“Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.” - Alan D. Wolfelt
Cooking can be hard, but it doesn't have to be! I got my love for cooking from my Mom. My Mama is an amazing cook, and everything I learned in the kitchen she taught me. She has made our family the most amazing meals for years, and still continues today.
When I lived on my own for over three years, I rarely cooked, there was simply no need. Yet, once G proposed my Mom started teaching me some of our secret family recipes, and made sure I knew the fundamentals of cooking. Now, I really enjoy cooking and making simple, and delicious meals at home.
Today, I am sharing some of the wisdom my Mom taught me, a few lessons I personally learned along the way, as well as some of my favorite kitchen items.
- Prepare ahead of time. This is a huge one! I go to the grocery store at least once a week. When I head to the store, I make a list ahead of time to make sure I stay on track and on budget. This helps me with meal prepping and ensuring we are covered for the week. I find that when I'm prepared ahead of time, we eat out less and our meals are much more healthy. Also, G and I have Meal Prep Sundays, we outline what meals will be made for the week. G loves helping me out, and we learn new dishes together!
- Keep your kitchen clean and organized. Knowing what is in your kitchen is essential to the meal prep process. Keeping your utensils, pots, and pans clean as well as in good condition will help in the preparation of a dish.
- Read recipes in advance. Practice makes perfect, and I got quite a few recipe books to learn how to create amazing meals at home. I review recipes ahead of time to ensure I have the proper ingredients as well as right utensils. I'm a big advocate of not wasting time, and this preparation tip helps me the most when making dishes for the first time.
- Use quality and fresh ingredients. Now that I'm approaching 30, it is super important that I use quality ingredients. Fresh fruits and veggies really elevate the dish! Also, a lot of the proteins I purchase are organic and farm raised. G and I no longer purchase items that have a lot of hormones in them. We see a significant improvement in our health, and feel so much better!
- Have the proper kitchen tools. It is important to have the right knives, pans, and several other kitchen utensils to make your meal. This will ensure your meals will turn out absolutely amazing. Kitchen items can get super pricey, so we are always on the hunt for good deals.
- Be flexible and have fun. Cooking is something I really enjoy, and even though it can be a daunting task, it's so much fun. Practice makes perfect, and it certainly takes time to learn how to make a great dish! We have gone to several cooking classes, and learned new techniques. Also, it's great to test out our new recipes on our families, it brings us so much joy to share our food with others.
Happy cooking y'all!
XO, Analise