Can You Help Me Fall in Love with...cooking?

Same here. I could bake everyday, I love it. But I really really dislike cooking...lucky for me my husband loves to cook.

sorry I can't help ya. I'm not a fan of cooking. I enjoy baking but only because the results are so very very very yummy LOL

I have to answer this one because I do for the most part love to cook...mostly because my husband appreciates it so much that i take the time and energy to do it.

My advice it the opposite of another poster...for breakfast and lunch I let the kids help...BUT for dinner, my kids are not allowed in the kitchen (they set the table, and put out the condiments)...but other than that they are not allowed in the kitchen while I make dinner. I make that hour and a half "me" time. I put on a tv show that I like (yes, I have a small tv in the kitchen) or music that is for me.

I try and plan out weekly menus and have computer software that helps me like Master Cook...you can capture recipes off the web and basically paste them into Master cook and then it prints your weekly menu/recipes AND grocery list. Depending on how fancy you want to set it up, it will even print the list according to your grocery store layout so you can shop the store from one end to the other.

I plan one chicken, one pork, one/two fish, and one vegetarian recipes a week. I throw in beef maybe twice a month. I always am trying something new, but so have a list of favorites I go back too when i am tired of finding new things.

I also tend to buy in bulk and freeze somethings like meats (natural, organic or kosher meats taste so much better and are better for you...when they mark them down for quick sale I will literally buy four to eight chickens or pork tenderloins at a time...or if fresh wild fish is on sale buy several pounds and freeze it, if not previously frozen).

I buy all fresh veggies and fruit...so that changes up weekly as to what is on sale. I do not do organic veggies and fruit, just wash them really well...I prefer organic berries, but that isn't always feasible. The veggies I mostly just steam and put a little butter and season salt on them.

I guess what keeps me going (and there are nights where I would rather shave my head than cook another dinner) is the "me" time factor. I put on a video for the kids or have them play in their rooms. Then get to kinda vegge out while I cook.

Then we sit down and all eat together...as I think family mealtime is very very important...it was the only common denominator amongst Rhodes scholars.

Good luck in regaining your cooking mojo!!

Try to think of it like this: your goal is not to make pastries to be displayed at a wedding, or food to be photographed for a magazine cover.

Instead, re-think your goal. Think less of the food, the presentation, the recipes, and more about what food can do. Think of your family, sitting down together and sharing a meal. Imagine your kids knowing how to fend for themselves someday and make more than microwaved stuff in a box. Envision yourself preparing food that makes your family healthier, happier. The art is not in the food itself, but in the sharing of it together. Your "medium" is the food. Your "paint brush" can be the times when you are chopping vegetables and your kids ask questions and pitch in and do whatever chores are at their level and age-appropriateness. Your "canvas" is your table, set with some comfort food and the family sitting around it.

My ds had a friend in high school who was wealthy beyond imagination. They had two indoor pools, a theater/media room, a game room, a fitness room, saunas, hot tubs, and everything was top of the line, state of the art. My ds went to the house a couple of times and came home reeling from the expense and the luxury of it all. "Mom", he said, with wide-open eyes, "that kid is the luckiest kid in the world".

One day I was cooking a big teen-friendly meal that my ds had invited a bunch of his friends for, before they all went to a big concert. It wasn't fancy, it was simple comfort food, but all homemade from scratch. My ds came to me looking nervous. The rich boy was one of the guys coming over. He said "Mom, our whole living room is smaller than his guest bathroom! He'll laugh himself sick when he sees our tv, which is smaller than the one in his closet!" I said I couldn't help what he had and what we had, and I was just going to serve him a meal and not make any apologies. I told ds that the food would be good and not to worry. But he did worry.

The guys came over and ate and ate and ate, and raved about the food and sat around the table, laughing and talking. (I had rules for when it was a bunch of teens, so they knew to sit and act like humans.) I quietly observed the rich boy and saw that he was digging in to the food like there was no tomorrow.

