“It saddens me when people don’t have an appreciation for food.” - Sarah Hartmann

Think about what your five favorite entrees are to eat. Have them? Write them down. Now, learn to cook them. You can do it. You might not be able to make them as well as a Michelin star chef but guess what? That’s ok, because you are a not Michelin star chef.

I am a big believer in the idea that what one person can do, another can do … within reason obviously. If steel workers in Pittsburgh can cook their steaks on their work equipment, you can cook one on a stove top skillet. The key is to try a bunch of different ways to do it and find the one that works best for you. For example, every time my wife and I decide to cook a new recipe, we’ll search for a few different versions until we find one that looks good to us. Once we’ve found the one, we’ll make it EXACTLY how the recipe calls for it to be made. Then, we’ll modify it to our liking, adding or removing the things we like and dislike.

Recently, I decided to learn how to make an Old Fashioned. The first couple I made were barely drinkable. Then I had a friend come over and we made six different recipes, finally finding the one that we both liked best. I’m sure it helped we were both three drinks in before we found our favorite but we still found it!

Write down a basic meal that you like to eat i.e. steak and potatoes, pork chops with your choice of sauce, steamed lobster (which is actually super easy to make) or spaghetti and meatballs. Search online for a few recipes, find the one that looks best to you and then make it! Make it again and again and again. Keep adjusting things until you feel have it down perfectly, just the way you like it. Then find another recipe and do the exact same thing. Good luck with it and remember to enjoy the process.

Rory