On Learning To Cook

When I started this blog in April, I didn't think it would end up being 90% about me dragging myself into the adult world; but that's just what my life, upon examination, has turned out to be.
As a part of my Great Kiwi Adventure Into Adulthood, I am teaching myself how to cook. Well, Kaitlyn is forcing me to learn how to cook because getting fast food or take away every night is "bad for you" and "a waste of money" or that consuming my body weight in sodium is "not a good idea" PAH! GROWN UP NONSENSE, I SAY. MCDONALD'S FOR DINNER EVERY DAY, IT'S THE AMERICAN WAY.
Up until this year, I knew how to confidently make 3 things:

1. pasta
2. sandwiches
3. scrambled eggs

I balked at the idea of cooking anything with meat - mostly out of fear of under cooking said meet and dying a horrible undercooked meat death, and a little bit out of fear of burning my apartment down because I don't know how to cook with oil (that happened, luckily one of my roommates was home and knew what to do with a pan that was on fire).
Fun side note: that very same apartment burnt down less than a year after I moved out

And it's easy to get into the habit of going out to get most of your meals, skipping the grocery store and heading straight for that tasty Indian place that's just down the street from our flat... But no! Going to the grocery store and farmers market on the weekends has turned into a staple for us, and has really helped me realize how impractical my eating habits were.
That's not to say that Kaitlyn and I never eat out, we rarely do (because food in wellington is pricey and we generally have stuff to make at home) - but it's a treat, rather than a common occurrence.

Actually paying attention to what I'm consuming has made me 100% sure that I am lactose intolerant - a fact I have blatantly ignored for the last few years because, really, ice cream is so dang tasty. And curbing my dairy and sodium intake (along with having to walk everywhere) has helped me get to a healthier weight than I was at when I left the states in August.

I wouldn't say I'm at the point where I look forward to cooking - it still makes me anxious, sometimes. But I like knowing that I can look after myself and I know some recipes and how to poach chicken and defrost meat and make casseroles and thicken dairy based sauces and (some would say most importantly) not to leave oil on a hot pan unattended.
Learning, y'all!