After they finished eating they loaded up to go to the concert, and they thanked me for the meal. Then the rich boy looked at my ds, in our plain little house, and said these words "dude, you are the luckiest kid in the world. That was freakin' amazing. I can't even picture my mother making food. She puts money on the counter, and I never eat with anyone. This was crazy good." My ds just looked at me without saying a word but his eyes were wide open. But this time they were wide open for a different reason.

Ask your kids what they'd like to learn to make. Even if it's peanut butter: buy peanuts, shell them, roast them and blend them! Do they love cornbread? Make it from scratch with them. Do you have any grandparents that came from a foreign country? Learn about that country's cuisine and try making something. Make something silly. Make something cheap. Make your favorite meal but have a rule that it can't contain any canned or processed foods. Buy a weird ingredient that you've never cooked with, like jicama or star fruit, and google what to do with it. Just make something together and eat it at the table and talk.

So, I encourage you to fall in love with the idea of feeding your family, body, soul and spirit, by shopping for, preparing, cooking and serving food.

I started inviting friends for dinner and making the best dishes I knew how to cook with ease. Entertaining inspired me to return to cooking as an adventure. I know that a few years ago when a group of us were cooking together for a friend with cancer I learned all kinds of tricks and different ways to cut vegetables. This has really sparked up my cooking.
Also since no one comes to my table with a turned up nose it's lots easier.

I love to cook when I have the time, which, with young kids and work is never these days.

A good friend of mine started a food blog called veryculinary.com a few years ago when she had her own kids. She also liked to cook, but felt drained from the demands of the day and desperately wanted to keep cooking healthy meals for her kids without spending hours in the kitchen. All of her recipes take 30 minutes or less to prepare.

It helps me be inspired in the kitchen when I have done a little work before. Standing in front of an open fridge pondering what to make defeats me. But if I take a few minutes on the weekend to plan some meals it's much easier to get in there and create a good meal for me and my family.

I also like to cook more on the weekends and either freeze what I make for another day or at least have a meal prepared to heat up so if I can't or don't feel like cooking one day of the week I'm not stuck. Then you also have something to pack for lunches too!

Do you know what the one singlemost thing that helps me is? Having someone sit at the bar and talk to me while I work. I don't so much want HELP as I want company. To not feel like I am cordoned off in some other space doing a chore alone while the others in the family are off somewhere else doing something else (TV, pool, reading, online, whatever...).

It instantly changes from a chore to some other thing. It transcends the necessity of eating. I wish I could get my husband to "get" this, but I just can't seem to. He will want to come in and "help" or send one of the kids to set the table or do this or that. I don't want help, I want company. But he only lasts for 5-10 minutes and then he starts clock watching... :(

Have your kids help you! I have my kids right in the kitchen with me starting around age 2 or so. They help measure, chop (soft things with a table knife), stir, play, make a mess, etc. I even let them crack eggs. Believe it or not, they can do it without shells, they just need to practice. = )

Also, let them help you decide what to make. We love homemade french fries baked in the oven and they will stand around the island and help me cut the partially baked potatoes for the oven.

Needless to say, my oldest now does a lot of cooking because he loves it and I figure in about 5 years I won't have to cook at all, my kids can do it.

It is a chore, I think it's because we have to do it EVERY DAY and there really isn't an option to not eat. = ) Just try to get everyone involved, it might help you ENJOY!

Take some classes at a local college, or go to some cooking classes at a store near you. We have a store that sells all kitchen stuff and holds classes for several different things during the week. Its a bit pricy, but you go once and have a new recipe or 3 to try out with great tips and hints for other stuff. Maybe if a friend (husband?) goes along it will be more fun. Find someone doing a Pampered Chef party and go! They are great. Watch the food network and see some really fabulous meals. Watch "Diners Drive-ins and Dives",, I love that show! Buy a new cookbook and sit and read. Pick a dish you really love in a restaurant and go find the recipe and make it. Im a fairly ho hum cook now because my husband doesnt like many new things and hates casseroles. So over the years I stopped trying new stuff. BUT when he goes out of town!!! WATCH OUT..My kitchen is,,well,,, really cooking!

