Julia Child I Am Not

It’s no secret that I can’t cook. And by “can’t,” I mean, “don’t.” Well, “didn’t.” It’s not that I don’t have the capacity to do so – I make a mean beef taco skillet – it’s just that I never learned, took the time to learn, or cared to learn when I was growing up. Once I moved into my own place before my senior year of college, cooking become a bit of a necessity.

I’m not sure exactly how I managed to feed myself over the past few years other than by mooching food off (reading: stealing food from) my mom (and helping myself to more than a few leftovers at family functions) and by always taking home doggie bags from restaurants. I named myself the “Queen of Leftovers.” My mom started to teach me, but I sort of gave up after learning how to brown beef. For a few months, I worked a high-pressure job which required me to work 95-hour weeks. This was an obvious roadblock to learning how to cook. As a result, I bought lunch every day and put on weight despite all the stress I had.

I lost 23 pounds last summer and as the pounds started to disappear, I tried to put more of an emphasis on eating healthily. If there was one thing I learned from my mom, it was to always have a fruit or veggie with your meals. Yes, microwave dinners and Kraft Mac & Cheese will feed you, but they will bore you and won’t necessarily help your waistline. One reason I refrained from cooking was that my old apartment kitchen left something to be desired. The fridge was new and the cupboards and counters plentiful, but it just wasn’t nice. Functional, yes. Nice, no.

Enter my new apartment. Literally. I’m in love with it and the gorgeous granite counter tops and flat-top stove give me plenty of incentive to cook. Plus, with the new job and new apartment, it’s like I’m starting a new life, so why not start something else new, too?

I have since learned how to bake chicken. Impressive, I know. I’ve experimented with spaghetti (again, very impressive) and quesadillas. I’ve even tried no-bake brownies and can’t wait to break in my brand new cupcake pans.
At 25, I have mastered the cooking skills of a home ec student! But I am proud. Damn proud. Most of this has been just me. Well, me and my BFF Better Homes and Gardens.

We're BFFs.