Kitchen Lessons

I have learned quite a bit in the past year about cooking. In fact, I've learned more than I ever wanted to know. I am not the world's top fan of the cooking, so it is surprising how much of it I do. Here are some random things I've learned:

1) Sharp knives are a must.
2) Life without a crock pot, mixer, or food processor would be harder.
3) Fresh garlic is much better than garlic from the jar.
4) It is impossible to cook well from scratch without butter.
5) My kids rarely complain about my food when I cook from scratch and often request leftovers for breakfast.
6) Wheat-free baking is still fairly tasty. Egg-free baking? Not so great. Hence, I don't bake a whole lot for myself.
7) It isn't nearly as gross to make meatballs if you wear gloves. (In my case, not traditional rubber gloves, rather nitrile gloves.)
8) My own sauce actually tastes better than cream of chicken soup.
9) 3 pounds of onions is the minimum I will need for a full grocery cycle and sometimes I run out before the next grocery shopping.
10) My old tried-and-true money-saving approach of using powdered milk for cooking and baking instead of fresh still works. Still saves money, still tastes fine.