Gastronomous

In this day and age in which prepared foods are readily available, you have the choice to take the time and prepare delicacies for your family & friends; they will appreciate your time and notice a big difference. And, believe it or not, cooking can be fun.
If you don’t have many “kitchen hours”, start with something simple, like a no-cook salsa or a delicious bruschetta, and work from there.
In order for cooking not to be chore but a pleasure you have to be relaxed and feel comfortable, pour yourself a glass of wine, play some of your favorite music and wear comfy shoes!
There are advantages to cooking your own meals nutrition-wise and budget wise. You are also creating memories for your friends and family.
Your friends, children and grandchildren will remember you fondly even if you consider yourself a terrible cook. The smells and sounds of the kitchen will be linked with the events taking place, including your interaction with your friends, kids and grandkids. This is because the brain stores all messages: flavors, odors, sounds and info within the same memory; so recalling just one of the elements will bring back the rest
Before you blaze into the kitchen and cook up a storm do the following:

Get your workspace ready: This is really important, remove all unnecessary appliances and ornaments from the counters, at least for cooking time, and wipe it clean

Gather the essential tools: its quite a mess to look for a knife or a mixing bowl in the middle of your recipe. Will you use the oven? then preheat it. Haven’t used your cast iron skillet for a while? Make sure its free of rust.

Have all the ingredients in order: its quite frustrating to look for an ingredient while cooking just to find out you have none or it’s unusable. If that is so. perhaps you can find a substitute in your pantry…before you start cooking!

Search your pantry: for forgotten trays, dishes, glasses and bowls to present your creations beautifully. Remember you also eat through your eyes.

So relax!, have fun and Happy cooking!!!

MasterChef