“I’m cooked out” my Mom said.
I had to pause for a second.
“What does that mean?” I asked her, feeling puzzled.
“Well, I’ve been cooking for over 50 years. I don’t have that desire to cook anymore.”
“Oh. I never thought someone could feel that way. Don’t worry Mom, I’ll cook while I’m visiting.”
But I remember wondering, “what does “cooked out” feel like?” With three boys and a husband, I spent so much time in the kitchen that cooking was like breathing. I just did it. Would I ever feel like my Mom?
I told this story to my step-mother-in-law, Ce, who spent lots of time in the kitchen too. At the time, she was much younger than my Mom. She was about 50 when I asked her if she felt “cooked out.”
“No, but I like that description!”
About ten years later, Ce told me, ” guess what Jenny, I’m cooked out. I’ve had enough. just don’t enjoy cooking as much as before.”
After I heard that, I wondered if I would ever feel the same way. Well, surprise surprise, I’m kind of feeling a little cooked out now.
I’m not totally done with cooking. Instead, I want to eat more simple foods. I want to spend less time in the kitchen and crave fast, easy recipes that taste good. I like my instapot. I like my high speed blender and all the time savers. Anything to make my life easier.
So for those of you who are feeling cooked out. Here’s a quick spicy cucumber side dish. Just chop and mix. My kind of recipe!
- ½ English Cucumber
- Asian Chili Sauce - 2 teaspoons
- Sushi Vinegar - 1 Tablespoon
- sesame oil - 1-2 teaspoons
- Garlic Powder - pinch
- slice cucumber into bite size pieces and place in a bowl
- Add the chili sauce, sushi vinegar, sesame oil and garlic powder and mix.
- That's it folks! This is embarrassingly easy, it's not much of a recipe, but it's good. Now, I'm going to warn you there will be a lot of liquid coming from the cucumber. If you don't like this, you can salt the cucumber first for about 30 minutes. Then squeeze out the excess water. Then add your ingredients.
- If I want more crunch but don't have the time, I use celery instead of cucumbers and it works too!
