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Queen-Kitty — Anyone Can Cook!
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Published: 2019-09-02 19:01:12 +0000 UTC; Views: 2530; Favourites: 25; Downloads: 0
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Cooking and Baking Week
If you've seen Ratatouille (it's one of my favorite animated movies), the world-famous Chef Gusteau proclaims "Anyone can cook!" However, the more I cook and post pictures of my culinary creations on social media, the more my friends tell me that they're jealous or that they wish they could cook like me. As basically a beginner myself, this seems ridiculous, because I absolutely agree with Chef Gusteau, absolutely anyone CAN cook!
Not only is cooking possible for anyone, it's also quite a bit of fun and even can be a stress reliever (plus you get to eat food; where can you go wrong??). Maybe you're a little nervous to start though, after all we've all seen the comedies where somebody opens the oven to their dinner in flames.
This article is going to give you:
- a little bit of my cooking story
- tips on starting out with cooking as a beginner
- direct you to some recipes that are easy to make and will start you off feeling proud of your accomplishments!
Ratatouille Polenta Stacks (I ended up roasting my eggplant and polenta instead of grilling)
recipe via Oh My Veggies here: ohmyveggies.com/ratatouille-po…
A Little Bit About My Cooking Journey
I moved out of my parent's house at 25 and almost my immediate thought was, "But what will I eat??" My mom is a great cook, and growing up I helped her cook a few things here and there, but I was a little nervous around the stove-top and oven. Plus, she made dinner every night, so for mostly this reason I just never felt too compelled to learn myself. My family joked that I was going to be going to my parents' house every night to eat, but I was really set on becoming as independent as possible.
Creamy Salmon Piccata
recipe via Cooking Classy here: www.cookingclassy.com/creamy-s…
So, I started out small. I made a lot of egg scrambles with different sauteed veggies mixed in and I even figured out how to make pasta. You can make fun of me all you want, but I was TERRIFIED of pouring my noodles into boiling water. I actually had to get a friend to come and help me the first time. I also really started getting into making soup! Soup is nearly always easy and it's almost always good. The more I cooked the easier things, the more adventurous I started feeling. I've always loved interesting flavors and trying new things, and I really wanted to get into cooking more complicated meals.
Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup
Recipe via Gimme Some Oven here: www.gimmesomeoven.com/cozy-aut…
Unfortunately, despite the fact that I'm an omnivore, I had a strong aversion to working with raw meat. I had a pretty bad case of salmonella poisoning as a child, and the fear stuck with me. I primarily made vegetarian meals until the beginning of 2017 when I made it a goal to work past the fear and just do it. This isn't to say there's anything wrong with being vegetarian or vegan, I was just making that choice for the wrong reason.
I also had a serious aversion to using knives due to a fear stemming from OCD. These were both pretty big hurdles to jump as you might imagine, and I don't mention them to garner pity, instead I want you to know that whatever thing makes you nervous about cooking, it's ok. We all have different obstacles in our way, the most important thing is that you don't let fear get in the way of what you want to do. As with most things in life, the more I just did the things that made me anxious, the more the fear lessened.
Sometimes you have to face the really scary things in order to do the things in life that will bring you joy. I absolutely believe that, just like I believe ANYONE CAN COOK. You knew it was going to circle back to that, didn't you?
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos
Recipe via Evolving Table here: www.evolvingtable.com/black-be…
Today, I'd say I'm pretty comfortable in the kitchen. I'm certainly not a master chef (I'd even go so far as to say I'm a beginner), but I've gotten to the point that cooking is usually pretty successful when I follow the directions and I don't worry quite as much about cooking for others. Plus, I really enjoy cooking and I enjoy how much more confident I feel in the kitchen. That confidence has translated to other parts of my life as well!
So, getting started with cooking isn't as difficult as you might think. Feel free to work around the things that make you nervous at first until you feel more confident in the kitchen. There's absolutely nothing wrong with working yourself up to something; even small steps are steps! The things that make you nervous are going to be different for everybody so everybody's journey will be a little bit different (maybe you're reading this and scoffing because you are entirely fearless; I envy you). As with everything in life, we have different hurdles we have to jump through to achieve our dreams!
Shrimp & Cheese Grits
Recipe via Cabot here: www.cabotcheese.coop/recipe/ca…
Tip #1: Start Out Easy!
Are you one of those people that starts off on level 100 difficulty with everything? I know a little bit about that. But when you're first starting to cook, start off easy! So, where should you find "easy" recipes? Thankfully, the internet is an incredible source for just about any kind of recipe you can think of.
