What "counts" as cooking? PLUS COOKING 101 CLASSES!
TL;DR — be generous with yourself! / also exciting APRIL CLASS SCHEDULE!!
Hi all,
I just wanted to chime in with a question for you all to consider and share some of my thoughts about it: what counts as cooking?
What comes to mind when I ask this? Multiple burners going at once with various pots and pans? A mountain of produce that needs to be peeled, sliced, and diced? Something in the oven? A tiring trip to multiple stores?
No but seriously, what comes to your mind? Please tell me! I want to know.
In just typing out those examples, I guess I revealed to myself what comes to my mind when I think of what counts as cooking. And, to be honest, it all sounds tiring to me.
Something else has been on my mind lately: there’s so much that counts as cooking that we don’t often count.
Cooking starts in the grocery store. Actually it starts before that. It starts in figuring out what to make (you’ve seen this amazing clip of Aretha Franklin, right?). Cooking doesn’t stop at the stove. Cooking is also cleaning up. Cooking is figuring out how to store and serve leftovers. Cooking is keeping track of so much.
I think cooking, at its best, is creating pleasure. And it absolutely does not have to be difficult, multi-stepped, or a huge mess to count.
Cooking is making food for yourself and maybe other people, too.
Cooking can be assembling things — cooking can be slicing cheese, tearing bread, washing grapes, and putting all of those on a plate.
Cooking can be making something someone else made taste like something you want to eat — cooking can be shredding a rotisserie chicken from the store, throwing it on salad greens, crumbling over blue cheese, and drizzling it all with oil, vinegar, and hot sauce.
Cooking can be making a pot of rice, microwaving broccoli, and putting them in a bowl together with lots of butter and soy sauce.
Cooking can be making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Cooking can be topping oatmeal with sliced banana, salted butter, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Cooking can be draining a can of chickpeas and mixing them with olive oil, vinegar, salt + pepper and storing them in a container in the fridge so when you get home exhausted from all the exhausting things, you can throw them into a salad or a bowl of rice, or heat them through with broth (hey BTB!) and frozen vegetables for a simple soup that tastes like something you’re excited to eat.
What is cooking to you?
I won’t be teaching this weekend, but my next class is coming up on Sunday March 31st will be a full tour/explainer of how I grocery shop and organize my pantry.
NOTE ON THE DATE: I know that Sunday is Easter (I don’t celebrate so didn’t realize until after I scheduled!). As always, if you’re interested in class and can’t attend live, you can always sign up and you’ll get the class document right away and you’ll get a recording of the entire class the same day. You can always also check it out after in my video library where you can also purchase any of my past classes!
OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION: "How do you organize your pantry?" is one of the questions I get asked most frequently. Join me to not only hear the answer, but to SEE IT. This class will be a tour of my kitchen and all of the ingredients it holds: we'll go through the counter, the cupboards, drawers, refrigerator, and freezer! I will show you what I have, how I store it, and how I manage it all. I will also go over how I grocery shop — meaning, how I get all of those ingredients in the first place. Class includes a 10 page document with lists of ingredients, my notes on grocery shopping, links to just about EVERYTHING, and even a helpful grocery list page you can print off and use to hopefully make your life in your kitchen a little easier. The companion document will enable you to just watch + absorb without worrying about keeping track of things. The live class will include plenty of time for any + all questions!!!! SIGN UP HERE!
And my April class line-up is officially live! Click on the title of each class to sign up. As always if $ is a barrier, just let me know and we’ll figure it out. Class FAQs live here.
Sunday April 7th / 2p - 3:30p EST: COOK ONCE, EAT MANY TIMES
Join me for this practical class we're well prep four simple dishes that can mixed-and-matched throughout the week. Tons of combination/repurposing ideas will be shared, plus cooking tips + tricks. If you feel like you're having trouble figuring out your weekly food needs, this class will be really helpful!! Go into your week feeling PREPARED!
We will be making:
-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
-Mustardy Pork Tenderloin
-Marinated Lentil Salad
-Lemony Kale
Saturday April 27th / noon - 2p EST: COOKING 101, PART 1 of 2
So you want to cook? Join me! I’ll show you the basics. In this two part live digital series over the course of one weekend, I'll cover how to make the dishes I think are most essential. In learning how to make them, you’ll be set to feed yourself and the people you love.
I’ll explain how each recipe can be riffed on so once you know how to make the basic thing, you’ll actually be equipped to make SO MANY THINGS. I’ll walk through every single step so not only will you leave with some great recipes and ideas for other dishes, but you’ll also take fundamental skills with you (like how to make a salad dressing, how to fry an egg, how to chop vegetables, how to break down a chicken, how to weigh your ingredients for baking, and so much more).
The first class will be 2 hours on Saturday, April 27th starting at NOON EST and the second will be 2 hours on Sunday, April 28th starting at 2p EST. You can take one or both!
Remember, as always, even if you can’t attend live, signing up means you’ll instantly get the class document and you’ll receive a video recording of the live class on the day it’s held. Hope to see you soon for this fun and informative weekend of cooking!
PART ONE ON SATURDAY WILL INCLUDE: Knife Skills / Salad Basics inc. Dressing / Soup / Eggs
We will prepare:
-A Great Green Salad with Classic Vinaigrette
-A Blended Dressing Formula
-Simple Vegetable Soup
-Eggs a Few Ways (Scrambled / Hard Boiled / Fried)
Sunday April 28th / 2p - 4p EST: COOKING 101, PART 2 of 2
See above for the description of this series!
PART TWO ON SUNDAY WILL INCLUDE: Chicken / Leafy Greens / Rice / Baking
In class, we will prepare:
-Breaking Down a Chicken
-Roasted Spiced Chicken + Sweet Potatoes
-Garlicky Greens
-Steamed Rice with Butter -Buttermilk + Olive Oil Cake
That’s it for today! Take care friends. xo
Love this! I truly think of cooking as any meal I produce in my own kitchen versus ordering takeout... though I think some part of my brain also believes a stove or oven needs to be involved. But that feels way too literal for how all-encompassing this labor is!
I'm always a little surprised when people ask me if I cook for myself now that I'm alone. Why, yes, I do! I do miss the meal time rituals that my husband and I had, and I probably eat more simply these days. But eating well is important to me, and I take a bit of time to make sure I do. It might be a pot of soup that I eat all week, or it might be assembling a variety of leftovers from the refrigerator. Full disclosure--occasionally it's Top Ramen! Thanks Julia for all of your suggestions that make people want to dive right in! ❤️