Students begin high school years with independence. Parents often leave them to fend for themselves; one common example is preparing dinner.

?Cooking is pretty simple for me,? Mary Sargent, ’09, said. ?It depends on how many things are going on at once. Ever since I was really little, I would help my mom in the kitchen. I cook mostly for my family but every once in a while, if they?re lucky, I bake cookies for my friends.?

While some teenagers were taught to cook as children, others with little experience find difficulty when a parent instructs them to cook dinner.

?I don?t cook,? Anthony Wilson, ’08, said. ?Once, when I was a stupid freshman, I tried to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I put a strong plastic plate on the stove and left it there and after a while I smelled something burning and saw the plate melting. Luckily the grilled cheese was okay.?

Even skilled cooks fail when experimenting with new ingredients.

?Once, when I was making a cream sauce, I only had half of the cream I needed,? Sargent said, ?so I started adding a bunch of random ingredients. It ended up pretty disgusting.?

To prevent mistakes caused by a lack of planning, basic ingredients such as butter, flour, and seasonings should be kept on hand.

?I cook a lot of chicken and steak, so I make sure I always keep some of that in the fridge,? Sargent said. ?I like fresh garlic for flavor and also some chicken stock.?

The following is a recipe for quesadillas, a potential dinner idea for the inexperienced cook.

2 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese
1 cup of jalapeno peppers
1 cup of olives
Add as much grilled beef or chicken (as long as its in the refrigerator) for personal taste or preference.
2 Tbl spoons of guacamole
2 Tbl spoons of sour cream
2 Tbl spoons of salsa

Directions: Sprinkle shredded cheese over one of the tortillas. Add the olives, jalapenos, meat and any other ingredients and place the second tortilla on top. Microwave for 1:30 minutes. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.

?Start with something simple,? Sargent said. ?You think you?ll be able to make something complicated, but you?ll burn it, or it will end up tasting disgusting. Until you learn how to cook, go home for Thanksgiving instead of attempting to make it.?