My Cooking Exploits

"I was 32 when I started cooking: up until then I just ate."

- Julia Child

My mom is an absolutely amazing cook. When I was in High School, I was always chosen as the "leader" in Home Economics projects by the sole virtue of my mom's well-known culinary skills. I, on the other hand, was not loser in the cooking department but I also wasn't great either.

Lately, though, to save money and because I'm tired of eating fast food and/or Jolly-jeep carinderia food for lunches at work -- I started cooking my own lunches. I do that once every few months to "detox" but I stuck to healthy sandwiches then.

I have to admit that this newfound "hobby" is partially inspired by watching "Julie and Julia." So I went googled "Cheap, quick and healthy meals" and began the cooking showdown -- with myself.

Guess what I discovered? I love cooking! I really, really do. The feeling I get from it is kinda like retail therapy. Seeing the finished product gives me the warm and fuzzies. I can't stop looking at it and tasting it -- even before lunch. Working with my hands was something I've always enjoyed but I never really thought I'd turn out to be much of a cook.

So here's my honest self-evaluation: I have inherited my Dad's cooking instincts and messy technique. I guess having good cooks as parents gave me that levelheadedness in the kitchen. I know what to do and how to keep calm. In the end, the food tastes great -- not blow your mind amazing -- but edible and something I can be proud of.

Here's a few meals I've cooked up the past weeks:

This is chicken potato salad with homemade (!) croutons. I made it overnight as it needed to be chilled. It looks blah in the photo but I swear it's yummy. I used baby potatoes, shredded chicken breast, hard-boiled egg, cheese, wheat bread croutons, pepper, Caesar salad dressing and mayonnaise, and basil.

This is what you call a beautiful and yummy mistake. On the left is cheezy baked potatoes and the right is turbo-grilled chicken breast. So here's the mistake: the cheezy baked potato is made up of Quickmelt cheese, Cheez Whiz, and ham bits over the potatoes. Since I was lazy to find another container, I put it in with the chicken. Their respective "sauces" merged and it was yummier! A bit salty, yes. Tee hee. Yeah, yeah, this isn't exactly a healthy or a quick meal to whip up.

But this, I promise you, is healthy. It's got nothing but pasta, tomatoes, eggplant, olive oil, cheese, and herbs. Very easy to do. Just toss the pasta in after cooking the tomatoes and eggplant and voila! My officemates testify that it is yummy.

So there. Tomorrow, I will (try) to wake up at 5AM and make tuna-mushroom pasta.