I want to be able to cook for my family but I am rubbish! Why can't I do this?!

[Jemster]

I'm probably in the wrong place here as I can't cook but I'm hoping those of you that can can help me.
I've never been good at cooking but now I have 2 young dc I know I need to do better for them.
I have been trying recently but its not been good. This afternoon I've been making a cottage pie but at the same time my dd who is 2 has been begging me to play with her and then she decided she wanted to start potty training on her dolls potty! As a result I burnt the mince and then realised I hadnt done enough potatoes to cover it! The potato masher is broken and my tiny kitchen looks like a bombs gone off!

I know I need to make the effort but because I'm so rubbish at it I don't enjoy it at all. Can anyond offer any advice? How did you all learn to cook and how do you manage with a toddler demanding all your attention?

Teach the toddler that mummys making dinner ignore her and concentrate on the job in hand. Use frizen onions and madh.

Mash

Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food is brilliant for beginners.

However, cooking a meal that takes lots of attention when you have two young DC is really hard. Is there someone else who could look after them while you cook?

Buying stuff like frozen pre-chopped veg, frozen onions and garlic really speeds things up. Sainsbury's does a good frozen chopped veg range. It doesn't taste quite as nice, but it's better than not cooking at all.

I'd start with things a lot more simple than cottage pie!
We just had chicken and bacon cut up into strips, fried in garlic, then a littke thyme added. Then add cream cheese and a tiny bit of milk, warm through. Serve with pasta that I've thrown peas into last minute.
I only attempt ten mins prep with a small person around.

You make decent meals when they're asleep. Pop in freezer then defrost for when they're awake!

For example, I make a mean roast dinner. No way would I attempt it without DH to supervise the DC.

Cottage pie is actually quite a faff!

I would start with something really simple like a sausage casserole or something that you cook in the oven, with jacket potatoes.

If you wrap a salmon fillet in a foil parcel, with a small knob of butter and some black pepper on it, stick it in the oven for about 20 minutes, it comes out beautifully! Children generally love salmon cooked like this.

Thank you for the replies. I thought cottage pie was quite easy, until I attempted it with a hyper toddler at my feet! Perhaps I do need to do more in the evenings but I'm normally ready for bed soon after they've gone!
I guess it will get easier as they get older..

I would agree cottage pie isn't that easy. Have you thought about a slow cooker? Then you could prep at a quiet time, bung it in the slow cooker and have no hassle at night.

Have you looked at
www.mydaddycooks.com
It's a video blog of a SAHD cooking with his 2yo (obviously the boy is no longer 2). He now has two books and not active with new videos but the archive is very good. Lots of very simple recipes and toddler proof. Hopefully it can get you started in the rift direction.

Everyone can cook; you just need to start with simple recipes like spaghetti bolognese or one pot stews/casseroles. Cottage pie takes a bit of timing.

I also have a demanding 23mo DD who dislikes it when I am cooking. I let her sit on the counter (far away from knives and hot things). When I have chopped things I let her put them in the pan and I will let her brandish a wooden spoon or something so she feels like she is helping.
Otherwise, I cook while she's having her meal and we chat while I cook and she eats. She will then eat whatever she's watched me cooking later or the ne next day.

I do OK at cooking for my family but would never attempt a cottage pie whilst the kids were around!

I would start with easy and quick things like pasta and homemade sauce, stir frys, chicken thighs done in the oven. My rule for after school suppers is they have to take 30 mins start to finish.

But cooking with your toddler is another option as mentioned above!

Why was there not enough potato? Were you just guessing or following a rubbish recipe?

Try bbcgoodfood for recipes. They have some excellent ones on there and are usually straightforward.

this sounds like me. ive been getting recipes from mags, step mum and student cook books. im hoping to build a little cook book up of simple tried and tested recipes - my main prob is that dh is fusy and i have little time

Try tray baking, so for example, if you are cooking for 2 adults and 2 small children this should work:
4 skinned chicken thighs, 2 clean carrots chopped into 2cm chunks, 2 sweet potato also chopped into chunks, 1onion chpped into chunks, a crushed garlic clove and salt, pepper and a sprinkle of thyme ( or mixed herbs) and if you have one a lemon cut into chunks. Put all the veg in an oven proof dish, place the chicken and seasonings on top, and pour over about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
whack into a pre heated oven 180degrees and cook for about 25 mins until the chicken is cooked through and the veg is soft.
(you can use small potatoes instead)
once you get the hang of this, vary the veg such as using courgettes and peppers, with fresh tomaoes and top with chicken or white fish.
You can also get everything chopped and keep it ready in the fridge too.

second tray baking idea, it's really easy. Have you considered getting your hands on one of the Jamie Oliver books (partciularly the earlier ones)? There are some good family recipes and his 'little bit of this, handful of that' approach makes cooking much less overwhelming. He does a fish pie, for example, where the sauce is made of creme fraiche, a bit of mustard a handful of cheese and some parsley. This is much less overwhelming than trying to make a white sauce from scratch.

I couldn't even boil a Pot Noodle when DS was born but he's 3 now and I would say that cooking is my passion. I love it.

I started off by using BBC Good Food and following recipes for meals I knew we already liked such as spaghetti bolognese, chilli con carne, cottage pie. Cottage pie is a bit of a faff and even though I love cooking, I'm still absolutely shit at making mash. So I use the fresh stuff that you bung in the microwave for 4 minutes.

I have a stairgate on the kitchen so DS can't come in while I'm cooking but he's good for playing on his own while I get on with dinner and I just pop my head in the living room to check he's alright. It's only really the prep and initial cooking that takes your eye off the ball. After that you can let things simmer/put them in the oven and go play with your DC.

If I make a lasagne then I make three times the sauce I need then freeze it in freezer bags, so all I have to do next time is fry the mince and add the (defrosted) sauce.

Also, slow cookers are amazing and there's tons of recipes on All Recipes. Pop the food in at 10am and you have dinner ready for 6pm! Easy!