How to Cook

At a certain point in one's life you are forced to learn how to heat things in order to sustain yourself.  I learned this at a pretty young age - I was a master of tostinos pizza rolls, bags of popcorn, and marshmallow lovers hot chocolate.  Upon reflecting back, I believe I could have been at least an inch taller if I had a more balanced diet/any fruits and vegetables in my life as a child.  Then here in adulthood, some folks have to cross the cooking threshold.  Each of us discovers it differently.  I had an old roommate who pretty much only knew how to make tacos.  Likewise, some of my old roommates would remark that I only know how to make vegetables with quinoa/pasta/cous cous.  Here's what I've learned about cooking in the past few years:

1. The desire has to be there.  Of course I never cooked when I lived with my sister.  She used to be a chef!  Why would I ever make something mediocre when I could be eating a little slice of heaven?  When I moved out, obviously I cooked every night.  Call it what you will, but something inside of you has to want to cook if not for the process but for the product.
2. It's all about onions and salt.  Some might also add garlic and butter to this list.  I would also add pesto and parmesan for 6 months of the year and bacon for the other 6 months of the year.  Chili flakes?  I'm sure half of the men in America think they should be added to everything.  The point is there are a few ingredients that make everything taste better.  Find yours and never run out of them.
3. Recipes.  I don't actually have the patience to follow a recipe line for line - I tend to use them for inspiration.  Most people I know who actually follow recipes have a higher accuracy rate for deliciousness.  I have a smaller grocery bill (I mean is using two types of vinegar really necessary?) and would like to think more creative energy.  Also if you are like me and don't see the difference between a heaping cup and a cup, then you should probably stick to cooking and avoid baking.  Took me a while to figure that out, but I will advocate for recipe-less rice crispy treats.
4. Keep trying.  We have all burnt the cookies or overcooked the pasta.  Ask questions, but not to your ex-chef sister.  She'll tell you things like "Well for one, don't go to safeway."  Google will never judge your ingredients or electric stove.  I know from experience.

 If you really can't get it right, Trader Joe's has some great frozen food.