There are a few things that inspire me to cook (and love to do it!) for my family. First off, quality kitchen equipment is important. I have all the fun tools. The tools that make it easier to take care of the tasks. Good kitchen knives, plenty of utensils so that when one is dirty, I don't have to stop and wash to use it on something else. A good set of heavy bottomed pans. This makes a world of difference when it comes to burning or browning something and also makes heating food easier. A good food processor and a really good mixer (simply in love with my KitchenAid mixer!)

Secondly, I clean up the kitchen as I go. I always run a third of a sink of water and put a bit of soap in it. It helps for when I need to wash off a counter or wipe something down quick. Every meal starts with a clean dishcloth and towel.

Thirdly, I have a binder of family favorites. Some of these are very standard, some, not so much. I keep my pantry stocked with the basics. I also "cheat" on a lot of dishes and use some prepared things and then doctor them up. For example, I use Prego spaghetti sauce and then add fresh garlic, a few more spices and the key is this...remember when I said heavy bottomed pans? I medium-slow simmer the spaghetti sauce in a heavy skillet JUST A LITTLE BIT PAST THE POINT of it beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan. Once it sticks, shut the heat off and let it simmer a bit more so that the bottom softens and you can stir it in. It adds a heartiness to the sauce that is unbelievable and people always comment on my sauce. I hate to tell them I started out with jarred sauce! Keep standards in your pantry, spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, canned beans, evaporated milk, plenty of pasta, lots of different marinades, rice, things that can be made into a lot of different things.

The best part of cooking for my family is when we all sit down together. We have four kids, two add-ons (boyfriends) and various members of their families over at least once a week for dinner. This means I am cooking for anywhere from 8-15 people every week for family dinner and then usually just the 6-8 of us 3-4 times a week. I always make a lot of extra, just in case someone else shows up at meal time and we LOVE leftovers because it means I don't have to cook, but simply warm up food that night. The joy I get from sitting down with my very large family makes my heart swell. Yes, it is a lot of work...I wouldn't have it any other way!

Food brings people together. I used to think of it as a chore...when in reality, it is a privilege to be able to do so. The conversation (all three of them at the same time!) is lively, we connect at least 2-3 times a week, there is always a lot of laughter.

Now, I know you are all thinking.....your kids are older, we have little ones. Yes, you are right...they are a bit older...but we have been doing this for years. And the reason they still come home and are part of this is because we have DONE THIS FOR YEARS. Their friends have shared many dinners with us, the neighbors, members of the soccer team and my favorite one was this one...we already had about 10 people here for dinner and my husband ran into some old friends at a soccer practice and told them, come for family dinner! He called me to tell me they were coming and 15 minutes later, five more people showed up! There is always enough food...and at the end of dinner, hugs, kisses...it was the best! We are very much like "My Big Fat Greek Family!"

One more thing...be ever so thankful that you CAN feed your family...that you don't have to send your children to bed hungry...or have to worry that you don't have food for the next day. Several times in my life, I have seen mama's that couldn't feed their children (always out of this country) and it is heartbreaking to me. When I get the opportunity to feed my family (and a few more) I relish in the fact that they are here, together and leave with full tummies.

p.s. Watch "Tortilla Soup" and you will understand my love for cooking.

If you want to LOVE to cook, then cook things you LOVE to eat!

Find good recipes that you can make in batch and freeze. I'm a full time working mom and this has SAVED my life. There are businesses that help you do this around town or do it with your own. The businesses have interesting recipes that you can prepare, package and freeze. Then, you pop it in the oven/microwave as you need it. It's still homemade (with a little help). I can't recall any specific names, there used to be one called Chop Shop and another in Troy (Crooks and South area) but the name escapes me now. They can get a little pricey but you can do it with your own recipes...like spaghetti, soup, any casserole, etc. You do it in batches and get it out of the way. It will make your life easier and actually enjoy doing it...at least not dislike it.

