Cooking Vicariously

 I have a pretty cool kitchen in my house. It's not huge, it's not fancy, and it doesn't have new appliances or granite countertops, but it works well for me. It's kind of a galley-shaped kitchen, with counter space, the sink, and microwave on one side and the fridge, oven, stove, and toaster on the other side, and an exceptionally spacious pantry on the far end. But the floor space in the middle is wide enough for me to spin around in donuts, too. Thanks to a lot of generous friends, my kitchen is stocked well with utensils, bowls, and various cooking supplies. 

The thing is, I don't actually cook. I don't know how obvious that is to the general public, but people who know me and spend any significant time with me take for granted that cooking is not in my skill set. Like a lot of things, it's not for lack of interest or competence, but mostly because my arms and hands don't work well. No one wants me to try to flip a pancake, chop a carrot, mash a potato, or slide a casserole dish in the oven... it would either be a complete waste of everyone's time or a massive culinary disaster. 

So a lot of the time, I buy pre-prepared single meals that can be ready after two minutes in the microwave or I go out to eat and bring home leftovers. Do not feel sorry for me - I like the simplicity, and I get plenty of nutrition and variety! But every once in a while, it is nice to take the time and make the effort to do some homemade things. 

But to do that I need a magic ingredient: extra time with friends. They become my hands and arms, and do all the chopping, mixing, beating, flipping, etc. for me, while I guide the process by telling where all the ingredients and supplies are and the measurements of everything, reading the recipe step-by-step, keeping track of the time, making decisions regarding creative liberties, and of course... providing the perfect soundtrack. 

This week, I got to do just that, because several of my caregiving friends who came over this week were able to hang out a while, and they were good natured enough to indulge my desire to create some special dishes. 

It began with Mandy, and we chose a sweet citrus chicken dish from a little collection of recipes my sister-in-law gave me years ago (thanks, Amanda!). We decided to also add rice and peppers, and thought it really made for a nice dinner that we shared with her husband that evening. But I bought too much chicken and we accidentally made way too much rice, so I asked around for ideas on what to do with the leftovers. 

A couple days later, Mandy and I also got to "whip up" a batch of my Grandma Chandler's English Scones, and even delivered some of them to some dear friends of mine who just had a baby. This is one recipe that is incredibly special to me, and I feel like I know it really well, so I love to teach/share it with my friends whenever possible. 

On Friday, Susan helped me put the chicken in the crockpot that morning and Ruth helped me make chicken salad with celery and raisins that evening. Ruth also helped me bake brownies, because... it was Friday night, so why not! 

Saturday, Rachel came over, and recommended I use some of the rice to make rice pudding. I'd never made that before, but with her general knowledge and a carefully selected online recipe, we gave it a shot, and oh my goodness, it was amazing! I will definitely be doing that again. 

And so, I had several opportunities to cook, at least vicariously. It's really fun for me to get to participate in the kitchen, to feel helpful and useful in a small way, and to have people around me who like to do the things I can't. Together, we get to create new things and learn more about each other and about food in the process. 

If you have any fairly easy and delicious recipes that you would like to share with me, please write them below! I'm collecting recipes and would love to try them out. I'll let you know who helps me make it happen, and how it goes! :)