Not A Chef

 For several years my wife and I watched just about every cooking show that was on the Food Network from Iron Chef to Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives to Beat Bobby Flay to 30-Minute Meals...  

In 2015 when my wife and I retired, she said that she did not want to cook anymore, except for maybe Thanksgiving and/or Christmas...    and, I understood and supported her right to want to do that...  so, I started cooking.

I am sure that watching those cooking shows, I learned some ideas but my cooking follows no recipes although I look over recipes to see what all is involved...  I still use the portion sizes that makes sense to me...  if it calls for a tablespoon, I might use 2-3 tablespoons...  if it calls for 1/4, I will use a handful.

All of my cooking, I have eaten except for 2-3 things that I made that were not very good and rather than force myself to eat it, just decided to throw it out.  About half of my cooking has been marginal when it comes to taste but about 1/4 has been delicious but duplicating the dish is problematic.

I have cooked homemade pizza, bread, baguettes, spaghetti, lasanga, caseroles, pies, cakes, omelettes, soups, fish, and lots of various rice/beans dishes.

What I use in my cooking are typically:  onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms, green onions, leeks, all sorts of beans, basmati rice, salmon, cod, chicken, turkey, cheese, eggs, pastas, all sorts of vegatables including potatoes and sweet potatoes.

When I cook and package for later use, I always count my calories.  If my cooking creates 5 meals than I freeze 2 and eat three.  More than 3 days of something and I lose interest.  My calorie range is 1,500 to 1,800  with the understanding that I do not want to exceed 2,000/day.

I avoid fried foods, sugars, and sweets although I have used a little honey, butter (1 tablespoon at a time), light brown sugar, and chocolate.  I use an air fryer to substitute for frying...  the only time I fry is when I want to cook a fried egg or maybe fry up come yellow squash, zucchini, and onions.

So, for the last 7 years, I have been cooking my own food and in so doing I have learned a lot of stuff concerning what works and what does not work...  what I like to cook and what I don't like to cook...  do I dice or make big cuts as one if fater and just as good.

I am not a chef and don't pretend to be a chef and don't want to invite anyone over to eat my cooking...  It is just for me...  sometimes, my wife will eat my eat my soups but doesn't like all the stuff I combine together...  but, that is the heart and soul of my cooking, combining stuff that you don't think should be combined.

Bon Appetit...