I have been given a challenge on FriendFeed to write a how-to of sorts. This person has asked for a guide on how to transition from a three meal a day eating out habit to cooking and eating at home. Neat!
As you might imagine, there are lots of perks to cooking for yourself rather than eating out all the time. The simple fact is eating at home is healthier for you and your budget. It’s more than that, though. For me, cooking dinner can be a perfect way to transition from my day at work to my evening at home. I’m still in task mode working towards a pre-defined goal while doing something kind of fun. Granted, there are times when the thought of boiling water wears me out, but under normal circumstances cooking is something I enjoy.
There is also another rarely discussed side effect: when you eat most of your meals at home, eating out becomes special again. I remember being a teenager and looking forward to a date at Outback Steakhouse all week. Of course it’s cheesy, but at the same time I really liked that feeling.
Now that I’m making a point to cook at home more, dinners out with my husband get to feel a little special again. For instance, tomorrow we’re going to go to the Paris Cafe as an early birthday celebration. I’ve been looking forward to it for days (and I think I might have the duck but I’m still not sure). *drool*
Anyways, back to the series. Requested topics include
- When to shop
- When to cook
- What to make from scratch versus what to buy prepared
- How to accommodate multiple small meals a day
I’m going to cover how to make things easier on the cook by preparing ahead of time, how to deal with leftovers, and how to make your freezer your best friend. I am in no way a chef or an expert in the kitchen, but since I am physically incapable of cooking for just two people these are all lessons I’ve had to learn the hard way.
So, while I get the first part of the series ready, I lob the ball into your court: are there any topics you’d like to see included? Any special requests or dedications? Leave ‘em in the comments!
Photo Credit: Nickster 2000
