Growing up, I failed to find a reason to be in charge in the kitchen.  Aside from the fact that we had a household helper who cooked for us, no one in the family was into cooking or baking or anything kitchen-related.  When we’re hungry, we’d rather go out for a meal or order food over the phone than cook.   Even as a student, our Home Economics class failed to instill in me interest in gastronomy.  Thanks to my bully groupmates who assigned me the “dishwasher” role all the time.  Haha!

Then I got engaged, got married, got pregnant and got a baby!  With the series of overwhelming changes in my life came the pressure to learn at least the basics of domestic life, which includes cooking.  While I honestly have no plan to be an awesome wife cook, I decided to challenge myself to learn some survival food preparation skills. You know, just in case, every fast food outlet in our city decides to cease operation. 😊 So I included Culinary Skills 101 in my post-partum bucket list!

Achievement unlocked!

9 months after giving birth, I decided to pursue my goal of getting familiar with the kitchen.  Don’t judge me, but I still haven’t developed the courage to deal with gas stoves and oil splattering.  So my game plan was to prepare food by baking. 😊

This Pico Convection Oven is my best buddy nowadays.

Some online sources say that the benefits of using a convection oven include:

• Faster cooking – Since I’m a working mom, I hope to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen so I can spend more time with my baby.  The convection oven helps me to do my culinary experiments as quickly as possible.  As it is said to reduce cooking time, it’s a good choice for working moms who wish to still get busy in the kitchen after work.

• Even cooking – This is perfect for newbies like me.  There’s a greater chance for us to cook food evenly using the convection oven. Thanks to the built-in fan that circulates air!

• Energy saver – They say it is more energy efficient to use a convection oven than a regular oven because food cooks faster (and at a lower temp) in it.

Because I am such a dreamer, I aimed high with my first two attempts in the kitchen.  Why would I start with cooking hotdogs and omelets when I can try baking Pork Chops with Potato Marbles and Butter Garlic Shrimps? 😊

Baked Pork Chops with Potato Marbles

I downloaded the recipe from recipetineats.com, bought the ingredients and tried my luck!

Click here for the recipe.

Butter Garlic Shrimps

Again, I downloaded the recipe from damndelicious.net, bought the ingredients and tried my luck!

Click here for the recipe.

My hubby seems pleased with my finished product. 😊

At age 31, I made my first culinary creations. It’s never too late to learn something new, mommas.