I have to shamefully admit that i don't cook. My mother's idea of cooking (and has always been so as far as i can remember) is opening a can of veggies and having hamburger helper. Or burgers and fries. Or openning a can of veggies and a can of dumplings. And she CERTAINLY got her monies worth from the microwave. Not sure why she never learned to really cook because i think my grandmother (her mother) did. she tried to learn from her mother how to make biscuits. They didn't turn out real well i don't think. So i guess i have inherited her cooking traits. I can follow directions but i honestly must say that when i read some of the cooking threads, i have NO idea what they are talking about sometimes. Certain foods mentioned or a process. . . no clue. Even now, my husband does the cooking and it's usually the same type of cooking my mother does. I don't get off work till 5:00 and he's ready to eat as soon as i get home so i don't have time to cook anyway. When we first got married 7 years ago, my husband would try to cook good food. Fattening probably but he'd try new things. Now, he's more into convenience just as i would be.
I will say that i took a home ec class and they still have them here. Of course, now they are more focused on "babies". They have a baby and make everybody take this doll home and it's suppose to cry, etc just like a real baby and you get graded on how well you take care of it. When i was in home ec i remember cooking biscuits one time and sewing one pair of shorts. Oh, and i learned how to properly set the table (so that when i get older i can eat a sandwich properly - LOL!). I do wish i could cook well. . . if i was good at it, i might enjoy it more. But it's just hard for me to even take the time to try. I mean, in my head i'm thinking. . . do i want to spend 1 hour cooking and another hour eating and 30 minutes cleaning and only having 2 hours to rest and do other things that need to be done before i go to bed or do i want to do a quick cook (or my husband) and eat in one hour tops. Then have that extra 1.5 hours to rest and do other things. If i enjoyed it i guess it would be different. But i was raised in the fast lane.
Cooking doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming. Sometimes I enjoy cooking and prepping something for an hour, other days I prefer to go with something simple.
Yesterday it probably took me all of 5 minutes to make dinner. I have a rice cooker, so I put some rice, water and salt in the rice cooker. I got some frozen veggies (corn and peppers) mixed with a can of beans and put it in a covered pan with some spices and a little water. I simmered it for 15-20 minutes. I put half frozen pork chops with a can of rotel spicy tomatoes, a little water and a little spice into a pressure cooker and cooked it for 30 minutes. I got some frozen green beans and steamed them in the microwave for 3 minutes. I then went out to my small garden and grabbed some ripe cherry tomatoes to eat with dinner.
I won't say dinner yesterday was gourmet or fancy cooking but it was fairly easy. Cleanup was easy as well and since I cooked extras, I will only need to reheat them for tonights dinner rather than cook something new. I wasn't standing over the stove, I wasn't busy chopping anything and I had a fairly nutritious but simple dinner.
Another thing you can try is a crockpot/slow cooker. I love making meals in my crockpot because all I do is dump things in before work and then come home to something hot and delicious for dinner.
I hate cooking most of the time now and only cook because we have to eat, lol. I have been cooking since I was a teenager and so am a little tired of it.
I voted...learned from a parent. My mother didn't really teach me as in showing me what to do or telling me what to do, but more from watching her cook and reading her cook books. I started cooking for the family when she went to work and loved it then. Then married and had my own family to cook for. That was at a time I loved trying new things, and still do sometimes. I love entertaining and we always had company, still do somewhat (love to entertainthat is). But as time has passed I have gotten lazy, sort of. Just like to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. What helps is we finally bought a gas grill. Sooooo easy to just walk out the door and grill everynight, even in the winter. I'm more into convenience more than anything now.
Like lots of you, I learned to cook by watching my mother. Then when I was in 4th grade she went back to work. It became my job to start supper. At first it was just to get the veggies going, but gradually I was doing it all, even planning. My stepdad taught me (and my sister) how to grocery shop, and he was very good at it. After awhile he'd stay in the car and when I learned to drive he'd just give me the keys (and the $$) and I'd do it all. Heck, I was the one cooking, so I knew what I needed.
