Learning to Cook. Twice.

It's actually a bit embarrassing to tell the truth. But, here it goes. I graduated from college barely able to make boxed pasta. Most of the time, it would just end up a large gooey clump in the bottom of the pot of water. Nasty. The first few times I went to the grocery store, I had to drag one of my friends with me, just so she could teach me how to go about shopping without leaving the store with only Twinkies and frozen dinners.


I love Twinkies. Guilty secret.


So, after a few weeks, I started getting the hang of things. I started to watch more cooking shows on TV, and before long I was totally ready, for the first time, to make dinner for my partner, JP. I made my mom's baked chicken with mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. 


It was incredible, just not in that really great way that you always want. The chicken was scorched on the outside, and raw inside. The potatoes tasted like chalky, chunky buttered garlic. The beans were good. We ate beans that night.


Needless to say, with time and practice, I have gotten much better. That's not to say everything always works out perfectly, cause it certainly doesn't. But at least my chicken is cooked all the way through now. Usually.


Then, about a year and a half ago, a funny thing happened. One day after work, JP came home looking kind of excited. I mean, he always seems a bit like a big kid, which I love, but this was different. Apparently, we were being transferred. How exciting!


Next thing we know, we were on a plane and moving to Sydney, Australia. And I had to learn to cook. All over AGAIN! I am not just talking about learning to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius (there is a neat little google translator for that!). I had to relearn everything, right down to the grocery shopping. What a nightmare. I broke out the boxed spaghetti.


So, why so different, you ask? Normally, I would be right there with you asking that same question. In theory, it shouldn't be all that different. I mean, it's not like Australia is some third world country or something. Far from it, in fact. We moved here from a not-so-big southern city in the US. Now, we are in a very, very big city, living in a very small big-city apartment with a tiny kitchen. That means small appliances that cook things differently.


Also, things are called different names here. Spring onions? Yeah, that would now be a shallot.  Shallots are now brown shallots. Kale is rhubarb leaf. Cilantro is now coriander. Rocket? Yeah, that's actually just arugula. And really, what the hell is a corugette?? Oh, it's just zucchini.


I used to get everything from the local Harris Teeter or Whole Foods. Now, I have my grocer, my fish monger, my butcher, and my other grocer for when my main one doesn't have everything I need. There is also the third grocer, just in case the first two fail. Do you know how long it takes to do the shops now??


At least this time around, it took far less time for me to figure things out. The one thing that still gets me is the oven. Stupid tiny apartment oven. You have weird cook times.

Continue reading to get Ma's Baked Chicken recipe.

Ma's Baked Chicken


What you need:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 eggs
• 3-4 cups Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, optional
• 1-5 medium Red Potatoes, cut into cubes with skin on
• Garlic powder to taste
• Buttermilk (have at least 1 cup on hand, more if you like really creamy mashed potatoes)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).

Pour the breadcrumbs into a large bowl, big enough for all the chicken breasts. Mix in the Parmesan cheese, if using. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with a dash of water. Plave the chicken into the eggs and coat thoroughly. Take the coated chicken and transfer it into the breadcrumbs and coat evenly. Place the chicken onto a baking sheet (spray with Pam to keep them from sticking) and place in the oven.  Cook for 20-25 minutes, until nicely browned and the juices run clear.

While the chicken is cooking, place the cubed potatoes into boiling salted water. Boil for about 10-15 minutes, until tender (test tenderness with a fork; if the fork goes in smoothly then they are done). Drian, and return to the cooking pot. Add the butter and about 1/3 of the buttermilk. Smash using a fork or potato masher. Add buttermilk while continuing to mash, until you reach your desired consistency. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste, and mix throughly.

Serve with steamed Green Beans (or Asparagus, Broccoli or other green vegetable).