My favorite way to look for recipes is to go on Pinterest, type in a few key words and decide what looks good. As a beginner, some of the directions might be intimidating. I remember pinning recipes in the beginning that looked amazing, but that were also very complicated and too difficult for me to start with. Try using key terms like "easy" "quick," or "15 minute meals." You can also check out your local book store or go online and find some cookbooks; there are plenty of cookbooks made specifically for quick and easy recipes! Don't be embarrassed to start out easy!
Brussels Sprouts, Eggs, and Bacon
Recipe via Damn Delicious here: damndelicious.net/2016/10/23/b…
Tip #2: Go by the recipe!
When I mess something up, it's usually because I didn't read the recipe all the way through beforehand, or I tried to go off on some creative tangent substituting things etc. Starting off by reading the recipe thoroughly is important, you need to make sure you have the right equipment especially! You don't want a surprise halfway through cooking the recipe when you realize that "oh...I don't actually have an immersion blender." I've also done silly things like adding the entire amount of an ingredient when I was actually supposed to reserve part of it for a later step. This is why it helps to read first!
As for substituting ingredients, some ingredients just aren't easy to substitute. I usually have good results using almond milk instead of dairy milk, but different kinds of flour are definitely NOT interchangeable as-is. It's ok to experiment, but try giving it a bit of research at first (sometimes somebody in a blog's comments will even comment about their substitutes that either worked or didn't work). As a beginner, it's a good idea to just make your food as the recipes say to ensure they turn out correctly.
Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp
Recipe via SkinnyTaste here: www.skinnytaste.com/skinny-coc…
Tip #3: Take Your Time!
Don't try to cook something last minute and end up rushing yourself! If you're just starting out, be patient with yourself and your skills. Try to do things in advance of starting to actually cook, such as gathering up and measuring out ingredients, as well as cutting up ingredients like vegetables. If everything is gathered and prepared in advance, you'll be panicking and rushing less as you add ingredients.
Also maybe don't start out starving when you're planning on cooking If you're pressed for time on weekdays, maybe try cooking on the weekends when you do have more time. Learning something new should never be rushed, especially if you're doing it as something you want to be an enjoyable experience!
I winged it here: it's pumpkin gnocchi, Field Roast Apple Sage vegan sausage, and arugula sauteed in a pan.
Tip #4: Don't Start Out Expensive!
This might be an obvious one, but don't start off with recipes with expensive ingredients like filet mignon, fancy cheeses, and Sea Scallops! Fancy sounds like a lot of fun, but you might want to give yourself some time to start out with the basics first. Quality ingredients are exciting additions, but keep to recipes that feature ingredients easily purchased in your area, so you're not spending too much money starting out.
Or maybe you really want to try something fancier for the first time. Some things might take practice to cook, for example I am still not good at pan-searing shrimp. I tend to always over-cook them in the pan, however there's other methods of cooking them that are much less likely to go wrong, such as using them in a sheet pan recipe. If you want to try a more expensive ingredient, try a recipe using it that is easier and work your way up to more difficult recipes using it.
Cauliflower pizza crust topped with Chicken and Pineapple
Recipe for the pizza crust via Closet Cooking here: www.closetcooking.com/cauliflo…
Tip #5: Try Cooking with Somebody Else!
Easily overwhelmed by the whole thing? It doesn't hurt to ask a friend, family member, or significant other with experience to give you a helping hand. Sometimes recipes are so much easier having an extra pair of hands and it can feel really great working together in a team.
Your partner doesn't even have to be experienced, maybe you can find somebody on your skill level to work with on a regular basis so you can improve together! I have friends over for dinner every once in awhile, and making the dinner with them is a lot of fun and then you get to enjoy your meal with somebody else!
Gnocchi with Sun-dried Tomatoes and White Beans (instead of white beans and spinach, I added lentils and arugula)
Recipe via Sweet Peas and Saffron here: sweetpeasandsaffron.com/pan-fr…
Tip #6: Don't Give Up!
Did you really mess up a recipe? That's ok. We all have to mess up every once in awhile, and that's just how life works I've set off my smoke alarm several times in the process of cooking and I've definitely...uhh..."charred" things a little heavier than they were meant to be, it happens. Some of us start off with a little bit more natural aptitude than others, but we ALL make mistakes. Plus, it means you'll really be ready the next time you make that recipe!
Sometimes the first time you make a recipe, it doesn't go great, and your natural response might be to decide to never make it again. For example, the first few times I attempted making homemade meatballs, they fell apart on me in the frying pan. However, the most recent time I made them, they actually turned out pretty good! My success is partly owed to using a different recipe that involved refrigerating them beforehand, but I also attribute it to practice. People like to say that practice makes perfect, but I think perfection can be a bit out-of-reach. For me, practice makes IMPROVEMENT, which is something to be really proud of. It can't be a real journey if there weren't some mistakes along the way!
