5 Easy Recipes That Helped Me Get Comfortable In The Kitchen
I used to hate cooking. My lack of confidence in the kitchen went beyond not trusting if I could follow a recipe, it had a lot to do with:
The smoke alarm that went off too easily in my childhood home and made me fear setting the alarm off while cooking
My family encouraging fear as a way to keep me safe, ie “don’t get close to the stove, it’ll burn you.”
The one time I burned myself with boiling hot water
When I moved into my first adult apartment, all of these old fears surfaced and made cooking something I had to learn was fun. I started off by leaning on HelloFresh. I would order the 3-meal boxes so that my job was limited to simply following directions. I loved that I didn’t have to shop for groceries and that most of the veggies or meats already arrived ready to cook.
After we moved from that apartment to our home in Portland, which had a kitchen that doubled in size, I started getting more experimental. I found joy in researching recipes, learning to grocery shop, and making new things. I think I’ll always have a core memory of making my boyfriend’s family recipe for our first Thanksgiving as a family of three (me, him, and our dog) and loving how it turned out.
I credit my relationship to cooking as one of the main reasons my relationship to food has healed so much. The 5 recipes below are ones I’ve mastered so much that there’s a peaceful and meditative quality to making them now.
Because I scoured the Internet for the easiest recipes to start getting comfortable in the kitchen, I figured I’d save you the trouble and share some of my favorite ones below. Here are 5 recipes that have helped me grow comfortable in the kitchen.
Banana Bread Recipe
This banana bread recipe is my go-to. It first came into my life during the first weeks of the pandemic and hasn’t left since. I make it with Almond Milk and usually add in the chocolate chips. I don’t use a mixer and just whisk it by hand and I love the consistency. It takes me about 15 minutes to prep now and then about an hour in the oven. The first time I made this recipe it probably took me like 45 minutes to prep, so be easy on yourself if you’re gaining confidence in the kitchen.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
These recipes will inadvertently go in order from easiest to most difficult. I made this recipe for the first time this summer and wish I’d happened upon it sooner. It’s such a confidence boosting recipe. Everyone will love it and it’ll make you want to cook something else. My notes: I used store-bought rotisserie chicken because we work smarter, not harder and we don’t have a crockpot, so I made it in our oven. This is a really great “I need to bring something to the party” recipe.
Easy Skillet Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
I’m here for the easy versions of harder things. I was initially intimated by the pie part of a chicken pot pie, having to make a crust, etc., and wanted a work around to help ease me into the more complex dish. This recipe is the coziest meal any time of year (I literally made it on Sunday on a 90 degree day). Once you prep, it’s really easy and not intimidating to pull together. My notes: I would recommend dicing all your ingredients before you throw the chicken on the skillet. I use the 10 minutes when the veggies are simmering to cut up the biscuits.
Easy, Flavorful Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe
I had a hard time finding a basic chicken breast recipe that would give me a good base for other meals throughout the week, until I found this one. I brine my chicken for at least 15 minutes. I also add more paprika than the recipe calls for because I like the kick. I’ll usually have the chicken in a salad, over rice, or in tacos with enchilada sauce. It’s my favorite meal prep dish I’ve made so far. It’s easy to keep in the fridge all week and 4 cutlets go a long way.
Tres Leches Cake For Two
We’re a family of two humans and one dog, so making a full-sized dessert was proving really wasteful. I was so happy to come across Dessert for Two, who literally specializes in recipes that serve two people. I’ve tried the cheesecake in a loaf pan recipe (again, genius!), the molten chocolate cakes (which are my favorite), and this tres leches recipe (my boyfriend’s favorite). I cannot speak more highly of how easy these dessert recipes are. The only reason I’d qualify them as “more difficult” on this list is because they call for more equipment than a normal pan.
I like cooking now. I enjoy eating the meals I cook. I love seeing my boyfriend taste test. I find those all to be such a blessing and lightyears from where I started. I don’t think I would enjoy showing up to the kitchen though if I hadn’t find true comfort being there, taking up space, and making mistakes. I hope if you’re on this journey too that you allow yourself room to grow and learn as you go.