Kelly - Recipes from a Teenage Chef: Easy meals for independent young adults

Recipes from a Teenage Chef:

Easy meals for independent young adults

PLUS Great Tips for Eating & Living a Healthy Life.

By
Christian Kelly

www.Christian-Kelly.com

Dedication

First of all, thank you to God, for His limitless blessings, and for all that He has done, and continues to do for me. I love you.

To my mother, Carla Melissa Kelly, who passed away the day after I was born- I know you continue to watch over me, your light shining down on me day after day. Without you, I would not be here. I love you, and in time, I will see you again.

To my parents, Christopher & Julette Kelly, without you guys, this project would not have been possible. You guys have been such a blessing in my life, and I thank God for you both. I wouldnt be half the person I am today, if it had not been for you both. You both had a major part in my desire to cook and become a chef. Every time I would try something new, you were there to give me your honest feedback. Every time I wanted to make Sunday dinner, you never hesitated to go out shopping for what I needed. Thank you for always pushing me to do my best and wanting nothing less than excellence for, and from me. I thank you for the love that you show me every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. I love you guys with my whole heart.

To my Granny, Aunt Paula, Aunty Nikki, Aunty Jenny, and Aunt Tara, you guys played a big part in making this happen, and you dont even know it. You are the reason cooking is my passion, and you dont even know that. Since I was a little kid, I always used to watch you guys cook and wanted to be a part of it. You are the lit match that started the fire for this passion that I have. I love each and every one of you, and I can't thank you enough.

But maybe unlimited family discounts at my future restaurants can be a start.

Special Dedication: To my Pastor, Dr. Therman E. Evans. I can honestly say that my life would NOT be the same if you were not in it. You have impacted me and my familys life in countless ways; youve encouraged me, your words of wisdom have guided me, and the love you and Lady B have shown me, has forever changed me. May God bless you, in all the days of your life; I love you both.

Table of Contents

First Things First

- My First 21

: The Exercise Part

& Recipes

One Last Thing

Introduction

Hey there - my name is Christian Kelly. I'm 19 years old, and if you havent figured it out by now, I have a thing for cooking. I love food. Food makes me happy, its my passion. I enjoy being funny and making people laugh. It's a part of my personality I really like. I just love seeing people happy. And cooking does just that for me. It allows me to make people happy by making something that appeals to their taste buds, therefore putting a smile on their face.

I mainly come from two different backgrounds: Guyanese and Nigerian (which explains why I like to use different spices). Both Guyanese and Nigerians are known for enjoying spicy food. But if you dont like your food spicy, dont worry; my recipes are not made to be hot. Honestly, Im not a big fan of hot and spicy foods, but if you are you can always adjust the spice level to your taste.

Ever since I was about 5 years old, I've had an interest in food, other than eating it. I guess it was due to the fact that I've been exposed to cooking for as long as I can remember. Whenever my Grandmother or Aunts were cooking, I would always find myself in the kitchen either helping or simply watching. They were like my Rachel Ray of the day. One other thing I can remember to this day was, when my brother, sister, parents and I moved into our new home in Jersey, those first couple years, we ALWAYS cooked. I mean, on a nightly basis. My Dad was pretty much the chef of the house, he was the one to do most of the Sunday cooking, the fancy dinners, and there have been plenty of times when I had to ask him where did you learn to cook because everything he made, I was impressed with, I kid you not.

But what stuck with me the most was when we used to all be in the kitchen together, as a family, all preparing dinner. My Mom and Dad were the Head chefs, my brother and sister like the Prep cooks, making salad and whatnot. And me? I was the audience. Just standing by, watching, observing. Gradually, I went from being the audience, to Prep cook, to Sous Chef to one of the Head Chefs (of the kitchen).

(Really quickly, I must mention one thing. At this point in the book, youve seen me mention things about my mom. Let me clarify. My biological mother did pass away the day after I was born. But ever since my Uncle and his wife stepped into my life since I was a kid, Ive always considered them my parents, so I refer to them as my mom or dad or parents. Just so there is no confusion). Okay, now back to what I was saying!
Another thing we always did together was play music while we cooked. So, you would have all five of us in the kitchen, cooking, talking, laughing, and having an honest familymoment. Those memories I will never forget about. Actually, listening to music while we cooked is what really got me to start singing, and now its pretty much a routine for me. Every time I'm in the kitchen, I always listen to music and sing.

Let me tell you something that happened before I even knew how serious I was about cooking. Years ago, my family and I went camping with a group in Canada for about a week. There was a lady there named Mrs. Erika, and she was a chef in my eyes, because she seemed to really enjoy feeding people. She cooked some meals for the families, just because she wanted to, and everything she made tasted really, really good. Well, I would always like to stand by and observe her as she cooked, and I guess she took note of me watching her, because one day she says to my mom:

Your child has a serious relationship with food. I wouldnt be surprised if he was to get into that field when he grows up.

Now mind you, this was BEFORE I realized that I had a passion for food, and cooking beyond my childhood desire and curiosity. She named it before I fully realized it myself.

She was most certainly right.

That passion started to grow when I started collecting cookbooks, and watching cooking shows. Thats when I really started to become serious about cooking. In high school, I decided to take a culinary class my freshman year. And I loved it! I went on to complete the next two courses, making it three in all (duhh) - Foundation of Food, Arts & Science of Food, and Culinary- Honors. It was a really smart move to take those courses, because I gained so much knowledge about food, so much cultural information, and background info. about food (by the way, if you know of anyone in high school who has an interest in cooking, make a suggestion that they take any culinary courses their school offers- wouldnt want to pass that up).

As every day goes by, my passion for cooking just seems to get stronger and stronger.

Some people may find this odd, but I find cooking to be soothing for me sometimes. It's a time when I can just be myself in the kitchen, to think, be creative, and sing. Theres not a time when Im cooking that the radio is off or my music is not playing. Putting things together, experimenting with different spices, and flavors, using different techniques to come up with something totally new, are part of the fun of cooking. It's a way to express myself, and unleash my creative side and I know it can do the same for you.

Another major benefit I get from cooking is peoples reactions. You have no idea how good it makes me feel when I make something new, and people taste it, and love it. I enjoy making others feel good, and one of the ways I do that is through cooking. Cooking is an art, one I'm still in the midst of discovering, and one I intend on mastering someday.