Plan for the family
monday- red beans and rice or spaghetti garlic bread salad
tuesday- pork chops with rice and gravy green beans
wedsday- chicken tenders or enchiladas
thursday-give dad a steak and baked potato
friday-fish and frys or gumbo or shrimp creole
saturday -hot dogs with chips or hamburgers
sunday- fried chicken or barbeque ribs tater salad
Plan your meals around easy-to-make staples like rice, spaghetti, and beans. You can do multiple things with these ingredients. Then, pick up other versitile proteins: ground beef, boneless/skinless chicken breasts, lean pork chops, firm tofu.
Then mix and match, adding variety with veggies and/or sides. Casseroles, stirfry, tacos, burritos, meatballs, mac n cheese, burgers, etc.
Here are some easy recipes to help get you started:
The reason why it is a daunting task..its because if you are like me…
half the time..i dont even understand what the recipe is saying..even if it is very clear for someone else (expeirenced cook)..it is not clear for me.
It takes me time to really understand what the instructions are..but i get there..
I think the harderst thing is thinking of something you’d like to cook.
It gets easier once you get used to it and once you get comfortable in the kitchen.
You dont have to be afraid to mix things together.
If it doesnt turn out, you now know what not to do next time.
Sometimes recipes will have things you dont like..but you are afraid not to add them because you think that will not make it taste/look the same..
Well replace that thing with something you like..(eg. dont like beef, use chicken)
If you’ve got an idea of what you want to cook, or a recipe..go from there..
write down what that meal is going to need, and then make your shopping list according to that.
Even if you buy a little extra or not enough..there is always a way to work around things.
I think it just takes time to get used to and you’ve got to become comfortable and not afraid of trying to new thing or afraid that it wont turn out.
Be positive.
What i did at first..was cook when noone was home..that way they didnt know i cooked..and if it turned out nice..i would share it with them..if it didnt work out..they’ll never know i tried…
I think the hardest thing for a new cook is to figure out how to get it all ready at the same time. The trick is to think about how long each takes to cook, and to prepare, and work backwards. Some thing can be prepared while other things cook.
Plan simple menus where you only need to prepare a couple items. Use bagged salads and frozen/canned veggies for side dishes.
Find a cook-book for beginners that has whole meals. They will tell you what to start first and how to do each step of the preparation.
I applaud you for starting to cook. So many people don’t these days and are missing out on some great food. Plus, you save money by cooking for yourself.
Plan for the family
monday- red beans and rice or spaghetti garlic bread salad
tuesday- pork chops with rice and gravy green beans
wedsday- chicken tenders or enchiladas
thursday-give dad a steak and baked potato
friday-fish and frys or gumbo or shrimp creole
saturday -hot dogs with chips or hamburgers
sunday- fried chicken or barbeque ribs tater salad
Plan your meals around easy-to-make staples like rice, spaghetti, and beans. You can do multiple things with these ingredients. Then, pick up other versitile proteins: ground beef, boneless/skinless chicken breasts, lean pork chops, firm tofu.
Then mix and match, adding variety with veggies and/or sides. Casseroles, stirfry, tacos, burritos, meatballs, mac n cheese, burgers, etc.
Here are some easy recipes to help get you started:
The reason why it is a daunting task..its because if you are like me…
half the time..i dont even understand what the recipe is saying..even if it is very clear for someone else (expeirenced cook)..it is not clear for me.
It takes me time to really understand what the instructions are..but i get there..
I think the harderst thing is thinking of something you’d like to cook.
It gets easier once you get used to it and once you get comfortable in the kitchen.
You dont have to be afraid to mix things together.
If it doesnt turn out, you now know what not to do next time.
Sometimes recipes will have things you dont like..but you are afraid not to add them because you think that will not make it taste/look the same..
Well replace that thing with something you like..(eg. dont like beef, use chicken)
If you’ve got an idea of what you want to cook, or a recipe..go from there..
write down what that meal is going to need, and then make your shopping list according to that.
Even if you buy a little extra or not enough..there is always a way to work around things.
I think it just takes time to get used to and you’ve got to become comfortable and not afraid of trying to new thing or afraid that it wont turn out.
Be positive.
What i did at first..was cook when noone was home..that way they didnt know i cooked..and if it turned out nice..i would share it with them..if it didnt work out..they’ll never know i tried…
thats me anyways..goodluck.
There are only five basic cooking methods.
There is sauteing, frying, poaching, roasting and braising.
Everything else is a variation of those methods.
When your starting to cook get comfortable with these methods perhaps one at a time.
When your feeling pretty good about them you develop a knack for what will work and what won’t.
Once you do that you can get inspired by just seeing what’s available in the store.
You can plan your menus by what is in season and what your feeling up to cooking.
I think the hardest thing for a new cook is to figure out how to get it all ready at the same time. The trick is to think about how long each takes to cook, and to prepare, and work backwards. Some thing can be prepared while other things cook.
Plan simple menus where you only need to prepare a couple items. Use bagged salads and frozen/canned veggies for side dishes.
Find a cook-book for beginners that has whole meals. They will tell you what to start first and how to do each step of the preparation.
I applaud you for starting to cook. So many people don’t these days and are missing out on some great food. Plus, you save money by cooking for yourself.