Lucy wrote:

> "Bob Myers" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
>>
>>>>I agree with you. Cooking from scratch not only provides tastier and
>>>>more wholesome results, but it is also therapeutic.
>>>
>>>CAN be therapeutic, Sam. :-) For others, it's downright
>>>stress-inducing.
>>
>>Exactly - and I think it's a BAD thing when those of us
>>who DO find in therapeutic (or "fun" or "relaxing" or whatever
>>else it is that keeps us cooking) try to force that opinion
>>onto those others (which, let's face it, happens all too often).
>>We need to just acknowledge the fact that not everyone cooks,
>>not everyone LIKES to cook, and not everyone is GOING
>>to cook.
>>
>>Bob M.
>
> Melba and Bob.. Thanks for those supportive words. It is very stressful for
> me, but I am determined to learn. At this point however, I still feel like
> an imbecile in the kitchen. It is really quite pathetic that a gal with a
> post graduate degree cannot seem to get three simple dishes all done at the
> same time!
> HOW do people do this? LOL
> lucy
>
>
Practice, practice and more practice. I got a hold on timing when I was
a senior in high school. My mom spent most of there year 2200 miles
away caring for her dying mother. Leaving me, my father and my two
younger brothers 13 & 11 to survive on our own. I'd previously enjoyed
cooking for fun, but never because I had to, and was more up on baking
desserts to die for from recipes in Chocolatier than something as boring
as dinner every night. Life was hectic to say the least, mom was gone,
I was in school, working in a coffee shop and pitching in in Dad's
office as well, Dad was running three businesses, and the little
brothers had homework, little league, scouts and the like. For the
first few weeks we had lots of pizza, Chinese take-out and Italian
Sandwiches (ham, cheese, tomatoe, onion, green pepper, pickles and
olives on a long sub roll). Got old fast. So I took over, dad makes a
great breakfast but who want's breakfast for dinner every night?

At first there were nights when the potatoes or rice or green beans were
done half an hour before the main dish. So we ate in an odd order so
that the food wouldn't be cold. Learning that timing mattered I started
preparing meals that were somewhat forgiving to timing...salad, corn
bread, chilli, or soup, salad, & bread. Eventually I got a feel for it
should take x amount of time for whatever to finish cooking put the rice
on now.

More than a decade later I still screw up the timing once in a while.
Especially when I'm trying a recipe for a new side dish that always
seems to take longer to cook than the recipe states. Most of the time
it's fine now. If timing is scaring you go for simple sides that won't
suffer from a delay or some one dish meals like hearty soups or stews.
We've all had disasters, we just pray they don't happen when we're
hosting a dinner party.

Jessica