would pop up some here and there. And I just decided this week was a good time.

Let me just tell you that about a year ago, no one in my family would have believed this post would be a thing. Getting me in the kitchen was about as likely as winning the lottery without buying a lottery ticket. I’m just as shocked to be here as they are, I’m sure.

Cooking was never something I particularly enjoyed. I was pretty convinced I couldn’t cook. And that was most of the problem. I already told myself that I couldn’t, so why even try, right?

When my parents would go out of town, I would get things that were easy; frozen pizza, microwavable meals, or I would just eat out. If it wasn’t already pre-prepared and all I had to do was heat it up, it wasn’t happening. I even panicked when someone would ask me to keep an eye on something on the stove.

Baking was a whole different story, but we’ll cover that one in a post all its own one day. Just know that those two kitchen concepts were very different in my mind. I could do one, but I didn’t think I could do the other.

I’m not sure what exactly clicked in my head. All I know is that my parents were out of town, and I decided I was going to cook an actual dinner for my brother and me. I got this notion in my head that I wanted sausage, shrimp, asparagus, and yellow rice. Those ingredients were the ones that literally popped into my mind. And that’s what I did.

I hit up Walmart, picked up those ingredients, plus some Cajun seasoning, and I made dinner that night. I put the shrimp and sausage in a pan on the stove, seasoned the heck out of it with Cajun seasoning, and then cooked it while watching it and hoping that I was doing everything right.

I cooked the asparagus in the oven with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. And I made the yellow rice using the instructions on the bag. No shame in my game; yellow rice tells me what to do, and that’s appreciated.

I was so proud of myself. It tasted good, and I did it all by myself. No one else was even home. And when my brother got home, he ate it and he loved it. I was so happy. There is nothing like making something for someone else and having them like it. It made my day.

I made it again for my parents, who were both very hesitant about the whole unbattered shrimp thing because all they would eat of them before was popcorn shrimp. Boy, did I change their minds on that one. That meal, maybe changing up the sides here and there, has become a family favorite. It turns out a little more orange/red now becaue I add more Cajun than the first time.

Ever since that night, it’s been a whole different ball game. I actually enjoy being in the kitchen. BUT! I have to do it by myself. Unless I specifically ask for help, I don’t want anyone coming in and milling about around me. I put my earbuds in, listen to music or a podcast (mostly about serial killers), and get to cooking.

Ooo! Maybe I can write a post about all the podcasts I listen to. It’s a fairly interesting mix of topis. Would you be intested in that?

My plan is not to make this a recipe blog, but I’ll just tell you about some of my favorite things to cook.

We’ve gone over my Cajun shrimp and sausage idea. A big hit was Butter Chicken, which is an Indian dish that turned out so good! And I’ve made this amazing rosemary chicken and potatoes dish that I’m obsessed with.

And then there’s the pizza monkey bread. (To the people who asked for the recipe, I’m so sorry I forgot to send it. I’m going to get right on it! I’m terrible!) One day, I just had this idea about making a monkey bread-like dish, but putting pizza ingredients in the dough before putting them in the bundt pan. I knew there was no way I was the only one to think about this, so I went to my trusty friend Google to find out if someone else had figured out how long to cook the mountain of pizza goodness.

And I was right. Of course others, a bunch of others, had mastered the idea. Which helped me a lot because I wouldn’t have been able to guess how long and at what temperature to bake it. The guess work was taken care of.

When I tell you this dish was a success, that is an understatement. I fell in absolutely love, and everyone else in my family loves it as well. It’s super simple, only has a few ingredients, and if you make enough, there are delicious leftovers for lunch the next day, which is my favorite thing.

Recently, I even decided to cook salmon for the first time. I was a little intimidated by it because it just seemed like one of those things that was hard to cook. I found a recipe where I could bake it. So, I got some salmon and some little potatoes to roast alongside it. I put my favorite rosemary marinade on both because it’s my obsession. It’s just olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and rosemary, but it’s the best! And it actually turned out really good. I made it just for me the first time just to see if I could do it.

So, seafood is not one of those things we have very often in my house. Sometimes we have some breaded fish or maybe popcorn shrimp. Unless I’m the one cooking the fish or shrimp without breading, it’s not happening. My mom doesn’t like fish, especially the ones that have a “fishier” taste. But I asked if she would just take one bite of the salmon when I cooked it for my family. And in the biggest shock of 2022, she actually liked it and ate a piece of salmon.

There are plenty of other meals that I’ve made, but I don’t want to bog down the post with a bunch of them this time. We’ll revisit some of my other cooking endeavors later on. I just wanted to throw in a little something different this week.

So, no, I’m not some professional. And sometimes I get a little overwhelmed with prep work. But I actually enjoy cooking most of the time. I like finding and trying to recipes. I like making something that tastes good that not only I like, but that my family likes too.

I tell you all this, not to brag about my cooking, because it’s amateur at best; but I really just wanted to give you some encouragement. For the longest time, I told myself I couldn’t cook. I would tell people “I’m sure I could, but I just don’t like it.” But what I said to myself in my own mind was “I can’t do it, so I’m not going to embarrass myself.”

I was wrong. Once I actually started getting into the kitchen and following the steps in the recipes, I found out that I really can do it. I’ve even gotten comfortable enough with some things that I can “eyeball” it or adjust it to my taste, which is saying a lot because I was terrified of doing that and messing it up at first. It’s become fun for me. And I am excited to try new things, and mess around with ones I’ve already done.

So, if there’s something you have always wanted to do, but you don’t think you can, just do it. Try it. If it doesn’t work out the way you thought, that’s okay. At least you tried. And odds are, you’re going to enjoy it. You could find a new hobby or skill that you didn’t know was inside of you. So do it. Do whatever it is you think you can’t. Surprise yourself. And have fun!