The Kitchen Junkie and the Gym Rat

For reference, I am a level 12 fuchsia belt of home cooking and a level 2 burnt-sienna belt of working out.

Cooking and Working Out share some interesting commonalities.  When done right, they become part of your life, but you don't just wake up one morning being an expert.

In the beginning:

1. You will suck at it.
2. You won't inherently know what to do, even in a room with the best equipment.
3. You will feel awkward and unsure of yourself.
4. You will fail sometimes.
5. You're going to need a mentor that makes you feel positive about asking questions.

To get started:

1. You need very little in the way of equipment to make incredible advances.
2. Music can provide you a good backdrop to help your mood and encourage you.
3. The internet is an incredibly mixed bag.  It's a firehose of knowledge and you may not be ready to use it yet.
4. Doing anything is better than nothing, as long as you keep pushing forward.

As you continue:

1. The better you become, the easier it is to "stay on the horse."
2. You will feel physically and emotionally better.
3. You will gain a subconscious sense of what is good and how to do it.

You'll  know you've made it when:

1. It's such a part of your life, you don't have to 'carve out time' to do it.
2. You approach it with enthusiasm, rather than trepidation.

While we're here, an extra word about music in the kitchen.  Putting on some good jams while cooking can really get the (proverbial) juices flowing.  The kitchen will be loud with the vent fan and other things, so go grab a cheap pair of pc speakers to hook to your smartphone.

Why Is My Pan On Fire?

Day 1.
17 Years and 30 Days Old
First apartment, very long drive from any relatives.
One package of rice-a-roni and the cheapest pan Wal-mart would sell me.

An odd smell fills the room and the smoke detectors go off. So far, all I've done is put water in a pan and turn on the heat.
The bottom of the new pan caught on fire. To this day I don't know how that happened.

Sound familiar?

The Audience:

• All the single ladies (and dudes)
• Newlyweds (starting a tradition of healthy eating)
• Anyone else that doesn't want to eat processed foods and takeout the rest of their life

The goal here:

• Put words to all the assumed knowledge in recipes. A pinch... a dash... until browned and cooked through... 
• Be able to follow an episode of Good Eats without external information. (much more on that later)
• Learn that vegetables aren't just steamed side dishes
• Assemble the basic tools for success
• Practice good technique from day one

Time to start at square one.