Cooking is a wonderful experience, the aroma, the flavors, the beautiful colors, the creativity, the warm feeling of serving others, and the list goes on. But cooking isn’t for everyone…
Eating at home instead of out at restaurants is so much better for you. But if your not one who cooks often or doesn’t quite know how… Read on for some tips on how to get creative and start cooking at home more often!
{1} Start off easy.
Not everything you make has to be “perfect”, just start with something simple like spaghetti with some organic store bought marinara sauce but add a twist to it with some spices like basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, all these spices are in Italian spice mix.
Or find one of our recipes and but spice it up your own way, like this healthy sweet potatoes basil frittata , instead of using sweet potato you can do red potatoes or yellow even, and swap the basil (sad) with some rosemary (yum!!!). Rosemary pairs really well with any kind of potatoes, you can buy it grounded, fresh, or dried at any grocery store.
{2} Go out of your comfort zone….
Ever made bread before? Or are these questions going through your mind, “what if the water is to hot! What if it’s not warm enough! What if I I don’t bake it right!” just some of the many questions people have and don’t have the confidence in them selves. Don’t be afraid! Everyone has to start somewhere!
Try making some of these butter rolls, I accidentally made up them and they turned out so yummy, there pretty easy and they only take about an hour to make! Or just jumpstart to this simple sourdough recipe.
{3} Don’t be afraid of spicing things up!
Spices, spices, spices. Spices are the key to amazing foods. Not only do spices make thing taste “amazing” but they also have a lot of health benefits to help you digest your foods. Don’t think you can over spice things, a pinch of garlic just won’t do for a whole pot of spaghetti… bump it up a bit! Those spices are here for a reason. Don’t have spices in your cabinet? Go to the store and get some, here’s a list of essential spices we love…
- Granulated garlic, the essential spice to every dish.
- Black pepper (duh)
- Cumin
- Paprika
- basil
- Oregano
- Marjoram
- Tarragon
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Dill
Those are the main spices we use daily, there’s a lot more on our shelf but there’s the main spices.
{4} Creating the plate
Are you craving anything in particular? Want something lighter or heavier? If you don’t know, then just start with the meat. What beef or chicken today? Or maybe go a little farther and do some lamb? Or maybe duck? Say chicken just sounds delicious, start there. Ok now go on to what “flavor” your looking for, want Italian? Mexican? American? Greek? Or maybe just create something you’ve never heard of before? We’ll go with Greek food.
Ok so know that you know you want chicken and Greek, you need to start the chicken. Everything taste better with onions, I pretty much always start with sautéing onions, sweet peppers, and garlic and olive oil or butter, that’s like the base of everything. After that then cook tour chicken and add your spices, like oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, granulated garlic, salt, pepper, those are kinda the main spices of Greek food. Maybe add some canned tomatoes or chickpeas for some more complex flavors in the chicken. Yum!!
Now you got your meat, what do you want for your side? Good ole rice? Farro? Or Greek salad? sourdough pita bread? Anything is better with pita bread… so let’s make pita, and maybe rice too? Ok looks like you got a pretty good meal goin’ on! Now set the table with pretty dishes. You eat with your eyes first you know.
{5} HAVE FUN!!!
Cooking isn’t a hassle it’s having fun and creating a master piece! Don’t want to cut all the veggies? Have someone help you! It’s a good bonding time. Don’t forget to smile and be happy! Cooking it not made to be stressful!!! HAVE FUN AND ENJOY COOKING! Oh now your in-laws are here, can’t wait for them to try your new dish! Don’t forget to tell them you made it from scratch!!
the potters table 