LOL. Thanks Jo but no flowerpot throwing.

I got some magic salmon recipes in return, to say the least.

I seriously need to kick myself in the head though for STILL not having sent that lambs brain recipe. I'll get on to that today. Honest injun.

Magic salmon. Intriguing...

No rush for the brain recipe. I still have to locate where to get a brain since I sure ain't gonna use mine. :p

Well, it is after all called 'Lambs Brain with Chilli', not 'Canadian Separatists Brain'. LOL

Well, that sure would spoil the recipe wouldn't it? :D

I wish I was able to cook like you guys. That's another thing women love, a man who can cook.

Road, what's stopping you from learning? Both Jo and I weren't born with the 'knack' as it were. Trial and error half the time, though well working tastebuds do help a bit.

Try doing something simple, it'll turn out fine and as time goes by, you'll gain confidence in your abilities and will progress to more difficult recipes.

Let's face it, all you need is a cooker, some pots and pans and most importantly at least 2 or 3 good knives (a peeler, usually 2-3", a meat knife, say at least 8" and a carver, again maybe an 8"). Just don't be fooled by the cheapo knife blocks with knives for a tenner. I never found one of those to be of any use whatsoever but neither do you have to shell out hundreds and hundreds of dollars, pounds or euros. Something in the say 20-25 dollar range will do nicely for years to come.

If you need some help to get started with, I am sure JoBleau and I will be happy to help out.

For me, cooking started at the age of 18, as soon as I had moved to the UK for the first time. No more Mum to dish up and as a student eating out just wasn't an option but neither was living on sandwiches for the rest of my days.

So, went out, got me some second hand stuff from a charity shop, grabbed a beginners cookbook from the local library and got cracking. After more then 30 years I obviously don't recall what the 'dish of the day' may have been but I guess it must have been somewhat edible.

To cut a long story short, cooking, baking, especially all the hundreds of varieties of German bread became a lifelong passion. On the downside... I became an ever so picky eater. Should you invite me over for a meal, be prepared for me telling you what I REALLY think. LOL

Getting into cooking and baking is a great way to meet more and new people, mind you, the thought about women didn't actually appear to me, though I have always cooked for those few ladies that I did strike up a relationship with. In fact, I did prepare a six course meal from my now wife on our first date at my house.

Over the years we then lived in so many countries, now that was something else. All the different influences, methods you'd never hear of otherwise. Travel broads the horizon they say, well, let me tell you, it can also add inches to your waisteline, if cooked properly. LOL

Naw, you'd do just fine and over time it'll refine your taste (should you be a bit of a fast foody right now). You'll even learn to appreciate NOT buying from supermarkets but, where available, get your stuff from local producers. You would not believe just how educational this can turn out to be. From your first attempts at knocking up your first omelette to learning a lot about agriculture, to the benefits of organic farming and eating. Believe me, one thing leads to another.

Just ask JoBleau, some things I mentioned in our email exchanges sent him of on huge wild-goose chases across the web.

And, at the end of the day, there are few things as rewarding as sitting down for a meal you prepared yourself, even if a first attempt might not turn out at 5 star level but we live and learn.

Many do, indeed. But some others are afraid of that. Believe it or not, I lost a couple of girls because I could cook better than them. It didn't even went past the 1st meal. :(

Yet, the idea is not primarily to cook for girls but for yourself. As Hoverfly mentioned, I too learned early simply because of the necessity to eat something decent.

Most importantly, first try to do things you like. You then can compare with what you had before and adjust. And cooking is by no way an exact science. You can be very creative if you want.

If you'd like to try some simple recipes, I'd be happy to post a couple and I'm sure Hoverfly will put is grain of salt in as well.

I most certainly would. I have tons of tried and testes recipes in PDF files, some even with lovely mouth watering pictures. LOL

mmmm! Wondering if porn food pictures are allowed here...:D

Only if you can assure us that the displayed items are of legal age, ie. at least 18 years of age. LOL