Cooking is an integral part of our day to day lives... or at least it should be. If you do not know how to cook for yourself, (& by cook I do not simply mean boil water and heat a jar of store bought sauce); I mean, learn to pair flavours and replicate some of your favourite meals. By cook, I mean how to fix yourself or your family quick, nutritious meals on the go to keep up with a demanding schedule. Today's society unfortunately has diminished the past norm of home cooked meals, surrounded by family conversation. Sadly the norm has become fast food, store bought, freezer boxed meals and any other alternative that is quick and remotely healthy. What's even sadder than this fact -- upon receiving that meal on the go, you share the next few minutes chowing down your fast food combo while flipping through your text or creeping your FaceBook or Instagram. You may mumble a few words to whomever is sharing your presence. So, I decided to make a memoir of all the meals & conversations surrounding my day to day life and the food I eat within that day. Yes, I am going to take pictures of my food. Deal with it.
I just turned 24 a few months ago, and though I do not have a family (in the kid sense), I do however have a demanding schedule; balancing my home life (living with my boyfriend & our 2 dogs), a full time school schedule & work schedule, as well as maintaing a healthy diet & lifestyle. In order to do this I have found a passion in preparing easy and nutritious meals to keep up with a demanding schedule. The better understanding you have of food and cooking, the easier it is to maintain that lifestyle and know exactly what is going into your body. Making it a focus amongst your home also allows for an opportunity to bond with whoever you do share your presence with.
Cooking is fun. It doesn't have to be a messy production of pots & pans and valuable time. It doesn't have to be deep fried to taste good. It doesn't have to be expensive. It can be cheap, quick and healthy, you just have to be willing to learn a couple skills and buy a of couple tools and supplies. But trust me, they will be an investment; because if you continue to check back here you will likely use them everyday. EVERY DAMN DAY!!! Well, maybe not everyday, because who doesn't like to go out and have a meal every once and a while. I mean I do work at a pub, so I wouldn't be able to make a living if it weren't for the customers... and who doesn't like to be waited on. These cooking tools/ supplies do not have to be expensive either. Like I said, I am a 24 year old marketing student, working as a waitress to pay the bills; so everything I do is on a budget. ALWAYS. I acquired mine over the course of my post secondary education. Though I am lucky my mother sent me off to school with a boat load of kitchen supplies (I'm Italian), hoping I would continue to domesticate myself (I'm Italian). She's proud, because I sure did. Now maybe you think I have a one up on you in the kitchen (because I'm Italian), at least that is what some of my friends say. "Its in your blood". Well sure I love food, and I eat it, so yeah, I guess food is in my blood; but you eat it too, so it's in yours as well.
I am not a chef; let me make that clear. I am not even a cook. I have no professional training in a kitchen. I have no training at all really, aside from a few times I was a pair of helping hands making hamburgers and tossing chicken wings on the line at work (and being Italian). I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family who placed a high premium on healthy and nutritious meals, surrounded by our family. Both my parents cooked for my brother and I growing up, and always got us involved whether it was from setting the table to cutting up veggies for the salad. It didn't matter the task -- we were always a pair of helping hands, and it was exciting to help prepare things that tasted so good all the time. After moving away to University a few years back (okay, maybe more then a few), I realized it was cheaper to make my own tasty meals then to be eating at restaurants or the DELICIOUS cafeteria. K, I'm joking; maybe I'm a food snob, but to me the cafeteria just wouldn't cut it, and there were only so many days a week I could eat my Nana's homemade pasta sauce my parents sent to me (on a monthly basis). Really the cafeteria only seemed appealing after a night of hard drinking with friends. So I started to think of my favourite foods to eat, how I could replicate things I loved and try things I never knew I could love. I started stepping out of my comfort zones and understanding all the different things I could do with food right at my finger tips. I realized my passion for food and the conversations surrounding food. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a motor mouth who loves to eat; maybe just not at the same time. No one wants pieces of your lunch on their face.
Most of my meals come from my day to day inspiration. I am inspired by things I see on TV, or out and about in my day to day life (in Ottawa, ONT). I draw my passion from celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver. I find his recipes to be quick & exciting and full of flavour, always using the freshest ingredients. I also really love watching Rachael Ray, because we share the same love for cooking food, eating food, shopping and talking (and she's Italian).
Like I said cooking isn't hard, and its nothing you should be scared to try. Anyone can cook. ANYONE. It doesn't matter if you have no experience, or you're unsure of how to even properly hold a knife. We are lucky enough to live in a time where any answer is at the end of our finger tips. Just google away if you're unsure. I myself have absolutely no culinary experience, aside from being a waitress for my university career, and a passion for eating. I guess being Italian helps.
My nanna was right all these years in saying, "the way to anyone's heart is through their stomach", so join me in discovering great food & good conversation. The more well fed you are the happier you will be.
Thanks for stopping by,
Nicole
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