I managed to do just about everything wrong while making these but I persevered, and maybe I'll do better next time
Swedish Meatballs
Recipe via Panna here: www.pannacooking.com/recipes/s…
Tip #7: Are you a visual learner?
Sometimes recipes are not clear enough for beginners, because they assume you know more information than you actually do. I tend to understand instructions better if I'm watching a video or there are lots of photos. We definitely are alive in the perfect time for this! So many websites include videos now where you can watch somebody else preparing and making the recipe, which is extremely helpful to get a feel for how it's done as well as just to clarify different steps that perhaps don't make sense to you. One of my favorite videos shows how to make the perfect restaurant-quality omelette. It's a simple thing, but it really made me proud when my omelette turned out well on the first try! There are even entire websites dedicated to recipe videos like Tasty ! Once you get the techniques down from a visual stand-point, it can be so much easier to do them yourself.
Seared Chicken Breasts with Apple-Dijon Sauce
Recipe via tbsp here: www.tablespoon.com/recipes/sea…
I totally set off my smoke detector making this, still totally worth it, but loud noises are my enemy D:
Tip #8: Find Your Happy!
Whether your happy is found by cooking with your music turned up high, having a glass of wine by your side (*please drink responsibly, drunken cooking can be really iffy), or wearing a retro apron with cherries on it, have fun! Find recipes that make you excited to cook! Cooking is an art, a way of life, and even a form of therapy. Treat it as your way to wind down and have an end result that feeds your body with delicious food that makes your soul warm and happy inside!
Pumpkin waffles with Downey's honey butter and cold brew coffee
Recipe via The Girl Who Ate Everything here: www.the-girl-who-ate-everythin…
So, what are my favorite beginner recipes?
I have quite a few favorite cooking websites and blogs, but some recipes just shine and continue to get better the more I make them. I don't go around telling people that I have a signature recipe or anything, but I definitely have certain recipes in my arsenal that I use as a go-to for their impressive ease as well as their impressive flavor!
French Toast!
On Sunday mornings, I don't tend to have a lot going on, so I enjoy making something for breakfast that I can put a little bit of time and love into. I love breakfast foods, but unless I'm making them for dinner, I just don't have time during the week to make something fun for breakfast before work. Some of my favorites to make are pancakes, crepes, waffles, omelettes, and French toast! All of these things are pretty easy to make homemade, they just take a little extra time than a boxed mix.
For whatever reason, French toast was a thing that I thought would be really complicated to make (it's totally not). I've made this recipe by Joy the Baker at least a dozen times and I never fail to marvel at the simplicity and the versatility. As a single lady, I also love that her recipe is tailored to one or two people! You can find the recipe here.
Here, I've topped it with strawberries and powdered sugar, but there are definitely lots of options for topping it (think: bananas, whipped cream, the classic maple syrup, fruit preserves, apple butter, etc). Joy recommends brioche bread and heavy cream, but I've made this recipe just as successfully with gluten free bread, cinnamon raisin bread, and other types of bread as well as with milk, almond milk, half & half, etc. It's the kind of recipe that you can make it as fancy as you want. I even enjoy adding some extra spices sometimes such as cardamom, cloves, or pumpkin pie spice to give it an extra dose of fancy.
Sheet Pan Recipes!
When I came across this concept, my mind was kind of blown. If you love the idea of prepping your food and forgetting about it until it's done, these recipes are for you! They tend to be quick to make and can include an entire nutritious dinner, proteins and sides! Many recipes will keep you on your toes adding things as the recipe cooks, but sheet pan recipes tend to just be cut this up, mix this up, add food to sheet pan, put it in oven, cook for 25 minutes, DONE! This is also a great way to cook a variety of vegetables; roasted veggies are so flavorful and actually one of my favorite ways of making them.
You know what else is great about sheet pan meals? MINIMAL CLEAN-UP! Usually after I cook dinner, I have several bowls and 1-2 skillets to clean plus my dish and cutlery. For sheet pan dinners, I usually use either foil or parchment paper to line my sheet pan with and I sometimes use a bowl to mix things in (some things can be mixed on the sheet pan itself), and then I'll have my plate and cutlery and that's it! Having less dishes is awesome especially when you're like me and you make a mess.
Here are some of my favorite sheet pan recipes I've made:
Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas via Number 2 Pencil: www.number-2-pencil.com/one-sh…
Apple Gouda Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes via Rachel Cooks: www.rachelcooks.com/2016/03/07…
This is actually one of the first recipes I made starting with raw meat, I bought a meat thermometer to convince myself it was done, and I still had to convince myself the temperature was correct on the thermometer! Chicken should always be cooked to an internal temperature to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Safety first y'all.
