My friend, Emily, told me all about this amazing Supper Club Camp her son attended this summer. Put on by a teacher in our area, campers spend the better portion of a day preparing meals from scratch to take home to their families. Campers learn all kinds of cooking skills, ingredient knowledge, and get a hands-on experience preparing gourmet meals from fresh ingredients throughout the week. Each night they bring home enough food to feed their family including a small dessert. Emily raved about the meals – vegetable enchiladas, lemon bars, lentil salad. And her son was so proud of his dishes! What a BRILLIANT idea! I cannot wait to sign Mazen up for this camp next summer.
This got me thinking how much of a food rut I have been in this year. Yes things were a bit rocky at home, but I think I have figured out the main reason why I just don’t want to cook by myself: food prepared by or with someone else just tastes better. Dishes in restaurants. Meals you make with your partner. Mom’s cooking. Even recipes with someone else’s touch taste better than something I create on the spot. The “made with a pinch of love” quotes are true. I have never been much of a recipe follower, but I need to make it feel like I’m in someone else’s kitchen, sharing the experience with them. Do any of you feel this way?
Here is some food inspiration and cool posts from around the internet!
Kalamata Olive Dip from Gina
Anne’s post on taking a Lunch Break was spot on!
And following up on my Cappuccino Overnight Oats post, Anne wrote about a visit to an Organic Valley Grassmilk farm. So much good info in there.
I recently got to hang out with Lindsay and Bjork of Pinch of Yum! Talk about an inspiring couple! Their recipes are just amazing, like their Detox Salad, Berry Overnight Oats, 12 Magical Ways To Use A Food Processor, and Zippy Orzo Summer Salad. Gorg.
And Monica always keeps it real…
Stay tuned – I have one more post comin’ atcha this afternoon!!
Ashlee says
I’m definitely that way about fish! I make it at home here and there but for some reason it’s 1000x better made by someone else!! I also have a theory that restaurants just use a crap ton of butter… Cheaters!
KathEats says
Haha! Yuuuuuup.
Andrea says
I totally felt this way last year but got inspired when I explored whole30/paleo recipes. I still eat everything but adding that challenge helps inspires me and feel good about what I eat, too!
Julie says
I’ve been in a food rut too. I think part of it is that I’m mostly vegetarian, and I have a 3 year old son who can be picky on some days. It’s a constant battle to make something he’ll eat more than 2 bites of, especially at supper time.
Also I tend to enjoy cooking more in the colder months- soups, stews, pumkin-flavoured things. So at least that’s coming up. In the hotter months, I don’t feel.like cooking as much and I get tired of salads and cold meals.
KathEats says
I didn’t think of it that way – I also tend to like salads and lighter meals in the summer and you’re right that they aren’t quite as satisfying as a nice chili or soup in the winter
Anne @ fANNEtasticfood says
Thank you for sharing my posts, my friend! Wish we lived closer and could have dinner together – I am the same way, food is always better with someone else! #extrovert 🙂
KathEats says
Haha agreed!!
Elise says
I’ve been cooking for myself since I was a kid. I always loved getting creative in the kitchen, and over the years I’ve really honed in on my own personal taste preferences. I find that many times, the food I prepare for myself is better than anyone can make for me or than I can get in a restaurant. I know what I like and how to season it!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
I want all of those cookbooks!
Erika says
I have been in a bit of a food rut too and it doesn’t matter somehow food always does taste better when cooked by someone else. My mother and I have the same exact macaroni salad recipe and hers always tastes better to me but my sister swears mine is better!
Pam says
I can’t believe that a camp like that would take kids as young as 4! I live in the area and would love to enroll my 4 year old next summer, as well. Would you mind sharing the name of the camp? Thanks!
KathEats says
Shoot me an email! Katheats at gmail
Emily says
Yes! My husband travels about 48 weeks out of the year, M-F, so most of the time I am on my own cooking for my two elementary age boys. They are both picky in their own way and want nothing to do with my heavy-on-the-vegetables lifestyle. On the rare occasion my hubby is home, I’m so excited to cook! But when he, or other adults, aren’t around I really don’t get much pleasure out of cooking. I’ve never really figured out how to bring the pleasure into cooking solo. Would love to see more about your approach to this issue!
AB says
I lived on my own for a year while my husband was abroad. I LOVED cooking for myself. I could select exactly what I felt like making, and a full size recipe could stretch across at least two days, if not more. And while I love to cook and can improvise, I usually follow recipes – I figure if someone with greater talents than I has already created something great, why reinvent the wheel and end up with less-than-impressive results?
Kathy says
If I lived alone, I wouldn’t even need a kitchen, just a small frig for my cream and a tiny counter to plug in the coffeemaker. I’d never cook.
As far as food tasting better when someone else cooks it, I so agree. Even a salad at home is not good to me, but when I am out somewhere, the same ingredients are delicious.
Clare says
As someone who regularly eats alone, I’ve always found cooking for myself relaxing after a long day of work. Brings out my creative side!
Following a recipe is fun to me because I feel it’s making me a better cook. About a year and half a go I made the commitment to try a new recipe once a week. I’ve stuck to it! I work as a wellness coordinator for a corporation and share with employees the recipe of that week. It’s one of my most successful initiatives! I may not be physically sharing a meal with them but it’s still fun to report back to friends/family and my employees what I made.
Dana says
Hey Kath! How do you save recipes you find online for future use? Bookmark? Print? I always find good ones and want to save for next time but somehow they all get lost if I just keep the tab open. Random question but curious!
KathEats says
Usually bookmark because I don’t save a bunch of them. I’m into CookSmarts if I need staple recipes to make 🙂
Amanda says
Seems like we’re always in a food rut, and I agree that food made by someone else just tastes better…even something as simple as salad. I’ve fallen into the Pinterest trap of pinning too many recipes to ever actually get around to using XD