First Post!!

My blog is about my cooking experiences. I cook dinner twice a week in my flat as well as lunches, snacks, and breakfast sometimes. I quite enjoy cooking however baking is more fun. I bake a lot more at home but in the flat only every now and again. I cooked lots at home as a kid – helping mum and dad in the kitchen. They taught my siblings and me all to cook reasonably well. Meals are quite a family affair at home, eating together around the dinner table. In the flat this year though we don’t have a dining table so we eat together in the lounge and watch Friends and Shortland Street. The three girls of the flat cook together and we try and help each other out when we can. I have been taught to keep a tidy work space when cooking and the other two girls seem to hold this same value which I appreciate. We cook rather simple meals that we know or make them from Maggi packets, but every meal is delicious.

Last night I made a honey soy beef stir-fry from a Wok Creations stir-fry sauce packet J I had to get the stir-fry meat out of the freezer in the morning for it to defrost during the day. Around 6pm I started making dinner. I began by putting the rice on to cook in the microwave. I had to check the rice a couple of times to stir it and add more water. I then began cooking the stir-fry meat in a pan with a little oil. While this was cooking I got the frozen mixed vegetables from the freezer and put them in a bowl of warm water so they could defrost too. I don’t like leaving them in the water for too long though because otherwise they soak up too much water and become mushy. I stirred the meat a little to make sure it gets cooked properly, then I drained the vegetables and added them to the pan. At this time I also added the stir-fry sauce. It’s really hard to get all the sauce out of the packets and I got some sauce on my fingers. Once the sauce had been added to the pan it only took a couple of minutes to heat through and be ready. I had to put the rice in the microwave for an extra few minutes until it was cooked then dinner was ready. I called the other two girls for dinner and they came right away. It was cooked right in time to watch Shortland Street together!

I really enjoy cooking. It gives me a sense of accomplishment when I make a really tasty or healthy meal the others can enjoy. It’s a way of giving to others and also showing my parents that I am able to cook for myself and their teaching has paid off. It’s something I can give back to my parents, cooking for them. In relation to Occupational Therapy, cooking is used widely for assessments, therapy, group sessions, or as an excuse to get off the ward for a while. On placement I did many cooking assessments with patients. It is also used verbally in establishing some ones role within the family or community E.g. the provider for the family. Over the next semester I know I will have plenty of opportunities to be able to write about my cooking experiences mindfully in this blog.