As a kid, I grew up in a house where my parents cooked almost every meal and were constantly trying out new recipes. My parents were the same way as kids with both of my grandparents cooking most meals for them too. My parents were not the type of parents who would cook me a separate meal if I didn’t like something, which is now something I am thankful for. I think that because of this I was never a picky eater as a kid because I would always just eat what my parents were eating and what they had put in front of me. Even today I will eat most foods (other than mushrooms and tomatoes) and will try anything at least once! I also think that this has caused me to have the same food preferences as my parents which now is very convenient when they are cooking for me or we’re deciding on a place to go out to eat. Some of our favorite types of food are Tex-Mex and BBQ since we’re from Kansas City and home to the best BBQ there is!
When I was younger, I always loved helping my mom or grandma’s when they were cooking and just being in the kitchen with them. I especially loved helping them when they were baking. I remember every time I would be at my grandparents’ house we would bake something. When I was younger, I would much rather bake than cook because I liked how precise you have to be in baking versus when you’re cooking where you can kind of just throw things together to make something delicious. Moving into apartments and houses where I haven’t had a meal plan in college has definitely helped me learn to like to cook more and be more comfortable with the idea of just using ingredients I have on hand to make something good. I love to look on Pinterest and different social media platforms to find new recipes or find inspiration for things I can make. Doing this helps cooking feel more precise like baking does because I have a recipe to follow and go from.
Being in the kitchen with my mom and grandma’s from such a young age and liking to cook and bake has definitely helped me have a healthy relationship with food and knowing that food is fuel. I love trying new foods, recipes, restaurants, and exploring different types of foods and I can’t wait to continue exploring all of the different restaurants that Lincoln has to offer!