I really like to cook, and have a ton of cookbooks, but I find I use them more for ideas of how to combine certain foods/spices, etc. I do follow the recipe if it's an ethnic recipe though, or when baking.
Cooking really doesn't need to be complicated. You can broil salmon and veggies with some salt, pepper, and a touch of olive oil. I think I mentioned on an earlier thread that I learned to cook from Racheal Ray. I never knew how to time foods so they would be done at the same time.
This thread has me thinking about my own kids. I think cooking is a vital skill and I am going to involve them more. My 12 year old son grilled hot dogs last night. So at least he can do that!
I would love to learn to can. Our garden provides enough for us to use during the summer, and we don't have lots left for canning. Making jam would be fun though. I worry I would give us all botulism or something!
Nelie,
We actually have a crock pot. hahaha My husband has made a few things in it although i don't think they were real healthy or anything. He don't like to leave things on like that when we're not home. But that would be a good solution to time. Is there a really good website to get good healthy and QUICK receipes? And simple receipes for the cooking impaired? i know there are some on this website but i'm not sure how "easy" they are.
Thanks for all of the responses. I think it's interesting how we all learned. Also interesting how cooking and/or certain recipes are tied up into our memories of people.
Barbara, I hadn't done much canning for several years. This year I picked a bunch of wild blackberries and decided to make jam. I mainly made it for my father, who loves it. It turned out pretty well. I made one batch for myself with Splenda. Of course, it was nowhere near as good as the batch with 7 cups of sugar, but it's edible. Our garden is still coming in, but I hope to have enough tomatos to can.
Midwife, I think jam would be a good place to start canning. I used the packs of sure-jell and it was very simple. Just following a recipe, actually.
Amy, I had bookmarked this website. It has lots of low-fat crockpot recipes. Most of them give the WW points, and some give the calorie count. I have to admit that I haven't used it, but I thought I'd pass it along in case it gives you some ideas. I just re-read your post and it sounds like you may not actually be looking for crock-pot recipes, but I'll post it anyway.
I kind of go in spurts between enjoying cooking and just doing it because we have to eat. Right now, I'm enjoying it, although when life gets so hectic, it can become quite the chore. I very seldom spend more than 45 minutes getting dinner ready. If it's something that will take longer than that, I call home and have my kids start prepping it while I'm driving home. They don't always love it, but it's giving them some experience in the kitchen.
You might also try the library for some cookbooks. Our library has the following titles that would be helpful. They also have lots of other, these are just a sampling.
EatingWell serves two : 150 healthy in a hurry suppers / Jim Romanoff and the test kitchens of EatingWell.
The simpler the better : sensational one-dish meals in 3 easy steps / Leslie Revsin.
500 3-ingredient recipes : simple and sensational recipes for everyday cooking / Carol and Bob Hildebrand.
The moms' guide to meal makeovers : improving the way your family eats, one meal at a time / Janice Newell Bissex & Liz Weiss.
Healthy cooking for people who don't have time to cook / by Jeanne Jones.
No one taught me how to cook. I learned by trial and error and some cook books. I do enjoy cooking but would like it more if the kids were not so picky. Right now we have the same thing over and over again and its getting boring.
Cooking? What's that?
Not sure why she never learned to really cook because i think my grandmother (her mother) did. she tried to learn from her mother how to make biscuits. They didn't turn out real well i don't think. So i guess i have inherited her cooking traits. I can follow directions but i honestly must say that when i read some of the cooking threads, i have NO idea what they are talking about sometimes. Certain foods mentioned or a process. . . no clue. Even now, my husband does the cooking and it's usually the same type of cooking my mother does. I don't get off work till 5:00 and he's ready to eat as soon as i get home so i don't have time to cook anyway. When we first got married 7 years ago, my husband would try to cook good food. Fattening probably but he'd try new things. Now, he's more into convenience just as i would be. 
