Mr. Supper

How I Developed My Love for Cooking Hi all, Welcome to MrandMsCooking.com—a website created by a community of cooking enthusiasts with the goal of providing books for novice cooks featuring the best recipes, at the most affordable prices, and valuable gifts. Before we go to the dinner recipes in the book “Hello! 60 Hot Dog Recipes”, I have an interesting story to share with you about how I developed my love for cooking. BOILING AN EGG WAS A TASK I STRUGGLED WITH ONLY A FEW YEARS BACK. As a child, I saw my mom preparing our meals in the kitchen. Yet I didn’t have the opportunity to learn how to cook. A single mother of four, Mom managed a daycare out of our home, working from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sometimes, she would let me mix the instant gravy or pour water to (also instant) potatoes. However, I was more often tasked to help look after the daycare children while she prepared lunch or dinner. My cooking skills remain rather limited even when I got married at 19 and had a baby a year later. By that time, though, I learned how to cook instant noodles, toss a pancake in the pan, and scramble eggs. But I never felt comfortable in the kitchen. The only types of meat I ever purchased were ground beef (which I would just drop into spaghetti sauce from a jar) and skinless and boneless chicken breasts. I read “The Joy of Cooking” several times but found myself getting confused with most of the terms. The recipes overwhelmed me; banana bread was the only thing I was ever able to make from that book. Gradually, through my 20s, I discovered new ingredients and learned new recipes. I started to cook more for big weekend meals and get-togethers. However, as a working mother of many children, I still thought I was “too busy” to cook. I convinced myself that I don’t even like to cook. Cooking every single day isn’t fair! There are better things to do with my limited time, right? Although I could force myself to make spaghetti or tacos for our weeknight dinner, we would often order takeout sub sandwiches or pizza for our weeknight dinners. What’s strange about those “busy” weeknights is that it felt like we hadn’t really accomplished anything at all, even at the end of all that mad rush to get something for dinner, finish the meal, clear the table, wash the dishes, help my children with their homework, and the driving them around. Even though I saved time by foregoing cooking, I felt bored and dissatisfied with what I did on most nights. Because I saw my nightly routine as a drag and a burden, I’d developed a bad habit. I would wait until the last minute and try to come up with a decent meal. This left me drained every time. I felt bad and frustrated if my children weren’t happy with the dish I made without much thought. We were all in such a rush all the time that we hardly talked during the meals. However, all that hurrying didn’t work. It didn’t actually free up time for things that mattered. My kids were usually still doing their homework between 8 and 9 in the evening. The kitchen seldom looked neat. I was no longer productive in my work as I wanted to be. By the time all the kids were asleep, I just wanted to keep myself busy with my laptop instead of spending time with my husband. Several years ago, this idea crossed my mind: perhaps I needed to spend more time—not less—in the kitchen, even though it meant having late dinner or reducing our activities for the night. What if, rather than trying to save time preparing dinner, I find a good a reason to enjoy it? What if I ignored my email, turned off my computer, tuned in to my favorite music or podcast, and turned it into a more exciting, productive time for meal planning, cooking dinner, cleaning the kitchen, helping the young ones with their homework, and doing other parental duties? What if I made myself available to my loved ones at home and spent more time with them? And so I began what I call “the Kitchen Hour.” THE RESULTS WERE REMARKABLE. After I devoted time daily to focus on my family and their connection with home, the environment in our household started to change. We enjoyed our meals more. The kitchen remained clean. The evenings felt less disordered. My meal planning and activities with the family improved. My children became more serious in doing their homework and asked me more questions. When they needed my help with their homework, it no longer felt like an interruption. Rather, it felt like I was more in touch with my role as a parent. Guess what—I went from lacking confidence in cooking to becoming quite a good home cook. With these changes came a bigger surprise: I began to actually love cooking. Instead of choosing the same ingredients at the supermarket, I now enjoy the challenge of trying something new, from new cooking methods to new seasonings, meat cuts, and vegetables. The more time I devote to cooking, the more my confidence grew. And the more confident I became, the more I more I enjoyed working in the kitchen. My love for quick meals hasn’t completely gone away. Admittedly, some nights I feed my family with frozen foods and boxes. However, I realized that dinner time is never fun if you regard it as a chore. It isn’t all about the food—but about spending time and having fun with your family. Some sacrifices are necessary, though. We can’t fit everything into our schedule every evening. So, we reduced socializing and became more disciplined and systematic our work schedules, household tasks, and homework. Everything is well worth it, though. My resolve to embrace rather than hate the nightly meal has led to satisfying changes at home. Each time I use a new recipe, my family is satisfied. I go to bed with peace of mind knowing my kitchen is sparkling clean. And when the clock hits 8, I am relaxed rather than stressed out. Now that my children are already teenagers, I see how fleeting time is and how important time spent as a family is. Dinners are a valuable opportunity to eat together with the people who matter. Making meals for them only feels like a burden if we treat it like one. Food is precious. However, it isn’t all about cooking, right? Rather, it’s about making your family a priority. It’s about having the time to help my kids with their spelling quiz while the beef cooks and to make time for conversing with my spouse as I prepare a sauce. Some dinners, it’s about enjoying a roast and all the fixings. Some nights, we have quick pasta over a fresh sheet of tablecloth. Enjoying good food is great. But what is even better is that we do it all together at the dining table. Whether you’re a pro or amateur in cooking, anyone can benefit from making time to be in the kitchen and then discovering the magic that happens. From my unending love for cooking, I’m creating this book and hoping to share my passion with all of you. With my many experiences of failures, I have created this book and hopefully it helps you. This Dinner Recipes Series covers these subjects: • Budget Dinner • Dinner for Two • Christmas Dinner • Dinner Casserole • Healthy Dinner • ... Why don’t you try it? Get a new cookbook. Try a new recipe each day. Check your available ingredients in the pantry. Bake some cookies with your kids. Empty the fridge out. Have more conversations with your partner. When you’re having quick meals, make the table look fancier with a new tablecloth or a new set of dinnerware. Then see if you can’t get yourself to love—or at least not hate—your time spent in the kitchen. DON’T YOU THINK IT’S WORTH TRYING? I really appreciate that you have selected “Hello! 60 Hot Dog Recipes” and for reading to the end. I anticipate that this book shall give you the source of strength during the times that you are really exhausted, as well as be your best friend in the comforts of your own home. Please also give me some love by sharing your own exciting cooking time in the comments segment below.