I love to eat. I get kilig (giddy) over food. I rave about favorite food places and restaurants. I'm a self-confessed foodie. That is, when unwanted and inconvenient pounds don't get in the way.
But I don't know how to cook or bake. Well, I've had several attempts. Some of them successful like my tried and tested tuna pasta with olives and a few failed ones like my ham and cheese omelette that looked like plain scrambled eggs. I always tell friends my "culinary masterpiece" is anything I can just pop into the microwave. ;)
But I had a eureka moment of some sorts this weekend - I want to seriously learn how to cook and bake!
Yes, you read it right. It's always been at the back of my mind, I guess. I enjoy watching cooking shows, browsing cook books and looking up quick and easy recipes online. But that's about it. I don't really put them to use. And besides, it's not that fun to cook for yourself only. I need someone else to affirm my pasta is indeed good. :D
So, what brought about the gastronomic realization? It's those truly amazing and talented kids in Pinoy Junior Masterchef, a reality cooking show franchise featuring kiddie kitchen geniuses. It's been airing for several weeks now but this weekend was the first time I caught it on TV and am I hooked!
I'm so amazed and impressed with the young kiddie chefs, who are able to instantly whip up sumptuous dishes even from a limited selection of ingredients and under time pressure at that. Yesterday's episode featured what many would consider exotic fare already (myself included), frog legs, but I would willingly try any of the imaginative and delicious recipes they came up with - from pasta with frog meat balls to squash bread pudding with apple caramel sauce and stir fried frog legs.
In Sunday's episode, the challenge was baking the birthday cakes they want for themselves. I was watching with my mouth literally open - from amazement (amaze is such an overused word in this post) and hunger. The cakes looked so tempting and you can really see how much effort and imagination the kiddos put in every culinary creation.
After the show, I was texting family and friends about the uber gifted kiddie chefs and telling them how amazed (there goes that word again) and inspired I am by them. Maybe it's not yet too late for me to develop my almost non-existent cooking skills after all. And I think I'll start by working on my omelette fold first. ;)