Asparagus And Gruyere Tart via Closet Cooking: www.closetcooking.com/asparagu…
Loved how fancy this looked, but also how simple it was to make!
Sheet Pan BBQ Meatloaf Dinner via Budget Bytes: www.budgetbytes.com/sheet-pan-…
Vegan Triple Berry Sheet Pan Pancakes: www.rabbitandwolves.com/vegan-…
Thought I had a better photo of my sheet-pan pancakes, but it was for the morning after a birthday sleepover, and it was too crazy apparently They turned out amazing, and were super easy to make for a crowd!
Shepherd's Pie!
For some reason, this recipe always seems super fancy to me even though it doesn't take much work. It's warm and comforting and I love bringing out my vintage casserole dishes to make them in!
My favorite part is that I can change up the vegetables depending on what I have, I've added a variety of things including green beans, zucchini squash, corn, etc (the zucchini squash is probably blasphemous guys, I'm sorry). The traditional shepherd's pie has lamb and if it's beef it's called a cottage pie. However, unless you're going strictly by tradition (and since I'm adding blasphemous ingredients like zucchini, apparently I'm not) it's also easy to sub out any type of ground meat (lamb, beef, turkey, chicken, etc) or vegan crumbles, which I've also done. This recipe uses pre-made mashed cauliflower, but you could also use mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes. All are equally tasty and need no alterations to directions.
I've tried a few different recipes, but this one has been my favorite so far: www.akronohiomoms.com/recipe/l…
The only bad part is that it's not particularly photogenic You can see this is one of my favorite things to make because I've tried making it a bunch of different ways. I'm still looking for the perfect traditional recipe (it's my mission to find it this Fall/Winter season), but the recipe I've included is a great beginner's version!
Rather use your stove-top? My mom used to make this recipe for us when I was in high school and it was a favorite of mine. I was excited to try making it myself, and I've gotta say it was as good as I remember. Definitely simple and easy to make.
Barbecue Beef and Corn Shepherd's Pie via Betty Crocker here: www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/b…
Soup!
Soups are one of my favorite things to make, in the Autumn and Winter they're a bowl-full of warming comfort I could probably stay stuck in soup weather forever and be happy! A couple of these recipes require a slow cooker or a blender of some kind (my immersion blender is basically my favorite kitchen tool, I can't help it), so I'll note it on recipes that require something a little more than a pot!
Tuscan Tortellini Vegetable Soup: www.cookingclassy.com/tuscan-t…
Slow Cooker Potato Soup: www.mamalovesfood.com/potato-s… (requires a crock pot and blender)
Smoked Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup: diethood.com/smoked-sausage-ka…
Slow cooker Black Bean Soup: www.budgetbytes.com/slow-cooke… (requires a crock pot and blender, although you could get away with not blending this one)
Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup: tornadoughalli.com/olive-garde…
Butternut Squash Chili: www.primaverakitchen.com/no-be…
Now that I have bombarded you with photos of delicious food, I'm sure your immediate thought is that you need to run to the grocery store and go cook NOW! I agree with this sentiment, it is your time to go forth and cook all the food! Good luck on your journey!
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Comments: 49
I do too a lot, but the recipes in this make me want to cook much more!
I have a few friends I need to show this to...😊
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The biggest problem when you want to bake or cook...who will eat all the food 
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I CAN'T cook and DON'T WANT to cook. I hate, absolutely hate the loud sound some pans make while cooking.
My fav is adding freezing food into a pan with oil. It's like a bomb went off.
So excuse me...I rather stay hungry or pass the torch to someone else.
"Feel free to work around the things that make you nervous at first until you feel more confident in the kitchen."
So what do you do when you cut all the things you need to cook, prepare everything...and then get to the boiling oil, pan part? I just say...umm...maybe next time...adios amigo, I won't go near the hot pans.
I just realize you were "vegan" I think I'll go raw food then.
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I still haven't found my love for cooking...maybe one day.
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FWIW- I became more comfortable with cooking when I realized that I didn't HAVE to follow a recipe exactly. The home economic (i.e., cooking) classes I got in junior high school were run like they were analytical chemistry classes--everything had to be measured EXACTLY, everything had to be done in just this ONE WAY.
Now, while I can see the point of learning to do things the 'right' way, and I realize that in baking you do have to be mindful of how much of an ingredient you have relative to another, I must say that the way that class was run took all the joy out of the process. Yeah, I learned how to sift and measure flour. I also learned from all that to hate cooking. Took many years for me to stop thinking of cooking as one of those necessary evils of staying alive.
