I have to admit, I prefer eating over cooking. At home, when the plates were set, I hurriedly sat down and waited for everyone else for prayer then started to eat. There were times when my mom taught me how to cook but I struggled in lighting the stove since we used matchsticks to light it. Either my fingers got close to being burned or the matchsticks box got close to being empty. I remembered while cooking, I burned one of our potholders though nobody noticed. I wanted to really just give up.
When I was in college, our parents told my brother and I to practice cooking by preparing breakfast every Sunday. That idea brought us to life and every Sunday, my brother and I helped each other think of food to cook. Our parents loved it so we were challenged to do better each week. One great memory I had was when we surprised them with french toasts. Very simple but very meaningful for me since they appreciated our efforts.
Since I started to work and became independent, my budding love for cooking totally stopped. The boarding house where I stayed the longest did not have room for stoves and the owner did not want us to cook anyway for safety reasons. That time my working hours depended on how many events we had to prepare and the work I had in the office. I just resolved into buying food from the carinderia or nearby fastfood chains. Cooking was nowhere in the list of my ‘Things to Do’.
Years passed and I became a mom. I had to cook at times because I felt I could offer other dishes I learned and add to my husband’s delicious meals. What made me go back to cooking was when I became a full time mother.
Between taking care of our daughter and making sure the house was clean, I made sure I made the best meal for my family. I practiced cooking different kinds of eggs and wanted to achieve the fluffy egg I once ate in a restaurant. I rarely watched cooking shows but almost always visit the internet for quick and easy recipes. I also searched for ‘substitute ingredients’ and getting an answer made me all the more hopeful. I am definitely a practical mom.
I found happiness and pure joy as I cooked for my loved ones. My budding love for cooking has now leveled up. I have my pans, stove, utensils and ingredients to cook delicious food.
Cooking has taught me these:
– Patience found in simply boiling meat and vegetables
– Timing in frying sunny-side ups
– Decision Making in what to cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner
– Conquering Fear in getting burned, being cut by a knife and slightly crying over onions
– Being Positive in preparing meals because cooking with a smile translates to great food.
As I explore my love for cooking and create my own adventure, I now know that I don’t have any excuse not to do so. For as long as my family is happy with what I serve, it would be enough for me. So when I say adventure, I meant challenging myself to make pancakes from scratch for breakfast. I now share to you the ingredients and a photo of my challenge:
PANCAKES
Ingredients:
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
2 tbsp White Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 cup Milk
2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 Egg, beaten
Procedure:
– In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in milk, egg and oil. Mix until smooth.
– Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Here are my homemade pancakes I did from scratch. It was fun making it and I was satisfied with the result and would want to think of toppings I can put to get more interesting flavors. Try this for yourselves too!
Maui Pontevedra 