I have always loved cooking. I think somewhere along the way I just lost the love for it for a while, and I had to find it again. Now when I walk into my kitchen, I instantly smile. Well… most of the time I’m also thinking, “I really need a bigger kitchen.” 😂 I think everyone who has ever cooked in a small kitchen understands that one. But there is something about being in there that makes me happy. It doesn’t matter if the counters are covered, the freezer is being raided or Hurricane Shelly is about to strike. Once I get going, I’m in my zone.

Cooking is my escape, especially when I’ve had a crappy day. I’ll put my music on, sometimes a little louder than I probably should, and I just get lost in it. I get lost in the creativity. I start lining everything up, getting my ingredients ready, measuring my spices, changing things, adding things and thinking, “Oh wait… let’s change this too!” 😂 There really isn’t always any rhyme or reason to what I’m doing. I just go with it. And once I’m in that zone, everything else seems to disappear for a while. I’m relaxed. I’m focused. I’m having fun. Sometimes I’ll be singing along to whatever I’m listening to and a memory will pop into my head, but even that can become part of the moment. For a little while, nothing else matters. It’s just me, my kitchen, my music and whatever the hell I’m creating.

And yes, this is where Hurricane Shelly enters the building. 😂 I have to have everything lined up and ready to go, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually going to leave it that way. I’ll have everything measured and then decide I need more. I’ll look at something and think, “Nope, let’s change that.” I’ll add more veggies, more garlic, more this and more that, and suddenly the original plan has gone completely out the window. That’s just how I cook. Recipes are guidelines. My kitchen is where I get to play.

Music makes a huge difference too. I’ll listen to pretty much anything and everything while I’m cooking. If the music hits right, you might even find me dancing around the kitchen. 😂 Of course, there are moments when I forget my body doesn’t always cooperate with my dancing ambitions and I move the wrong way. Then Hurricane Shelly gets a reminder that she is not, in fact, twenty anymore. 😂 But those little moments of silliness are part of what makes cooking enjoyable for me.

I also cook differently depending on how I’m feeling. If I’m having a really painful day, I usually don’t cook unless I absolutely have to. That’s when having a freezer full of meals I’ve already made becomes a lifesaver. I can grab something, heat it up and know I’m still getting a homemade meal without pushing myself when my body is telling me to slow the hell down. But when I’m sad or stressed? That’s different. Cooking can actually help me work through some of that. I just need to get myself into the kitchen first. Once the music is playing and I start pulling everything out, something shifts.

I saw that happen last week. It was a really hard week because of Nikki’s Angelversary, and honestly, I wasn’t eating properly. I wasn’t really taking care of myself the way I should have been. By the weekend, I decided I needed to cook. So I put on my YouTube playlist with Jelly Roll, Eminem, Billie Eilish, Tupac and a whole bunch of other music, and I started getting everything out. Ingredients lined up. Spices ready. The Ninja heating up. And somewhere along the way, I started singing. Then I started dancing a little. 😂 Before I knew it, everything was in the Ninja and cooking away on slow. I was tired, but I felt better. Not magically fixed. Not suddenly okay. Just… better. And sometimes better is enough.

That’s one of the reasons I love creating meals from what I already have. There’s something incredibly satisfying about looking at ingredients sitting in my freezer or pantry and figuring out what I can turn them into. I don’t have to run out at the last minute and spend more money. I can use what I’ve already bought and prepared. And let’s be honest, saving money is important because I have a tendency to think I need to place another little order. 😂 Actually, now that I think about it, I probably do need to make a small order. But that’s beside the point! 😂

I love the entire process of cooking. I love seeing everything come together. I love getting the ingredients ready, adding the spices, watching it cook and smelling everything as it starts coming together. And yes, obviously, the eating part is pretty damn important too. 😂 But there’s something about looking at that finished meal and knowing, I made that. I created it. I figured it out. I did that myself. That’s a bigger deal for me than some people might realize.

One of the meals I’m especially proud of right now is the Garlic Maple-Chicken Stew I just made. It might not be the prettiest thing I’ve ever put on a plate, but I don’t care. I’m proud of it. I’m proud of pretty much every meal I make because I did it myself. And I’ve learned so much since becoming an Elite Spice Ambassador with A Spice Affair. I’ve learned more about spices, flavours and how to put things together, and I’ve gotten much more confident about trusting myself in the kitchen. I don’t normally toot my own horn, but damn… I’ve been creating some pretty delicious meals! 😂

That’s probably one of the biggest things cooking has taught me about myself. When I trust myself and stop worrying about whether I’m doing something “right,” I can actually surprise myself. I don’t need someone else’s recipe telling me exactly what to do. I can look at what I have, think about what flavours I want, start putting things together and see where it takes me. Sometimes it works beautifully. Sometimes it doesn’t. 😂 But even the failures teach me something.

And I absolutely love cooking for other people. Honestly, I’d rather cook for other people than just myself. I love watching someone’s face when they take that first bite. I love getting the messages afterward saying, “Oh my gosh, Shelly, this was so good!” or “Can I have more?” That makes my heart full. That’s probably the best way I can explain it. I love feeding people. I love knowing somebody enjoyed something I created. Cooking for one, though? That’s hard. And that’s a big part of why I started batch cooking and freezing my meals. Future Shelly appreciates Current Shelly’s cooking. 😂

I hope people can taste the love I put into my food because I really do try to make everything with love. I also wish more people realized that cooking at home doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be easier, it can help you save money, and when you’re making it yourself, you know exactly what you’re putting into your food. You have control over the ingredients and how much of everything goes into your meal. And if you’re someone who thinks you can’t cook, I’m telling you right now… oh hun, you absolutely can. Start simple. Taste as you go. Experiment. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. And most importantly, have fun with it.

If you’re a beginner, taste-testing as you go can teach you so much. You’ll start learning what happens when you add a little more garlic, a little more seasoning or more vegetables. Eventually you’ll start eyeballing things and thinking, “Yep, that’s about right.” And then one day you’ll make something and realize you actually impressed yourself.

That’s what I want people to take away from my kitchen chaos. You don’t have to be a professional chef. You don’t have to follow every recipe perfectly. You don’t need a giant kitchen with every gadget known to humanity. 😂 You just need to be willing to try. Put on some music. Grab what you have. Get creative. Taste it. Adjust it. Laugh when something goes sideways. And make it with love.

Because when I walk into my kitchen, I don’t just see food.

I see my escape.

I see my creativity.

I see a place where I can put on some music, dance around like a fool, talk to myself and Sir Kit Kat, make an absolutely ridiculous mess and somehow end up with dinner. 😂

And maybe that’s why I smile the second I walk through the door.

Well…

That and the dream of someday having a much bigger kitchen. 😂

Hurricane Shelly strikes again. 🍳💜

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… it’s about finding reasons to smile while the rain is still falling.

Stay kind.

Stay grateful.

YOU Matter!

Shelly 💜