Plain talk on food & health Education, not medical advice
Johnny B. Quacker Feel better, spend less, risk less
Remedy No. 3 · The Kitchen

Recipes

Step by step. Easy does it. Relax and cook, and cook with distractions.

Yes, you can cook genuine food for yourself and others even if your capabilities are impaired or limited. The keys to this are:

  1. Think ahead of time and prepare. One of the interesting effects of physical limitations is that you tend to think ahead more than fully capable people. “I want to do this thing tomorrow, so I need a plan” tends to happen. All of these recipes lean on that automatic mindset.
  2. Become comfortable with incremental progress. Once you’re comfortable with the methods, the Quick Reference Card should be enough.

These versions suit anyone with limited ability to stand around in a kitchen, for whatever reason: conditions like ME/CFS, not being able to stand for more than a few minutes, or needing assistive devices in the kitchen. They’re also handy without any impairment, if you have fussy children, pets, work from home, or other constant distractions.

I wrote all this down as I made each recipe, so they’re a bit long, to be as clear as possible and point out the very few steps where timing is important. Each step shows how to stop or pause for a break.

Take all day, or even a couple of days, and don’t get anxious about it having to be done in one big effort. The result is worth it.

The Recipes

Each one comes two ways: guided steps, and a Quick Reference Card.

A round of golden cornbread in a cast-iron pan Bread · 35 min Best Cornbread Ever Photo to come Supper · 3+ hours Birria de Bertha A bowl of golden homemade potato chips Snacks · 4+ hours, mostly waiting Potato Chips Better Than Bought Photo to come Supper La Paella Sour cream topped with dill, paprika and spices, ready to stir Dips & Dressings · 15 min, then 1 hour to rest Ranch Style Dip Photo to come Snacks · About 15 min Tortilla (or Corn) Chips Photo to come Supper · About 9 min Liver & Onions Photo to come Supper · About 20 min Mussels in Wine & Cream Photo to come Supper · 45 min Pork Belly Chunks Photo to come Treats · About 45 min Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Spoons

Plain meaning, and mostly the opinion of Yours Truly®.

5 spoons
A whole thing, for when you’re feeling able to dedicate some time and effort. Worth it at times, especially if it yields lower-spoon meals: it can provide 1-spoon meals for days.
4 spoons
Cooking several things, or steps where timing matters. Needs some planning, or at least being alert and able to move around for a couple of hours.
3 spoons
Easy cooking, like a baked potato, pasta or sautéed vegetables. No more than about 20 minutes of one-time effort.
2 spoons
A simple heat-up or easy assembly, like a sandwich or a tortilla roll-up.
1 spoon
No prep or heating up. Just eat: pre-packaged snacks, yogurt, pistachios.