If standing in front of a hot stove, using a big sharp knife, or mixing ingredients together intimidates you, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Something a lot of us take for granted is that we had to start somewhere: even famous chef celebrities had to learn cooking basics at one point or another. And believe me, even they’ve had kitchen disasters, cut fingers, and heat blisters.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a farming community where everyone grew their own seasonal produce and butchered their own meat. My parents and grandparents grew huge gardens full of lettuce, potatoes, raspberries, strawberries, onions, cabbage, *take a deep breath*, carrots, radishes, peas, beans and more. Hopefully you read that fast, because we’re just getting started… just kidding, you get the point—big gardens. It was a lot of work every year, and as kids of course we complained about it. But the eating was good. So, so good.Continue Reading