What My Twenties Are Teaching Me: Kitchen Edition

Over on Fairy Tales Are True, Sarah has been hosting a wonderful series this week on "What My Twenties Are Teaching Me."  Since my cooking has come a long way since my college days, I thought I would link up and share some of the food-related lessons I've learned over the years.  I've always loved to cook, but years of eating in a cafeteria in college, cooking in a tiny college apartment kitchen, and living with my parents caused any cooking I did to become sporadic and lacking in motivation.  Why spend time cooking when there's a plate of dinner waiting for you in the fridge after work?  {Note: Looking back, I was pretty spoiled that year.  Thanks, Mom!}

Since I moved out on my own at 22, I've had a lot of freedom to try all sorts of things I never would have otherwise.  Not sure if a spice works in that dish?  Go ahead and try it!  No one will know if it turns out horribly.  Hosting dinner parties has become one of my favorite activities (although now I just need a big table - they're definitely informal dinners right now, but I still get to cook up a storm).  Many of the lessons I've learned don't only hold true in the kitchen; many can be applied to the rest of life as well.  

Here's to learning even more during what's left of my twenties and to making lots of delicious food!

What My Twenties Are Teaching Me

• Don't be ashamed to drink $3/bottles of wine (Three Wishes, I'm looking at you)
• If you're going to eat meat, it's worth spending extra money on meat from well-raised, humanely treated animals.  
• Know that you'll learn as you go.  Don't be afraid to try new recipes - even if they turn out to be total flops, you'll have learned something from it.  
• Food always tastes better when it's cooked outside.
• Always buy produce in season.
• Pay attention to how food makes you feel after you eat it.  Don't waste your time on food that tastes good in the moment, but makes you feel crummy afterward.
• Never go grocery shopping when you're hungry.  Always have a list!
• It's worth investing in good appliances.  The right tools will make food preparation a million times easier.

*Photos via We Heart It here and here