Why adventures in cooking?

It occurs to me, that many of my five readers know me really well. You know that I am not a particularly adept cook, that I hate eating leftovers and I'd rather buy new dishes than actually wash the ones we use. I also really enjoy going out to eat. Like, really enjoy it. So, why I am undertaking and publishing all kinds of cooking adventures?

Last night I got my daily e-mail from Sarah Kate of The Kitchn. I realize I've now mentioned this website about a thousand times in the past several weeks; not least because they've *ahem* published me. Anywho, in her e-mail, which you can read here, she touches on the reason there has been a resurgence in books and articles that focus on cooking with kids. I think she hits the nail pretty close to the head.

So, does that mean I'm cooking with Emily? No, not really.  Seriously folks, I cannot compete with the lure of the huge dry erase board that has taken up residency in our living room. But someday, I do hope to cook with Emily and, even more, I hope Emily will cook for herself and her family.  I did not cook as a child. Well, not very often.  And when I did, it was usually a study in kitchen mishaps.  Therefore, I do not know how or why anyone would want to wipe out a hot skillet in the middle of cooking.  I  once dumbly asked my coworkers what it meant to add a can of water in the middle of a recipe.  Pretend you are grateful to find out it means you fill the empty can of cream of chicken soup from an earlier step with water and pour it in at the appropriate time. These little ignorances are frustrating enough to keep a person from cooking and that can translate to a person not eating well.

Hopefully, Em and I will both eventually find cooking enjoyable. Neither of us has the knowledgeable Grandmother of yore patiently teaching us how to chop garlic or flip pancakes, but maybe, just maybe, our adventures in cooking will help us capture something just as good.

Also, I'll try to refrain from gagging when I wash dishes.