Pros and Cons

In the land of cooking and baking there are lists upon lists of pros and cons.  I may be the only one but I simultaneously love to cook and hate to cook.  I'm hoping this is true of others and I'm not the only one that's torn when someone asks "oh you like to cook, huh?"  On the one hand, I have cookbooks, and Pinterest and family recipes to draw from.  All of these, I'm partial to and feel no need to venture too far out of the comfort zone.  Why mess with a good thing when you've eaten all sorts of yumminess for your entire life?  On the other hand, I'm rubbish at actually making these recipes.  There's something about it that I just can't master.  
I'm ok with following the recipe and usually can master all the ingredients but it's the whole combining thing I have a problem with.  Portions and cooking times and stirring for specific numbers of seconds  or making sure all 3 items are timed perfectly to wind up on the table at the same time always put me off, which is frustrating. Don't even get me started on cooking times and being expected to be the bringer of good things for the office when you're having an off night.  (If you haven't noticed based on the tone of this blog - tomorrow is an office party and tonight was an off night.  Gosh darn cooking times!) 

While not as difficult for me for some reason, baking also has its ups and downs. Even though they say baking is an exact science, I'm much better and find it so much more fun.  For one thing I love sweets but on the other hand, there's no eyeing or estimating.  As long as you follow the recipe you're good.  I get a little worried when attempting to go off book, unlike some people.  Even in the baking land, I can master the good stuff.  The kitchen may look like a cyclone, but the recipe has been completed and the sweets are on the table and they actually taste delicious (most of the time - there have been some doozies).  The problem there is that it's never ever as pretty as it should be.  I know in my head that as long as it's delicious, I shouldn't care what it looks like but it doesn't help.  

All that being said, there's a certain rush finding a new recipe that sounds delicious and whipping it up perfectly for family and friends.  And finally having it come out just as you'd hoped and adding that recipe to the recipe book you keep of your favorites.   It may be messy, and torturous, and I may be terrible at it at times, but it's fun and challenging and if I could just make myself do it more often, I think I'd be much happier and better at it...but much larger in the waist : )  It must be the influence of that fantastic and patient teacher I had cooking all the yumminess that I've eaten all my life.  I may not be the best cook, but I know without him I'd be a whole lot worse, not to mention a lot less happy.   So I suppose, in the end, it is an easy question afterall: Yes I do love to cook and bake!  I just won't be signing up for Top Chef any time soon.

Now that we've come to this conclusion, maybe I could get him to realize a restaurant kitchen of our own would be even more fun...