I truly believe that Covid 19 helped make us all better cooks. Since we’ve been home this past year we have all been cooking more and with that we’ve all boosted our cooking skills. I have a friend who lacked confidence in the kitchen before the pandemic, but now cooking has become second nature to her. I believe like my friend we’ve all had to become better cooks out of necessity. I also believe it’s been a good thing.
Think about it, we stopped running to our favorite fast-food joints when we had to eat on the fly because they either weren’t open or not as accessible as they once were. This forced us to purchase fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish in order to prepare home cooked meals. These meals were perhaps not as convenient, but they sure were healthier for us. It allowed us to make healthier choices and to be more selective about what we eat. Some of us finally pulled out those cookbooks we had been wanting to use or we finally prepared family recipe we’ve been dying to try all while saving lots of money on dining out.
Aside from saving money cooking at home also allowed us to bond over food with loved ones. Cooking a meal together can be some of the best family time you can imagine. What I’ve found with my daughters is that if they cook it, they’ll eat it. My oldest daughter has become quite the chef, but I’m still working on the youngest one. Letting the kids join in on the cooking process is a good way to get a picky eater to try new thing.
Overall cooking at home has allowed us to eat a healthier diet, save money, bond as a family and brush up on our cooking skills. Basically, the pandemic has caused us to become better cooks.
Community Service
I was honored to be asked to participate in the R&DA’s 75th Annual Spring Meeting and Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas earlier this month. At the annual military food show I meet several amazing people thanks to my friends at D.a.T. Sauce and Dr. Bill’s Cane and Maple Syrup who made it all possible. As a former Army cook, I was honored to serve by conducting two cooking demonstrations. With Ukulele Jay as my sous chef the bang bang chicken we made with D.a.T. Sauce was a big hit! We topped it off with Creole bread pudding with a banana and strawberry rum sauce that featured Dr. Bill’s Cane and Maple Syrup. They love it!
Physical and Mental Fitness
Sometimes in life we allow others to make us feel bad about our past. By doing that we give our power to thrive to others who often don’t want to see us win. We must face the fact that we can’t change the past but the present and our future can be different if we work at it. It is up to us to live fully in the present striving to be better spiritually, mentally and physically each and every day.
Living in the past prevents us from growing and moving toward our highest good. We can’t control what others think of us, but we can choose to honor ourselves. Just remember there will always be someone who can’t see your worth. Don’t let it be you.
If you have cooking related questions for me, please send them to chefgasonnelson@gmail.com. Maybe your question will be highlighted next month.