The kitchen is my happy place. And although I feel comfortable there, I know that may not be the case for everyone. For some it can be an overwhelming place, a boring place. For others, spending time in the kitchen is as a must do rather than I get to do – a chore to accomplish. If this sounds like you, fear not. I got you covered. Here are four ways to make your kitchen a little more friendly.
- Baby Steps. You don’t need to prepare every meal from scratch if you don’t want to – especially in the beginning. It is not all or nothing. It is perfectly fine to start small and go from there. For example, you can cook dinner at home and eat out for the other meals, or eat homemade meals a few days in a row before ordering pizza. You do not have to come out of the gate guns a blazing and prepare every single thing you eat from scratch. Some progress is better than none.
- Make it Fun. If you find cooking to be a tedious, draining activity rev it up a bit. Get some music going, video conference with a friend, pull up your favorite YouTube channel and enjoy the time in the kitchen. You can laugh, dance, sing — whatever you want while cooking (just stay safe). It will make the task more enjoyable and dare I say it: fun. *gasp*
- Splurge a little. It’s okay to spend on yourself. Cooking at home is good for your physical health and that is worth spending on. Buy aesthetically-pleasing plates, place that French press you’ve been eying in the cart, or even buy a bouquet of flowers for the table. If it will make you enjoy cooking, then it will be money well spent. You can even use the fancy wine glasses you save for special occasions to drink your iced tea because, why not?
- Let Imperfections Reign. A dish does not have to come out perfect in order to be satisfying. So, your cake won’t win any beauty contests, so what?! Maybe you didn’t get the right amount of char on that steak. And? Get over perfectionism. Do not let the pressure of having a Pinterest-worthy plate ruin your experience. Things will turn out wrong, but I can also guarantee that things will turn out right (or even just okay). So, let the chips fall where they might.