Hate: The entire preparation of the food
Here's the thing. I love shopping, but I hate shopping at department stores. It is so overwhelming for me: too many sections, too many clothes, where do I find what I'm looking for? So I basically only go into department stores to look for shoes.
This is the same way I feel about cooking. I really want to become a better cook (or a cook at all for that matter.) I want to be able to cook for my family, I just don't like it. I think it starts with the grocery store. Not only do I not know how to make anything (which can easily be remedied) I don't know what to buy at the grocery store so I don't have to keep going back for more ingredients. It's easy enough for me to find a recipe that I think sounds delicious, and I could probably even follow the recipe as long as the directions are clear (I'm really good at following directions...seriously.) But what I don't get it how to have all the ingredients you need for different recipes at home without having to go to the store every time you want to make something new. Can anyone solve this dilemma for me?
I have multiple things regarding my desire to be a better cook on my 101 list.
- Learn to cook 10 different dishes
- Plan weekly meals for my family for 3 months.
- Find a good homemade spaghetti sauce recipe
So, I need your help lovely readers! If you have a recipe you love that is relatively simple and quick to make or you have a great homemade spaghetti sauce recipe please leave a link or the recipe in a comment so I can start building my arsenal! Tell me your shopping strategy at the grocery store!
P.S. For those interested, I made the homemade spaghetti sauce a goal because, if you know me at all, you know I HATE tomatoes and pretty much any tomato products. I thought maybe if I could find a great recipe I would dislike spaghetti a little less! :)
Oh and today, I'll be making puppy chow.
My cooking skills are pretty non-existent. However, I can make spaghetti sauce.
ReplyDeleteTake two cans of petite-cut diced tomatoes. Open and put in a pan. Add 1/3 cup olive oil, two pinches of salt (if the tomatoes don't have salt) and two smushed cloves of garlic (in your garlic press). Simmer until the liquid all boils away, stirring occasionally (like every 5-10 min). This takes about half an hour maybe? Then add two leaves fresh basil (chopped up or torn up with your hands if you're lazy like me). If you have a food processor you can then quickly blend the sauce so it's smooth (takes like 30 seconds), or just serve as is so it has texture. That is it.
More important to a good pasta dish is buying the right pasta (and not overcooking it. Only cook to the low end of the package range; pasta should still be firm though not quite crunchy when cooked). You should only buy high quality pasta, otherwise it will taste bad no matter what you do. De Cecco is best, but Barilla will work too if your grocery store doesn't have De Cecco. If you have good pasta, then it's good just with some butter and parmesan cheese (you should buy real parmesan too, in the block not the pre-shredded kind).
Good ingredients=delicious with very little effort.