Turning a Chore into a Hobby!

Maybe a New Approach Will Help

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

When I was a kid, Mom did a lot of cooking, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, three meals a day, seven days a week. She loved it and studied new recipes to try out on us. She made the best homemade spaghetti ever, wonderful butterscotch pies, and to-die-for fudge. She also made cooked carrots, macaroni and cheese, and oyster soup that were odious, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have to eat them - every bite and I couldn’t leave the table until my plate was clean.

As a wife and mother, I didn’t like cooking - it was a chore - although I loved baking. I stuck to simple meals: meat, potatoes, and vegetables. I don’t remember making salads or cooking fresh vegetables other than corn on the cob.

I lived in the Midwest until 1978. When we moved to California, my food choices changed, and my options grew. We had fresh fruit and vegetables, and there were different cuisines - Asian, Thai, Indian, and Vietnamese, to name a few. I liked them all.

As I began living independently three years ago, I resorted to frozen meals, then to DoorDash and fresh dinners from Amazon Fresh and Trader Joe’s - but they were boring, and I was concerned about the salt, the sugar, and the cost.

Even so, my excuses for not cooking prevailed.

• not knowing how to use an air fryer or crockpot

• having to throw away food

• not having the right ingredients

• coming up with something different every day

• what to do with the leftovers

• not wanting to spend my time cooking

• cooking for one was no fun

My daughter is a creative cook. We agreed that if I bought a crock pot and air fryer and found new recipes, she would coach me.

So far, I’ve made Reuben sandwiches, Thai basil chicken, an eggplant dish, and honey garlic pork chops. They were simple and tasty.

I plan to share recipes and tips with you from time to time and help the reluctant cooks among us find a way to enjoy cooking. You may have recipes to share as well - ones that are easy to make, delicious, and freezable - you can post one in the comment box.

Maybe thinking of cooking as a hobby and sharing recipes with others will make it more fun. What do you think?

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If you want to contribute to my work,  consider donating to the Alzheimer's Association. This link takes you to their website. The choice is yours.