There is a cookbook called "what the fxxk should I make for dinner .com", which is how I feel every night around 3pm. God forbid, I think ahead of time and prepare, LOL! If you figure out how to fall in love with cooking, please share!
My best!

I would consider taking a cooking class. Either something basic or a gourmet class. Take it alone, with your husband, or with a group of girls. It will help get rid of any intimidation that you might have picked up and help you find some new ideas. My husband does the cooking in our house and he likes to watch Food Network and find something new each week to try on Sundays.

I subscribe to allrecipes.com and food.com and chow.com, a whole bunch. I also collect cookbooks & love to browse them. I didn't cook until I was 27...my mom never taught me. I taught myself, did okay....but really, really learned to create/experiment when I helped out in my daughter's lunchroom. It was after 9/11 and I had just been laid off. Then the cook got really ill, so I worked there for a long time!

I also get uninspired when I let dishes pile up.

Okay...just some rambling musings...but allrecipes.com does it for me! Good luck!

Ok Ephie - can't leave you hanging out on a limb. I do LOVE to cook but once in a while I just feel like if I have to cook one more dinner, I'm going to lose my mind. When that happens, I head to either a farmers market or a grocery store I know has delicious produce (we have Wegman's in NJ and I truly feel sorry for anyone who doesn't live near one). I usually pick up whatever looks fresh and in season and start from there. I don't use recipes so I can't help with that, but I can make a salad or side out of just about anything. Some of our favorites - baby English cucumber salad with tomatoes, feta cheese & fresh dill. Dress with good olive oil, salt & pepper - dice everything fairly small - it's therapeutic for me. I love fresh roasted beets (sometimes can find these already done for me in the cold section). Make cold salad of beets, thinly sliced red onion, olive oil, S&P & a little vinegar. Also good with fresh dill. Fennel salad with red onion, thinly sliced red pepper & fresh cilantro - dressing olive oil & orange juice - yum. I keep my proteins simple - grilled chicken, surloin steak, salmon, shrimp, lamb. We do grilled chicken chunks (marinate however you'd like). Served with grilled pocketless pita bread, tomatoes, onions & tziki (sp?) sauce made from greek yogurt or sour cream with grated cucumber/onion/garlic (I use onion).

Of course, I'm a Pampered Chef Consultant so cooking is sort of my business - I love showing other people that good food isn't difficult to prepare but your heart does kind of need to be in it. If you'd like to browse my website for inspiring cookbooks, send me a message & I'll send you the link. PS - I HATE to bake and I'm terrible at it. Too much measuring. I've found that people who hate math (like me) are terrible bakers and people who are good at math (and are more organized and have balanced checkbooks for the most part) are good bakers. Just an observation I've made after meeting thousands of people at my cooking shows. Hope some of this helped.

I really enjoy watching the Foodnetwork Channel and watching "Giada at Home", Paula Deen, The Neely's, Bobby Flay, etc. They, plus more, have inspired me, and I have enjoyed trying new recipes. :-)

I don't like to cook and have never really been good at it. We are a family of 5 and I have figured out that I don't have to be Julia Child to be happy in the kitchen. I have taken a lot of time to seach for super easy recipes on the internet (and have cut and pasted tons from this site too) and have all of them in a word document. After I try one I like and make the appropriate adjustments to it, I retype it and print it out on paper and put it in a 3 ring binder that is sorted by category. When the kids are older it will be full of our "family favorites" so I can make each of them a copy so they have in their own homes. I also limit my time cooking. I cook dinner, Mon, Tues and Wed. We have leftovers on Thursday and salad, pizza on Friday Family Movie night. We wing it on Saturday depending on what everyone is doing and Sunday is a day of rest so I dont cook at all. =)

Early in the week or day I try to plan about three meals at least a week and make at least one new recipe meal. I agree with another poster that I feel inspired when I make it a little bit more like me time. I put on the music loud, my husband plays with the kids, maybe even have a glass of wine, or I call a friend.