Now, if you don't like cooking, I'm certainly not going to try to guilt trip you into thinking you should. That would be silly.
But, if you're thinking you'd like do a bit more in the kitchen someday aside from baking, why not try something like making truffles? It doesn't involve hot oil or pans that make loud noises (unless you drop them). It's not an entree', but not all cooking is about the main course or some side-dish.
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Hello,
I was so surprised to see the notification, like cooking, what cooking where, how?!
Then I realized about what it was about
Thank you for the advice and the comment in general
But it's funny, because I am THAT type of person who needs "analytical chemistry classes--everything had to be measured EXACTLY"
That's how I bake 
I also admit that I'm lazy, standing for 1 to 1,5 hours cooking...neh. Maybe one day it will change. I never liked flowers or gardening, now I'm obsessed. I can be for 6 to 8 hours outside working in the garden 
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Your're welcome.
There's a lot less room for error in baking---if the proportions of flour/bread/leavening/liquid are off it can really show in the end product...and not for the better.
But when I make a big batch of lemonade, it hardly matters if I put in too much sugar or not enough...worse case scenario I add some more lemon and water or more sugar. If I make a 'blueberry brocade'---basically jello made of Knox gelatin with a generous helping of sugar and a whole pint of fresh, washed blueberries, a gram here or there makes no noticeable difference...it's all yummy!
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Scales are so over-rated
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That salmon piccata looks delicious, I definitely wanna give it a shot.
Also, it was great hearing your story! I'm gonna be learning how to cook myself soon, so all of this is going to come in handy real fast.
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I did make some good American-style Goulash a few months ago!
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i actually ate some ghreat ghoulash with plums, lately...
what's the recipe for yours?
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This is the one I made 
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looks delicious!
thanks a lot!
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Maybe I graduated to intermediate this year lol, but I do still struggle sometimes with "medium difficulty" recipes! Thank you so much Dalena 
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Love it that you captured Gusteau's spirit so well in your article
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Thank you so much! I adore that movie so much
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Whoops, this journal totally got me, since I'm watching 'breaking bad' currently.
But seriously, these look awesome!
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lol yeah, not that kind of cook 
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Thank you for sharing this with us, now we are all hungry and want to start cooking XD
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lol glad I made everything look good
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Looking at this journal was a bad idea. I’m so hungry now. What have you done? XD
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haha sorrrrryyyy! I'm glad I made it look appetizing though!
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True. 
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Your bit about pan-searing shrimp reminds me that every time I cook with a new pan, pot, or stove I have to be cautious to how the new tools work out. I generally have a good routine down where I know what temps to use, when to pop the lids, when to change the temp etc in order to get the results I want.. but when new tools come into play it's very easy to be one notch off in the temp you needed and OOPS now I am burning my food.. or maybe it takes a little bit longer etc.. what I've found is to keep the temperature on the lower side until I can find my groove with it... I'd try that with the pan-searing shrimp if you haven't already. Since I don't eat shrimp I have no experience cooking it but I imagine it might burn easily in a pan. I wont cook any meat on the stove with the heat above mid way (5 on my stove). I probably wouldn't want to even go that high for something like shrimp. But maybe try tinkering with lower temps or different pans and or different things like butter or oil or what not to see if you can't find that sweet spot!
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Oh yeah, it's all about doing it over and over to get it right! So many recipes call for medium high heat for searing things, and it seems way overboard on my stove, so yeah, I usually put it to medium lol. I'm planning on trying out searing some shrimp again soon though, because I do love shrimp and would love to be good at it! I think you're right though, just gotta find the right temp and right pan!
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Due to my bad experience with cooking i think this page is useful!
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Super cute!! 
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Great journal and great tips Ashley! And the photos! 
I'm also a very, very beginner, amateur cook, and to be honest I've learned a lot thanks to channels like Tasty and Tastemade, their recipes are usually quite simple, but, well, tasty 
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Thank you so much Thiefo!
Tasty is incredible for figuring out things in the beginning! It makes the intimidating stuff feel so much less intimidating too 
That's so funny, because in the beginning I was really infatuated with the idea of making macarons too!!
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Ohhh that explains it! I once baked salmon and it came out tasting really fishy too! I guess is the oven what does that?
Yeah macarons are great but there are other things I like more, I think is more the challenge of making them what I want to try
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Hey, you are quite a chef! These look great
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Thank you! Both of those were really good
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You are very welcome! I'm sure they were both delicious
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Thank you so much Brennen, your kind words mean so much to me 
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Nope...not me.
I hate cooking
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