You shouldn't close your mind to the thought that you can't cook. Try experimenting with simple viands.
Try this at home:
Cut about half a kilogram of pork into small portions; separate the fat from the lean meat. Cut a kilogram of potatoes and half a kilogram of carrots into portions similar to the pork. Be sure to soak the pealed and cut potatoes in cold water to prevent them from turning brown. Mince a piece of onion and about three to five pieces garlic.
Put a pan over a slow fire, then add about one tablespoon of oil. When it is hot or you can see bubbles slowly add the fat from the meat. Stir for a while then cover; continue cooking on slow fire. Stir for about five minutes and check if they turned from white to brownish. Be sure that you are cooking on slow fire to prevent the food from burning. When these became brown, gently push them to the side of the pan, leaving the center with the oil in it. Add garlic and a while later the onion. Stir until they turn brownish or when the air smells of these spices. Add the lean meat and stir along with the fat that you set aside at the edges of the pan. Sprinkle a bit of ground pepper and add about 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir the mixture and cover, be sure that the fire is still low. Allow this to cook slowly for 5 minutes. Stir and check if the meat is burnt; usually at this stage the meat will produce some water and it will not burn; but it is better to check. Allow another 5 or 10 minutes before you add around 5 cups of water. you can estimate the amount of water depending on your family's preference for soup.
Increase the level of your fire and allow the food to boil. Once it has boiled check if the meat is tender. If so, add the potatoes. After 8 minutes, add the carrots. Allow to boil. You can add one tablespoon of cornstarch here or spaghetti sauce; tomato sauce is nice but spaghetti sauce tastes better. Check if the potatoes and carrots are cooked. Taste the food and add salt to your liking. Some people might recommend adding MSG here but I don't. You can add some if you like or I prefer the mix from Maggi or Knorr Meaty Seasoning.
You're done.
Don't trouble yourself much with recreating the food from the cookbooks. I love cooking and has been blessed to cook without a guide and without having to taste my cooking and still have the best results. But when I use cookbooks I just can't seem to get the taste or the look presented there.
Feel free to ask for advice or other cooking tips and recipe ;O)
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