Emily: A Little Prep Goes a Long Way
“Being able to cook allows me to: know exactly what’s going into my food and body.”
When Emily isn’t cheering on her home team the Green Bay Packers, she and her husband have been cheering each other on in the kitchen. With the help of a new kitchen teacher, they’re whipping up delicious weeknight dinners in their home instead of eating out. Read her Heroes in the Kitchen story below:
Name: Emily
Age: 31
City, State: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
We cook for: myself and my husband
Outside of the kitchen: am a librarian at a law firm and spend the fall and winter months cheering on the Green Bay Packers.
Being able to cook allows me to: know exactly what’s going into my food and body.
Favorite Cook Smarts meal: Cumin Spiced Kebabs – such a great flavor combination!
How did you learn to cook?
For the most part I’m a self-taught cook. My household growing up was just my mother and me, and I started doing a lot of the cooking in high school. My mom taught be a few basic recipes and I moved on from there.
A few years ago I became a vegetarian, and that really expanded my cooking as I could no longer rely on my basics of meat loaf and pork roast. While I’m no longer a vegetarian, I still use the skills I learned during that time.
What’s been your biggest kitchen challenge?
Apparently it was cooking with leeks! I was recently a bit embarrassed to learn that I had been using the wrong part of leeks for years! The videos that go along with each meal have been such a helpful learning tool for my husband and me. It really does feel like having a teacher right in the kitchen with us.
How has your cooking routine changed recently?
I no longer stress for an hour over the weekend trying to decide what to make for dinner. I would often find new recipes, but would be disappointed to see an hour or more of preparation time, which is longer than I would like to spend on a weeknight. Now the stress has been taken out of meal planning, and I’m less likely to eat out on weekdays, as I know a home cooked meal is only 30 minutes away.
“The [Cook Smarts] videos that go along with each meal have been such a helpful learning tool for my husband and me. It really does feel like having a teacher right in the kitchen with us.”
What new skill or dish have you cooked that you’re most proud of?
Soup! I never knew how quickly I could make a delicious blended soup. We received an immersion blender for our wedding earlier this year, and it quickly became my favorite kitchen gadget!
What advice would you give to other home cooks on reaching their cooking goals?
Most of us have time to cook a meal nearly every night. A little preparation ahead of time can save hours during the week!
Emily, we’re so glad that you’re now cooking with the white parts of the leeks (you can still save the green parts for stocks). And there’s never any need for embarrassment in the kitchen. We hope to help you whip up a bevy of soups to keep you warm during that cold Milwaukee winter.
To join Emily and cook meals like her favorite cumin spiced kebabs, check out our meal plan service. You can get started for free!
