Cooking Skills....

Blistering blue barnacles!! I said once I realized the eggs which were suppose to look like sunny side up were looking like thunderstorms with no sunny any where in the picture…again!!
My cooking skills are sadly something which won’t get me the Oscars, however my dramatic pouts would at least get me nominations...Of course my knight in shining armor miraculously rescued them from what seemed to me a “burned up” death. And so began my humorous attempt in trying to do what all women are naturally inclined to excel in …cooking!!
Before I go forth and reveal how challenged I am at using pots and pans, I feel I must provide excellent reason for being the way I am.
I am the youngest of a family where food is considered a constant provider of thought provoking statements, and where “cooking” is a natural skill which everyone in the family is born with (except for me: therefore me the black sheep…blah blah!!). My parents can create culinary wonders just by looking at the raw materials, my aunt is the greatest chef incarnate and I am a pampered brat. So naturally I had never been near a pan , unless it was to taste something and comment on the salt !! In the formative years I was too busy playing the tom boy to ever enter the kitchen and later on my work life didn’t let me ( I did not consider to take time off for it either) .Lo and behold! how lives change.After my marriage I relocated countries , and due to the divine intervention of not getting busy with work life I had endless time in my hand , initially I would let SB (my better half where cooking was concerned) to do the dinner!! Which left me to survive for lunch, but after a while I realized how unfair I was being, what with me sitting at home, idling and reading, while he going to work and cooking, I decided out of guilt conscience to take on the cooking project. And thus creating some of the most memorable episodes for family get together jokes!!
I got the grasp of making tea and coffee which was a short consolation since it would not fill an empty stomach, so then I moved on to bigger projects ..

1st Project : Eggs : Now eggs were tricky but after a couple of days of burnt sunny side ups and lots of rescuing from the other half , I did manage to get the scrambled ones in order.. Now I am proficient in managing to provide, boiled eggs, burnt eggs, scrambled eggs, unscrambled eggs...get the drift??

2nd Project : Chicken: Now chicken is my specialty , only if someone else, cleans, cuts and marinates it for me.. I love having it and hence I put in the weeks of endless perspiration behind it and I survived, and now I can provide edible forms of chicken (cooked of course not sausages!! What were you thinking..??) . During the initial days of trial and tribulations about my faith in my skills ,I took my mom’s and Sb’s advice when they said experiment while cooking and it will enhance your non- existent skills . I think I took them too seriously , judging that my DNA cannot possibly betray me , I decided to try my hand in experimental cooking My fatal mistake however was trying to cook chicken in Coca Cola .. let me tell you , DO NOT TRY IT AT HOME, it has to be cooked by experts(me) and eaten only by those who either have no taste, are too far gone in their hunger pangs to actually care about what they are eating!! or by encouraging audiences (poor SB!) There has been other instances of my deviating from the norm like trying to cook chicken in tamarind sauce , which was considerably a smaller disaster than the Coca Cola Chicken .. After all it is ‘ The cola chicken’ which is one of the favorite topics for after dinner banter in my family. However, do not let me frighten you, I have improved a lot, now I serve chicken which is edible even by me…

My next effort will be on veggies and the likes. I have not given up on my DNA ‘s amnesia for the moment, I know that the traits are there for me to become a wondrous chef . But the dinner alas is still done by SB. He does provide sound judgment when he says that dinner done by him is more of an answer to survival than my lack of providing edible meals!! Will update you on results I achieve. Till then your encouragement and fortified pallet is all I need .

5 comments:

Sasha said...

Having experienced your culinary expertise, I'd say you are being too humble - you do cook a smashing Tel Koi! :o)

And from a cook, who never crossed the threshold of kitchen till she was pushed to cook - thanks to circumstances very similar to yours - let me tell you that cooking is a piece of cake if you love to eat. Give it some time and I am sure you will pick it up. :o)

Rajashri said...

I started reading your blog in office and all my english colleagues read it too. I must say that i am really impressed with you. Keep it going and I am sure you will be just fine. I love cooking and i can give you good tips also if you need them.
But yes, Cola chicken was something that really made me laugh out loud.
Love yaa
Rajashri

Anusree said...

Keep the fight up and you will be a winner. I have full faith in your cooking skills after being your room mate for 2 years :) So don't let it get you :)

I want to have the cola chicken though. Sounds terrific. How about trying some other drink as well?

Korbo, lorbo jeetbo re :)

Mwwaaahhh
Anusree.

Conundrum said...

Guys , I seriously got the coca cola chicken recipie over the internet..the recipie was as follows :
1 chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 (12 oz.) can Coca Cola
3 tbsp. flour

Put chicken into baking dish. Mix Coca Cola, soup mix and flour together. A whisk does a good job. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until done. Serve with rice or potatoes. The sauce makes its own gravy.

TRY IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

leena das said...

Hi,
Your coca cola chicken sounds terrific,why dont u try with hard drinks u can even top it up with icecreams,u never know u might come up with smashing recipes,
N win accolades too!

Keep tryin !
Love
leena

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Singapore, Singapore
Im just a dreamer, I dream my life away, Im just a dreamer, who dreams of better days