I like food, food tastes good

[hiddenmuse]

Today I was thinking about cooking - when I learned to cook, what I'd learned to cook, etc.

The first thing I'd learned was cinnamon toast, in first grade. I think it had something to do with Christopher Columbus, since I remember that we'd made the toast and stuck sails (construction paper and toothpicks) into them. I'd also learned from my dad how to make scrambled eggs - so I could put together a fairly decent breakfast with parental supervision.

As I got older, I learned how to make things like boiled eggs, cookies and cakes (not just the stuff I made with my EasyBake Oven!), sloppy joes and bacon. In other words, I could make pretty basic foods - a lot of dump and boil or bake stuff. Occasionally I'd make some pretty fresh stuff, but a lot of it was something from a box, like Hamburger Helper.

The past few years, I've been learning how to cook much more non-packaged food. I can make a pizza crust (yeast smells so good when rising), pancakes (okay, so that's from a mix), pork chops, steaks, fish - still gotta work on salmon preparation, and a couple of vegetarian dishes. So, I'm pretty proud of myself there.


I'm curious, my lovelies - what was the first thing you learned how to cook? And what do you like to cook now?

Comments

[bexone.livejournal.com]

i honestly couldn't tell you what the first thing i learned to cook was. i know i've made tollhouse cookies so often in my lifetime that i don't bother with the recipe any more, and I've made my nana's cheesecake (with lemon juice in the cream cheese and a sour cream-vanilla topping) almost as often. right now i'm trying to broaden my vegetarian horizons a bit, and i'm experimenting with 5-ingredient-type quick dinner recipes so i stop going through quite so much frozen stuff and mac and cheese, but i like food in general. :D

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

That cheesecake sounds yummy!

Five-ingredient recipes are always good - there's a program on Food Network called "Five Ingredient Fix", that has a lot of good ideas.

And mac and cheese is always good - homemade or from a box. :)

[bexone.livejournal.com]

mac and cheese is good! just not every day or every other day, especially when too much dairy generally makes me feel ooky.

[darkymoore.livejournal.com]

Mine is actually the same as yours - the first thing I learned to cook was cinnamon/sugar toast. I remember my parents had a jar that already had cinnamon and sugar mixed together.

I just started getting into cooking in the past year. My favorite thing to cook is probably chicken - I love experimenting all the different ways to cook it. My true love is baking though - I made a pound cake last night, love making cheesecakes, brownies, cakes, etc from scratch.

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

I love using spices to 'change up' the flavor of food - Penzey's Spices (http://www.penzeys.com) has a great selection of spices, herbs and spice blends.

And baking? I like baking (it's usually from box mixes) - cookies, cakes, brownies. I really should learn how to do some of that from scratch. Well, the cakes and brownies at least!

[ithinkadrianne.livejournal.com]

First thing I specifically remember is when my Busha taught me how to make pancakes. I think of her everytime I make them for breakfast. :)

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

That's awesome! I love that for any of us, certain foods have great memories because family members taught us how to cook them. :)

[donia.livejournal.com]

I was also popped my cooking cherry with cinnamon toast. I love cooking just about everything, but I have noticed that I make a lot of soup. It's so easy and it infuses the house with long-lasting yummy smells, plus it usually tastes better as leftovers. I made a potato soup with kale and chorizo a few days ago and it is totally rocking my world, especially with this cold weather.

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

That potato soup sounds delicious! I don't make soup very often, but they do taste really good as leftovers - I guess it's that extra day to let the flavoris and spices develop further.