Week 3: I am Woman, Hear me Roar

This week I set a goal: to make a list of recipes I want to learn to cook. As I wrote them down, I thought about the meals I’ve enjoyed and the people I care for, and I added them all to the list. It only took me fifteen minutes to sit, think, and write. That’s it. In the weeks ahead, I’ll practice and learn to cook these dishes as well as I can.

Recipe for this week:

My ward only likes egg whites, and it pains me to throw the yolks away. I tried storing them in the fridge to use within a day or two, but they always went bad. This morning was different. I asked ChatGPT for a basic hollandaise sauce recipe and adjusted the amounts to match the number of yolks I had. I already had a lemon, butter, and cayenne pepper, so I was set.

Of course, I didn’t follow the instructions exactly, because who has time to dirty a double boiler just for breakfast? Instead, I used a coffee mug and a milk frother I’d picked up on JD or Taobao for a few dollars. I used my microwave and cooked for 15 seconds. It cooked quick! Next time I’ll do 5 second intervals. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough and it was delicious.

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 large egg yolks (I had 1, because i forgot to save them and threw some in the trash. Oops!)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed) (meh, for like 1 squeeze of the lemon)
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and hot (maybe a teaspoon, I don’t really know)
• Pinch of cayenne pepper or hot sauce (optional)
• Salt, to taste

Instructions (didn’t use these instructions at all, instead used the coffee mug described above)

1. Whisk yolks & lemon juice
   In a heatproof bowl (like stainless steel), whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice until slightly thickened and pale.
2. Set up a double boiler
   Place the bowl over a saucepan with barely simmering water (without letting the bowl touch the water). Keep whisking constantly.
3. Drizzle in butter
   Slowly stream in the hot melted butter while whisking vigorously until the sauce thickens and becomes smooth.
4. Season
   Add salt and cayenne pepper (or a few drops of hot sauce). Taste and adjust lemon juice if needed.
5. Serve immediately
   Hollandaise is best served warm, poured over eggs Benedict, vegetables, or fish.

Like I said, I didn’t follow these steps exactly or at all maybe, just used them as a guide. I could have asked ChatGPT to tailor a recipe to my tools and ingredients, but I trusted myself.

I ate it on a whole-grain English muffin with spinach, butter, honey, and sliced deli meat—all things I already had on hand.

Kitchen basics:

I try to keep these items stocked, but I made this list as general as possible so it works for many families:

• Protein: eggs, meat, beans, legumes
• Vegetables: prewashed mixed greens, prewashed broccoli
• Fiber/carbs: simple carbs are fine for young children—they taste good, and their growing brains crave sugar, so a little isn’t the end of the world
• Fats: butter, coconut oil, avocado oil (I buy them in bulk)

Buy what your family will actually eat, and set small, realistic goals—just one new goal a week.

This post is dedicated to my grandmother and mother. They are strong women.