Introduction

Cooking did not come naturally for me. In fact, I did not have a desire to cook until I was nineteen years old. Both of my parents were excellent cooks. Even my twin sister learned how to cook at an early age (something crazy like nine years old!) but for me, cooking was not something I wanted to learn until I started dating my now husband. I realized at that time that the way to man's heart is through his stomach.

I pretty much taught myself how to cook. The first thing I tried cooking was hot wings. That was the first meal I ever cooked for Sam. Now let me tell you, they were NOT good! They were too saucy and I was very heavy handed on the cayenne pepper. It's a good thing my husband loves spicy food, so he did not tell me they were terrible. Cooking those hot wings (as poorly prepared as they were) gave me the confidence I needed in myself to cook. My confidence in my ability to cook started to increase. I tried baking chicken, fish, and I even dabbled in side dishes like mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. So after that I trusted myself to take on more complex dishes.

I hope that my funny story about how I learned to cook can inspire even the most cynical skeptic. I hope that my story will encourage you to take risks. Sure, you will over season, undercook, overcook, or even have to throw away something you cook. Don't be discouraged; it's all part of the learning experience. When you first learn how to ride a bicycle, you fall, you tip your bike over, you scrape your knees and elbows, and might even run into your neighbor's mailbox; but you never give up. So I encourage you to take that approach with cooking. When you take a chance on yourself, you find out that cooking is not a chore. Cooking is fun, therapeutic, and romantic. When I think about my reasons for cooking, I have three: my husband and two sons. That is why it is easy to learn how to cook, because it is like falling in love. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. I promise that you will leave it with a new attitude towards food and cooking.