I Made Soup!

I’m not THE most domestic person that ever lived.  Anyone that has ever seen my room in Teaneck could vouch for the fact that I’m kind of a hoarder and sometimes I let things get messy (something that I’m working on not happening in this new life that I’m creating for myself) even though I like things clean (myself included – I shower daily).  Having never really lived on my own before, I don’t know explicitly how to run a household.  There are a few domestic things that I do well such as doing laundry (folding included) and washing dishes – both of which I sometimes actually enjoy doing.  A major area where I am lacking in skill, though, is cooking.

Growing up in a household where the Dad is the main food-maker (and a fine good one at that), a young girl doesn’t generally bond in the kitchen the same way she would say, baking cooking with her Mom.  Said girl is me.  I didn’t learn from a young age how to make chicken, or bake a cake or any of those other standard food related activities.  My helping to prepare food consisted of a lot of cutting and chopping… and as a result, I can cut up veggies like it’s no one’s business.  In my teen years I perfected my omelet making abilities, and it wasn’t until I was about 20 that I started making pasta.  I think I made my first hard-boiled egg a couple of years ago.  I know this probably makes me look like I’m some kind of spoiled girl who can’t do anything for herself, but in truth it is all circumstantial.  When I was in college, I was on a full meal plan, and weekends were either spent at home or by friends – I didn’t have a kitchen.  After having graduated, I backpacked for about a year, and in that time I didn’t have a kitchen at my disposal and so I got really good at eating fresh fruit and vegetables, and where I was able, I bought ready-made food.  Otherwise, I’ve still been living with my parents (not out of laziness, rather to save my money in anticipation of the big move to Israel) and I’ve been able to benefit from my dad’s cooking as well as sticking to what I know (pasta, salad, omelets). 

Now that I am finally a big girl and living on my own, I’m being forced into this situation where I need to take care of all of my own food needs.  In truth, it’s about time.  I’m excited at the prospect of learning how to hone in further on my domestic skills.  Thankfully, I have my sister and a best friend nearby to coach and mentor me.  And it finally happened this week! 

In an effort to clean and purge before Pesach, Tehila was getting rid of a whole bunch of vegetables and I took them off her hands.  Once home, I looked at the onions, sweet potatoes and zucchini and thought it would be a good opportunity to try my hand at soup…. uncharted territory for me.  With the help of both my mentors over the phone and computer respectively, I fried some onions, cut up the sweet potatoes and zucchini, put it all together in a pot with water and some spices and anxiously waited (obviously I incessantly removed the lid, stirred, and kept checking in it) for it to be done.   The results were fantastic!  Here is a picture of my soup:

 It was tasty and filling, and I now feel empowered!  I’m excited about having a new meal option in my arsenal and it was easy!  This sense of accomplishment (laugh if you will, but this was kind of a big deal for me) will only take me forward and push me towards making more new things and becoming the chef that I know is inside me (probably hiding really far away and will need some coaxing to come out)!!!