Doesn't anybody cook anymore?

We’ve become such a society of convenience when it comes to cooking and eating. People have busy lives, so we look for fast, good food (and sometimes good fast food). Most people enjoy eating at restaurants because it allows them to sit back and enjoy a meal while other people do all of the prep work, cooking, and clean-up. We have our favorite restaurants where we know we’ll get a consistently good meal, and perhaps dine on food that we don’t know how to prepare at home. You can also go to grocery stores and delis to shop for food that’s quick, easy, ready-made, etc. There are so many advantages to all of that, yet I can’t help wondering why cooking has taken such a back seat to other hobbies and activities in our daily life. Those of us who like to cook can list many reasons why we enjoy it – it’s a creative endeavor, it can be a way to save money or eat healthier, it allows us to eat in the comfort of our own home, there’s joy and satisfaction in preparing a meal for oneself or family and friends, and the list goes on. I feel sorry for those who say that they don’t know how to cook or assume that it has to be a big chore even to prepare one dish to take to a potluck. Cooks usually have some favorite dishes that they know they can whip together with either very few ingredients or in a short amount of time. And here are two “secrets” that I embraced a long time ago. First, cooking is sometimes just a matter of assembling ingredients...Making chili can be as simple as chopping a few vegetables, opening several cans, pouring it all into a crock pot, and turning the knob. :) And the other secret to keep in mind is that it’s perfectly acceptable to change ingredients in a recipe to suit your own tastes: take out what you don’t like, add new ingredients, change amounts, be creative, and have fun!