Learning to Cook: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Abby Woytus

If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t like to cook or simply don’t know how. This is beyond true for myself because besides the meals my family cooks, I’ve mainly lived off of microwaveable meals, bagels, lunchables and you’ve guessed it: Ramen! 

A few nights ago, my mom convinced me to make dinner with her and reassured me that it would be simple. With the cold weather creeping in, we decided it was the perfect night to make grilled cheese and tomato soup. That being said, my mom laid out all the ingredients and began to instruct me on what to do. 

Although the words sounded gibberish, I ended up learning simple things such as turning on the stove top, using a crock pot, and choosing the right ingredients. While these steps might sound simple, I’ve never been open to learning them, so even a little progress for me is huge. 

Eventually, my mom instructed me to butter a couple pieces of Texas toast, and after I did so, I watched her brown them in a hot pan. Soon she added Swiss and cheddar cheese and the result was grilled cheese. I was shocked at how simple the recipe was and questioned why I didn’t attempt it sooner.

Since I felt grilled cheese was simple to make, I then attempted to help make tomato soup too. However, it was not as easy. I’ve never been a huge fan of tomato soup, and making it proved to be difficult. Measuring out the ingredients was hard, along with the constant stirring, and hot temperatures. 

Towards the end of the night, my family and I sat down for dinner. We all agreed that the grilled cheese turned out to be delicious and toasted perfectly, but the soup could use some work. I argued that next time I would use canned soup instead, and they all laughed. 

Although learning to cook grilled cheese and soup was challenging it was undoubtedly rewarding. In the future, I’m excited to see what other recipes I’ll learn and how I can apply them to everyday meals. Right now, my cooking is far from perfect, but with more practice I’ll be cooking up a storm in no time.