Tag: cooking

Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 4

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Christmas balls, stars and light part 4
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Day 4

I won’t collapse, even though yesterday’s post didn’t get likes immediately. There can be many reasons, which doesn’t necessarily mean it was terrible. I’m good at keeping it together. There are worse things in the world than no one liking something. Despite being active on social media, I don’t get many likes and even less comments. But I post anyway. Sometimes, people find old posts that were posted ages ago. You never know what happens when you’re on the internet. One thing that I’m good at is keeping things together, and I don’t collapse when things get tough. Life’s disappointments make you stronger, and you can take the heat a little better.

The other four things I’m good at are as follows. Two of them are thanks to my late parents.

Cooking and baking

I used to help my mother in the kitchen. That way, I learned how to cook and bake. It had been a big help. My dad didn’t cook, so I cooked for the both of us after my mother died. Sometimes, I try new recipes, and sometimes I succeed, but sometimes I do not. For example, I once tried to make chocolate cheesecake, but it became all gooey and too sweet. I followed the recipe to the letter, but still, it failed. I have more success in cooking a meal. If I like the food I tried for the first time, I cook them again. Now, when I’m alone, I’m a little lazy to cook, so I either order takeout or buy microwave food. But a home-cooked meal is always better, so I still do that. It’s less expensive to cook your own food. I should learn to make smaller amounts of food, though, now that I only cook for myself.

Driving a car

Everybody probably says they’re a good driver, but I can genuinely say that. I follow the rules and consider other people. I only got my driver’s licence three years ago, but I’ve improved since then. I gained more confidence driving because Dad was with me. You get better the more you drive. The longest trip I’ve driven was to Helsinki last week. I even drove in total darkness on the back home. I couldn’t have done it a few years ago. But because of my dad, I’m more confident behind the wheel.

Writing stories

The first time I wrote stories was in elementary school as school assignments, and I got good grades. As a teenager, I started to write in English, and it hasn’t stopped. I have a vivid imagination. Today, I write fan fiction, primarily real-person fiction. It is good practice to learn writing in English, and I have learned a lot of new words. In Finland, we start to learn English in 3rd or 4th grade. That’s how it was in the 1980s, at least. Writing is a lot of fun, and that’s why it’s my favourite thing of all the things I’m good at.

Using a computer

I might know how to fix a computer, but I’m good at using one. The first computer I used was a Macintosh. I was in 7th grade when we got a computer in the classroom. Computers weren’t common then, and you had to know codes. There were no icons to click on, so it wasn’t easy to use one. I used Windows the most because that’s what our school had. It was only the Macintosh that had icons. The first time I used the Internet was in 1997 when I was in business school. As they say, the rest is history. Kids today have no idea how it was then. It’s good that computers have gotten better over the decades. It is more fun to use computers and the Internet these days. But that’s good because things were so slow before broadband and computer icons. That modem sound still haunts in my head. If you lived in the 1990s, you know what I mean.

I wish I could improve on some other things, but that’s another list.

Not that fearless any longer

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old typewriter
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I used to fear things but became more fearless as I got older. I guess it was because my mother died and I had to be. I didn’t like to talk to strangers, so I didn’t speak to them. It wasn’t because of fear; I felt awkward and wanted to leave. Still, there are days when I don’t feel like talking to anyone, but it isn’t about fear. It’s about being an introvert. Or maybe I don’t have the courage on that day. I think before I speak. Some days, I’m fearless and have no trouble talking to a stranger. The only thing I still fear is talking on the phone. No way I want to do that. I prefer Emails. I don’t answer unknown numbers. Unless it’s essential.

I’m also fearless when I drive a car. I’ve had my driver’s license for almost 3 years and didn’t know if I dared to drive alone. My dad was always with me, but now, when I had to drive alone for a month, I realised it wasn’t that bad. I guess I’ve learned to drive the car. That’s what experience gives you. I still don’t like driving in traffic or on the highway, though. I fear I get in the way or I crash into someone. I drive my dad’s car, which is an older car, so I had to learn how to drive that; it’s only now that I have enough confidence to drive it. The car was a new model in driving school, so driving was different. Both vehicles have a stick shift, but there were 6 gears in driving school when my dad’s car had 5. Driving is fun when you’re fearless.

I can be fearless when it comes to trying new things. Like food, but I want to know what it contains. I’ve cooked new things, and some of them have been good. I have even cooked it again. My mother and I used to try different recipes. She’s the reason why I know how to cook. When you cook yourself, you know what you get. The two ingredients I dislike the most are mushrooms and broccoli. I’m not so fond of cheese either, but in certain foods, it’s alright. I can’t stand it when they put mushrooms in many things. If there are, I take them out. I’m not that fearless that I eat anything.

Being fearless doesn’t mean parachute jumping or rock climbing. It can also be mentally fearless or being fearless in everyday situations. It can be a temporary feeling that might come back, or it may not. We’re all different and see the word differently. That’s something we have to appreciate in other people. You shouldn’t understate opinions about what the words mean to them. You can agree to disagree, but it’s pointless to argue about it. No one should be that fearless to hurt feelings.

Bloganuary: What I am cooking

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spices on three spoons
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I can thank my late mother for teaching me how to cook and bake. As a child, I helped her in the kitchen and followed her cooking. It was always something simple, and sometimes we tried new recipes. That’s something I’ve continued with. The only thing I don’t like about cooking is the dirty dishes and the cleaning up afterwards. I don’t like making something that takes a long time to do. Sometimes I don’t bother to cook, so I buy something prepared from the store. During covid, I ordered in, and still do sometimes. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal, though. I don’t cook because I like it. I do it because a person has to eat. You can’t always eat store-bought.

I like making easy food, like different soups and sauces. Sometimes I use fresh vegetables, but recently they’ve been frozen. It’s easier that way and faster. It’s the washing and pealing that isn’t pleasant. It makes my hands dry with all that water. Different casseroles with potatoes are also easy to do in the oven. The principle is the same. It’s only the filling that is different. If I could choose, I like eating more than making it. But no one else is doing it, so I have to do it myself. Sometimes I eat vegan food, but I prefer buying it from the store. The only thing I made myself was vegetable soup. Once I made soup with a ground meat substitute, but it wasn’t as good as real meat. I could never become a vegan. It isn’t my thing, but I can eat it occasionally.

My favourite food is pizza and Chinese food. But I also like pasta bolognese. I make it without tomato paste, so it’s more like spaghetti and minced meat sauce. It’s fast and easy to do. If I go to a restaurant, it’s usually leaf steak or Wiener schnitzel. I don’t go to fast-food joints that often, but I’ve been to one last time I was in Helsinki. The only one I go to is McDonald’s. I’ve been to Burger King, but I only ordered chicken nuggets. I don’t like mayonnaise, so I’m cautious about where to eat hamburgers. McDonald’s is the only place I like, and it’s also a place I can afford to go to. All this food talk got my mouth watering, so I better go and eat that last chicken steak left.