Disastrous Cooking Pending

My mother made a point of teaching both my brother and me how to cook while we were yet young. She wanted to make sure we had the abilities to feed ourselves when we grew up and moved out. I applaud this, but my lazy nature always seemed to win. I learned how to follow a recipe, and became moderately good at baking. There were weekends where it was my chore to prepare dinner, and I would usually get it done, though dinner was almost always late. I must say I do not know how my mother did it all those years. She made everything from scratch and managed to have dinner on the table on time most nights.

I know I can cook, and the times I have put forth the effort the result was not unpleasant. Yet I suffer from a few ailments. There is the aforementioned laziness. I would much rather read a book, write a story or an essay, organize something, or watch a story unfold on my television than cook food. I also suffer from an acute lack of known recipes. When it comes down to what to eat for dinner I have no idea what to make (or what to suggest). I can spend time reading a cookbook, but then I'm taking time away from making the food for my growling tummy, or time away from my other pursuits. I also lack experience (no surprise) and that can make things go slow. I have learned enough in my baking to know some things I can substitute, but I do not know enough chemistry to know why certain ingredients are needed. I never know what will taste good until I add it, and sometimes I regret it.

I've decided to bite the bullet (as it were) and put some effort in learning to make more things. I will attempt to build my repertoire of recipes and be able to offer suggestions for dinner and even make dinner. This could be fun, and I will look at it as a way to organize my life (that's enough motivation for me). If I do this right I can have menus ready a week at a time, ingredients on hand, variety in our diet, and well-rounded and healthy meals.