Although I dreamed of being the perfect housewife and stay-at-home mom — keeping a clean, organized home, cooking healthy, delicious meals…and always with a smile on my face — none of it came easily to me. Least of all the cooking part.
I truly hated to cook, but it wasn’t the actual cooking I hated; it was the not knowing what I was doing. I had questions about every single recipe I tried (at the time, “Google it” was not part of my vocabulary, so I called my mom…every night). And I ruined a ton of meals, which I also hated, not just because it made me feel like a failure but because I was wasting so much food in the process.
Over the years, I kept trying (my family insists on eating, after all), and I slowly got a few recipes under my belt that I felt fairly confident preparing…except sometimes I would still mess those up too!
A year or so ago, I finally accepted the idea of “baby steps” and started focusing on mastering just one new thing at a time. I began to understand the why behind a lot of the things we do in the kitchen, which was an important step for me.
When I began writing Easy Homemade last summer, it made a lot of my friends laugh: “Mandi is writing a cookbook? Will the real Mandi please stand up?”
But learning to make each of those items — which involved a lot of experimentation, quite a few disasters and understanding the why behind each recipe — made such a big difference in my kitchen journey. It gave me a confidence in the kitchen that I don’t think I would have gained in another 10 years of preparing regular meals.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m still not a chef by any means. These days I often Skype Shaina with my questions (although not as frequently as even a few years ago!), and I still make mistakes. But I finally feel like I’m over the hurdle. I can salvage most mistakes, even when I realize an important ingredient is missing halfway through. And trying a new recipe or technique no longer intimidates me.
If you find yourself in that same place, I recommend starting with the basics: Take some time to make sauces, salad dressing, condiments and spice blends. Smell the spices and try to identify the flavors in your favorite foods. Create a roux and turn it into a basic white sauce.
Often, we approach cooking from scratch from the opposite direction — starting with recipes that use premade ingredients and assembling them — but if the thing that’s holding you back is not having a good understanding of how and why things work in the kitchen, starting with the basics can be a big confidence booster!
I dove right in while writing the ebook, but you can start with one little thing at a time. How about homemade brownies for dessert this week?
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix sugar, flour and cocoa. Add butter, eggs and vanilla extract and beat for 3 minutes.
Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Drop several teaspoons of peanut butter across the top of your brownie batter and swirl with a knife.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool for 20-30 minutes before cutting. {If you can resist!}
Click here to add this recipe to your Plan to Eat account.
Resources & Coupon Codes
Looking for a little help in your journey? Save 30% off Easy Homemade or Better Than a Box (from Katie at Kitchen Stewardship) with coupon code EZHMDEAL:
In Easy Homemade: Homemade Pantry Staples for the Busy Modern Family, I share more than 60 recipes for homemade kitchen staples as well as kitchen tips, information about choosing various ingredients and more.
Katie’s Better Than a Box: How to Transform Your Processed Foods Recipes into Whole Foods Favorites is more than just a recipe book; it’s a tutorial in real food cooking, reverse engineering processed foods, and creative recipe development. Katie’s strength is showing you why and how things work in the kitchen, and this ebook is her best yet!
Eat Well, Spend Less
For more tips on getting back to the basics, be sure to visit the other Eat Well, Spend Less bloggers:
- Aimee from Simple Bites
- Amy from Kingdom First Mom
- Carrie from Denver Bargains
- Jessica from Life as Mom
- Katie from Kitchen Stewardship
- Shaina from Food for My Family
What is your favorite thing to cook “from scratch”?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Great, encouraging read, Mandi. And those brownies? Delish!
I enjoy making bread from scratch. My father-in-law used to always say “Scratch is such good stuff – you can make so many things from it.”
I am going to try my hand at making naan and would also love the recipe for Peshwaari Naan if you have it. At age 70, I’m still having fun in the kitchen and love your site.
Please forgive my sappiness!
I had to write, and I’m feeling a bit emotional (which makes me feel a bit silly)! I came upon this post from Life As Mom because I was intrigued by the title. I fancy myself a great “heater-upper” but not so much a cook or a baker. I’m 34 and I have NEVER IN MY LIFE baked brownies from scratch. When I read your post I was encouraged because you sound like me. You weren’t a kitchen or cooking expert (and you actually sounded worse than me….sorry), just someone who wanted to TRY. I looked at the recipe and said “I have all of these ingredients in my house”. I mentioned it to my 3yo daughter and she sealed the deal with a resounding “YES! Can I lick the bowl?” So she helped me gather all the ingredients and mix them all up (her sister said “I don’t want to help, but I want brownies”). They decided they wanted to add some chocolate chips, so I put in a handful. Then we got to lick the bowl. The texture was a tad thicker than the box stuff, but it tasted better. We are baking them now and cannot wait to taste them.
What I learned: I can do it! The ingredients are things I keep in my cabinets anyway (no extra cost going to buy mixes and such). I can make them anytime we are in the mood (that could be good or bad). And the steps were EXACTLY the same as the box. It did not take me any longer to put them together. I always assumed baking from scratch meant hours in the kitchen. I can’t believe how wrong I was. I got the Easy Homemade book last week and I am going to start working my way through it.
I cannot thank you enough for being out on the interwebs to inspire other moms like me!
Thanks so much for sharing this, sappiness and all! I’m so glad it was encouraging to you, and I hope you enjoyed your brownies!
“Even when I realize an important ingredient is missing halfway through”…that is where I’ve come a long way in my cooking journey! I was so proud of myself when I ran out of chili powder in the middle of making chili for guests last weekend. Hubby had the car so I couldn’t get more, and I came up with several additions that made the chili flavorful and delicious. I know I couldn’t have done that a year or two ago! I love Easy Homemade as well–it’s been a great resource!
It’s a good feeling, isn’t it, Diana?!
Thanks so much!
Ha! When I started my life as a stay at home mom, I loved the cooking, but hated the clean up. How is it the sink is always full of dirty dishes when I’m washing them all day long? Enjoying your site!