Get your groove on in the kitchen. My cooking skills are subpar and can only cook a few things, especially when the preparation of food these days can be done in so many different ways. When you look at my dishes, they're pretty generic, by anyone's standards. Nevertheless, it’s a life skill to know how to cook. Even if that means knowing how to cook 10 dishes extremely well, its invaluable. Talk to a firefighter. When at the station, they have rotations for who's cooking dinner. Well because of that rotation, you don't cook all that often. So if you have at least 5 meals that can fill a room and you know how to cook those exquisitely, then you're doing something right. We aren't all destined to be chef's. But we are all destined to eat… and sometimes impress. So this week you will learn one new dish to add to your toolbox. You have never cooked this dish before, nor tried to and failed. It has to be somewhat unique to you and you should get really good at making it. For example, add your own ingredient that makes it 'pop' and really 'wow' your critiques. I'm not sure what my main course is going to be this week, but don't worry, my reflection will break down what it is, why I choose that one, and what went into it. Except for maybe my secret ingredient!
So get in that kitchen, impress your significant other, your date, or yourself and add something new into your stomach. And remember, the most important part of making a good meal.. Is leaving now mess for that significant other to clean up. Take some responsibly, and clean up after yourself, or as I like to do, clean as you go to make things easier. Have a great time, throw some spaghetti at the cabinet and record your results!
REFLECTION: Cooking has never been my forte. I have never really liked it or been extremely interested in it. Unfortunately for me, eating is kind of a big deal in all cultures and we need to eat to survive. Who knew. This week gave me an insight in actually how elementary I am when it comes to cooking. My home cooked meals go as far as switching up the meat and vegetables. All American style courses and never outside my comfort zone. Understandable considering I’m not recalling willing to learn either. But examining plates, styles, and ways to cook food this week, I knew I had to give in-American food a shot. My chosen course this week was chicken curry with peppers. To no ones surprise, it didn’t turn out spectacular, but it was an instrumental learning experience. I recently bought an instant pot, which of you don’t have one, get one, they’re amazing. Instant Pots make cooking significantly faster and almost dummy proof for goons like me. All you really do is throw your uncooked ingredients in the pot along with all the toppings, seasonings, and whatever else inside, and hit a button. I’m serious too, there’s not much else to it. For my chicken curry plate, I hit the grocery store to pick up my easy but necessary ingredients. I opted for some chicken tenderloins, green, orange, and red bell peppers, potatoes, and some garnish for eye appeal. Oh, and of course curry Marsala for my sauce. I cut up the peppers and potatoes, then threw everything in the pot. I actually read the instructions on how to cook the meal properly, and let it do it’s thing. The awesome part of the instant pot is it uses its pressure cooker setting and forces the flavor into your ingredients. When you take a bite you think you have been marinating for hours. But you’ve actually completed your meal in about 45 mins from start to finish. Incredible. When I opened the pot, I was a little disappointed with how everything turned out. All I’ll say with that, is I have to refine my Indian plate before I serve it to guests. However, I’m not going back on my word and making chicken curry apart of my 5 fundamental meals. Every man has to have at least five meals he can cook professionally. So I’m adding chicken curry to my tool box in the kitchen.