Learning to cook...

I've always wanted to be one of those people who works magic in the kitchen -- who applies a little bit of chemisty with some creativity and a whole lot of love, and voila! The perfect meal is served. But I've always been lacking that je ne sais quois when it comes to cooking. And it sometimes makes me feel inadequate.

For most people, cooking is part of family or culture. In my family, we never went hungry... but we also didn't live in the kitchen, dangling from the apron strings of mothers and grandmothers. There are no "famous family recipes" but there are some food traditions, like eating fried green tomatoes in the summer. Until recently, I never really gave it a thought.

But about a year ago, I was looking around my kitchen and thinking "these countertops were made for kneading dough" and "my refrigerator has plenty more room for fresh vegetables." So I started experimenting with little things. I went "harvesting" in my friend Lynn's herb garden. I learned how to make gluten-free pizza dough. I created a recipe for a really healthy and robust vegetable soup. But then I got bored.

Can't cook? Hire a teacher!

It never occurred to me that you could hire someone to teach you to cook. But my friend Jolanta did exactly that -- she hired a chef to come help me navigate my quirky food allergies and whip up something delicious in the kitchen. Enter Chef Kathy Dederich (http://www.chefplease.com/). Imagine yourself roaming the aisles of your local grocery store, with your own personal chef. (Yes, she wore the white uniform!) While I enjoyed cooking with her, I think the opportunity to grocery shop with an expert was equally valuable. I asked questions like "how do you know which kind of onion to choose?" [her answer? whichever ones are on sale!] or "should you smell the lemons to know if they're fresh?" and "are chickpeas something you buy in a can or in a bag?" I learned so much.

We spent about five or six hours with Kathy, investigating the various uses of herbs and marveling over her fancy pressure cooker. (Santa: I'd like one of those next year.) In the end, here's what I learned:

1. Going on a great "date" with your husband doesn't have to involve a restaurant or the theatre. Try a cooking date in your own kitchen. Robert and I had a lot of fun learning to work side by side at the cutting board.

2. Chickpeas are found in the ethnic aisle, dried in a bag. (Who knew??)

3. If I try and am not afraid to fail, I can cook. I don't love it, but I enjoy it. (I won't ever be a food blogger. And, for the record, I hate the term "foodie"! Sounds like a trendy way to say "thinks too much about food." But I digress...)

4. Great friends give great gifts (Jolanta -- you're the best!). Looking for a great gift for a friend? Give them an experience instead of a "thing." Our personal chef experience has given us memories that last far longer than any material gift.

5. It's not too late to learn new things. So, in 2011, I'm going to find a few more things I'm not good at (or just naive about) -- like cooking -- and try to tackle them. Could be an interesting year.

Bon appetit!