There are cooking phrases that generate great stress for me:
Cooking is relaxing. It’s fun. It’s a way I love on my people.
(Oh, good grief. Really? Did you know that people could die from your my cooking?)
For dinner, make it easy. Just throw a few things together that you find in your fridge.
(Are you kidding me? Throw a few things together? What kind of meal will mustard, chia seeds, and a really old apple create?)
Just season and serve.
(OK. Which seasonings? How much?)
Sigh.
Cooking was never my happy place. Steve would always remind me that cooking was just putting together three things: time+heat+ingredients. Well, I never thought I had the time, heat on a stove can be dangerous, and the ingredients never seemed simple. So there’s that.
Then along came 2020 and the Coronavirus. Restaurants and take-outs down the street were closed. Steve’s mom came to live with us for two months. And she had the virus. Feeding my mother-in-law Subway sandwiches, salads, and LeeAnn Chin orange chicken every day was not a sustainable plan. She kept telling me I didn’t need to worry about cooking – she’d be fine. (I just love her!) But this is a woman who loves to eat, loves good food, has a healthy appetite (when she doesn’t have the icky virus), and deserves the best.
Bottom line? I had to start cooking. I had to prepare meals at home. Have mercy.
But, hey! Good news here: Steve and his mom hung in there with me and neither of them died from the food I made. It’s amazing what you can do with a crockpot, hamburger, cheese, tomatoes, and kidney beans. Like every day. For real.
Since 13 variations of hamburger hotdish was getting old, it was time to take the big step: cooking lessons.
Life changing! For real!
You’ll hear more stories about my cooking lessons and adventures, but in this little note I want to share a few things I learned right away:
Knives need to be sharpened. (Who knew?!)
Easy recipes and healthy food can join hands and change the world. (This is so cool, right?)
Seasoning matters. (Biggest surprise of all.)
Can we just pause for a moment on this whole seasoning thing?
Did you know … seasoning our food is intended to change how our foods taste. (Silly me. I always considered that spices were something extra that just made things fancy, no one should have to take the time to figure them out, and they were to be used by only the famous chefs.)
Salt is a biggie in the seasoning world. (We had a whole mini e-course on salt in my cooking class. Blew my mind!)
So, this salty seasoning ah-ahh moment not only changed how I thought about cooking, but it enhanced my understanding of a verse in Colossians. (How did you like that segue?)
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6)
Eugene Peterson is a favorite author, and he puts it into everyday language in The Message:
“Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”
My friend, we can change the world with salt!
As you probably know, and I am learning, salt changes how our food tastes. It brings out all the other good flavors in our culinary masterpieces. Game changer.
Our words are the salt that can bring out the best in others.
Our conversations—how we respond to others—changes relationships, our homes, and even our online conversations.
Seasoning our food and seasoning our words matters.
This week I’m preparing Chili (haven’t stopped fixing the hamburger, cheese, tomato, and kidney beans combo) and Unstuffed Beef Eggroll Stir Fry (big girl cooking panties on!).
Dashes of salt are being infused to make them taste really, really good.
Also this week, I’m consciously and intentionally using my words to salt my conversations. To bring the encouragement, bring out the best in the other person. Let someone know I care.
Join me? Let’s do this whole “seasoning with words” thing together.
P.S. One of my favorite “learning how to cook” books says this: “Salt has a greater impact on flavor than any other ingredient. Learn to use it well, and your food will taste good.” (“Salt Fat Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking” by Samin Nosrat.)
From me: Our words have a greater impact on how someone feels than any other ingredient. Learn to use them well, and our relationships will bring out the best in both of us.”
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