Once upon a time I would tackle any recipe with gusto but these days I no longer do much cooking or baking. My husband is retired so he cooks most of our evening meals and I try not to bake sweet things when it’s just us or we devour them! So I’ve slowly got out of the swing of cooking and baking.
Yet if I’m not under pressure I do enjoy cooking and I love trying new recipes. My children and their partners are all talented cooks so lots of recipe swapping happens along with photos of the fabulous results. That does inspire me but I’ve found another trick to help put me in the cooking mood. The humble apron.
No-one seems to bother with aprons these days but I have several including some just for Christmas. I’ve discovered that slipping one on before I begin gives me an invisible superpower. A bit like a superhero in a cape I can zoom through those cooking and baking chores with ease. I have two favourites. A black one with the logo ‘Wild on Wine’ came from a winery we visited on beautiful Waiheke Island on a trip to New Zealand many years ago and a coastal print apron I found in a gift shop in Naracoorte, South Australia while on a book tour.
I usually wear the black one when I’m cooking meals, especially if they involve a splash of wine (both for the cooking and the cook) and I often choose the coastal print when I’m baking. Don’t ask me why but it’s something to do with the aura that each apron creates.
So the next time you’re dithering over cooking, pop on an apron. It might become your cooking superpower too.