The very first thing I learned to cook was an egg in the microwave. I was 9 years old and we were at Sister Leila's house. Sister Leila was a friend of my mom and we were all a part of a tight knit Muslim community in Trenton, NJ. I loved Leila, she was like an aunt to me. We had just moved back to Trenton from Danville, VA. We had left VA in a rush so my mom hadn't secured a job and Leila let us stay with her until my mom could "get back on her feet". One morning while Leila and my mom were in the kitchen preparing for a bake sale, I walked in and asked for some eggs. My mom was busy at the moment and Leila had told me to make some myself.I told her that I couldn't and she replied, "Yes you can!"She told me which bowl to use, and how many eggs, and not to use much salt. She then told me to put it in the microwave and keep an eye on it. Once the buzzer rang, I opened the microwave and proudly retrieved my breakfast. I ate slowly that day. Savoring every bite of my first kitchen creation. A microwaved egg. That would be the first of many things that I had cooked in that kitchen... and how to microwave eggs was just one of the many lessons that I've learned learned from Leila. I had a lot of good memories in that house (like my first kiss), but that is a story for another day. Stay tuned!
