We ARE the pros!

 I’m not sure if many of you know this but I have absolutely no formal education in cooking. Alright, alright I know you are not stunned because my blog is all about being able to cook great meals without really knowing anything about cooking. Either way I’ve never been taught how to cook. Unless of course you count those random macaroni and cheese encounters or standing by the stove, chopping vegetables while my mom whipped up amazing dishes, I guess not huh. But, like many of you I wanted to learn. I was a newlywed who knew little about cooking and in an attempt to wow my husband and be a home maker wife with never ending recipes and cooking tricks up her sleeves I tied on my apron and my courage and went to work to learn to cook. Thus, birth of a new blog (are blogs boys or girls?).

   
     At first I was really intimidated at the task of learning to cook without really knowing anything. But, the more I got to thinking about it the more I realized that almost all people that are out there making amazing dishes are not trained. There are millions of moms out there outnumbering all the chefs who taught themselves to cook because it was a need for their family. However, as time went  on they were able to master techniques and become great cooks.

   
     But can mom’s really be as good as the chefs. I know that mom’s acquire numerous skills and outrank the knowledge of a lot of highly trained chefs out there but  can they really measure up to the cooking ability of a chef?

     I myself am a food network junkie. I guess I’m a junkie with anything that has to do with cooking. One day  while watching food network’s very own Paula Dean,  she began to describe how she became famous. She was a mom just like the rest of us and started cooking by making sandwiches and other goodies and then had her sons deliver them to her customers (Click here for Paula’s detailed story ).  As you can see she is now a nationally renowned cook whipping up her masterpieces with people like Wolf Gang Puck ( to learn about their cooking battle click  here) and  Iron Chef  Bobby Flay . Paula Dean was just another mom. But she learned to cook and without any formal culinary education has become a world renowned chef.

     While Paula Dean’s story is indeed inspiring it can be hard to relate to. Her story seems to be one in a million. But we’re not all trying to become celebrities are we? The road to becoming of equal caliber to a chef is much more well traveled. We even have more resources than ever. In fact I argue that we have more opportunity to learn to cook and cook well than ever before.

     First, I can’t even begin to name the countless websites that people have at the click of a mouse, not to mention the countless recipe sites. For one of my favorite recipe sites click here. There are even sites created by trained culinary artists that provide their recipes and include detailed how-to’s to produce their culinary masterpieces. Click here for some original chef’s recipes .  Chef’s are practically handing out their formal training. You can even ask the Chef questions about their recipes to learn more about their techniques (For one of these sites click here). There are spectacular resources through websites to learn the ways of the culinary artist without having to go to any type of school.

     Second, there are TONS of amazing cooking blogs out there with people just like you and me that are giving you their very favorite recipes.  I know that before I post any recipe I make sure it is one of the best. Our fellow bloggers also usually provide a detailed walk through of the recipe. Here’s a link to a couple of my favorite cooking blogs here  here and here. These many bloggers are examples of people that cook well and learned to do it themselves! And they really are the recipes that normal everyday people want.
Things like the classic cinnamon role, click here.

Or the perfect roll, click here.

Or the perfect homestyle dinner for the family like an ooey gooey chicken pot pie, click here

These are the things we want to cook and cook well and there are never ending resources on how to do it from blogs.

     Last of all, this wouldn’t be a proper cooking shout out if I didn’t shout out to all the amazing cooking videos that literally show us exactly how to cook like the pros. I remember being scared to death to try cooking Thai food. I had no idea about the techniques that every culture has in their different cooking styles. But because of cooking videos like this I learned to cook Thai Beef Broccoli like a pro.  Really go check out cooking videos, you’d be surprised how many crazy cooking skills you can learn.

We can cook, we can cook well, and we can cook like the pros. We have the resources right in front of us and we have the determination. Go forth and cook my little bloggers.

     There’s no way to sum up my little cooking rampage other than with another delicious recipe. Let me tell you this has become one of my very favorite dinners. And I couldn’t have done it without technology. Today we’re making Homemade Chicken Pot Pie. And let me just say, I never in a million years would have thought I would be able to cook my own chicken pot pie. But crust and all I did it. One more recipe closer to becoming a great cook!

You’ll need:

1/3 c butter
1/2 c Bisquick
1/3 c onion, chopped
1/4 tsp pepper
2 c chicken broth
2/3 c milk
2 c cooked chicken, cubed
1 10 oz. pkg frozen veggies (I personally like carrots, peas and corn the best in this.)
1 1/2 c Bisquick
3 tbs hot water
1 tbs butter, softened

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425. Heat butter in a 2 quart saucepan over low heat until melted. Stir in 1/2 cup Bisquick, onion and pepper. Cook over low heat until bubbly. Sir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in chicken and frozen vegatables; heat through. Keep warm over low heat.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients to form a dough ball. Roll dough our until it's large enough to fit casserol dish (such as a 9x13 pyrex). Place chicken mixture into casserol dish and cover with dough. Cut several slits on top to allow steam to escape while baking. (If there is space between the edges of the pan and the crust you wouldn't need to do this) Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crust is deep golden brown.

Note: For the chicken I use chicken breasts, sprinkled with lemon pepper seasoning, placed in a shallow baking dish, uncovered, and baked at 400 for 25 minutes or until juices run clear. (I think this is what makes all the difference and I even add a little lemon pepper seasoning to the sauce mixture!)

Happy Eating Food Lovers!