McBride, Anja

During the past few months, when everyone was quarantined at home some people made schedules for themselves to make their days seem as normal as possible. Others sat on their couch all day long watching Netflix (Anyone? Don’t worry, that was me too). Some people picked up new hobbies. At the beginning of quarantine, my mom and I ate a lot of Doordash. This made the beginning of quarantine very enjoyable; between Netflix, restaurant food and no mandatory school I was living the life…that is until my mom noticed all I did was watch Netflix and how addicted I was to technology. She decided I should help out around the house by making more of our meals. She also said that I am at that age where I should be cooking in the kitchen more.

My mom is a decent cook, but she has had many epic fails. You can refer to my previously published article, “My mother the chef,” where I highlight her Pinterest failings. Anyone remember her rubber quesadilla? I have never really cooked much before at all, but I soon became more comfortable in the kitchen and very quickly realized that I am a much better chef than my mother. I am now obsessed with making eggs and making potatoes.

But when I first started I had didn’t have much experience in the kitchen, so I was nervous about the little things, like taking things in and out of the oven, and cooking things with boiling water. Slowly we began to have a little less Doordash meals, and I began to learn how to properly cook things like potatoes and eggs, vegetables, rice, and noodles.

The first thing I learned to cook were eggs. I like mine scrambled. Mom and I soon learned that I was much better than her at cooking, and for those of you who have read my previous article “My mother the chef,” you will know that it is a pretty easy thing to do. I have bested my mom in making rice, grilled cheese, and eggs. Fortunately, my mom is good at making noodles (boxed, of course).

Although my mom and I don’t have cable, every time I go to a hotel or visit family I always watch my two favorite channels: HGTV and Food Network. Even though my cooking skills are a work in progress, I have always loved watching Food Network. Some of my favorite shows on Food Network are “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” with Guy Fieri. I also enjoy watching “The Pioneer Woman,” and “Chopped.” A few months ago, shortly before the world ended as we know it, I tried making a recipe from a Pioneer Woman cookbook that my BFF got me a while ago. I made Hasselback potatoes, and ate them with butternut squash, asparagus, and kielbasa. It was amazing! I have many more recipes to try.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Anja McBride is going to be a sophomore this year and loves to read and play tennis.