For someone who has an Italian mother with many delectable recipes, you’d think I’d be a better cook. Well, it’s a work in progress. My first two years of college, I lived at home; my first year at Cornell, I lived in a dorm. Last fall, as a senior living on my own for the first time, I realized that I needed to learn to make something other than microwavable dinners and boxed macaroni and cheese.
I started easy, tackling my mother’s famous green bean casserole. I was shocked to learn that something so delicious and popular among my family members around Thanksgiving required such a simple recipe: a half-pound of green beans (fresh, frozen, or canned), a can of mushroom soup, a cup of milk, and dashes of pepper and soy sauce—mixed together, topped with French’s fried onions, and baked. Half and hour later, I had officially made my first home-cooked meal. It was delicious!
Cooking turned from a dreadful chore to something of a hobby. Next came chili and, a week later, potato salad. (I am not one to brag, but I make a pretty mean chili; I believe it's worthy of a prize in a chili cook-off.) Then I decided to challenge myself with pan-fried chicken. Let’s just say it’s going to be a while before I can proudly tell my mother that I cooked a chicken breast that is actually edible. So far, my chicken has been for display purposes only–beautiful on the outside, raw and pink on the inside. If I’m in the mood for some white meat, I’ll let Ithaca’s All About Chicken do the cooking for me.
— Timothy Weisberg ’12