The first thing I ever did that resembled “cooking” was making buttered toast with my sister. Sometimes it had cinnamon sugar on top, sometimes crushed garlic. The butter was probably margarine, and the garlic might have been garlic salt or garlic powder. It was delicious.

Over time, toast turned into pasta, pasta turned into elaborate soups.

My college housemates and I regularly simmered up giant pots of paste e fagioli, or at least our version of it. We would throw together canned beans, tomatoes and penne (Was the penne already cooked? Did we cook it in the heavy sauce?), plus whatever jeroboam of Costco Chianti we were finishing up that day. It was a mess and it was delicious.

Every time I cook for myself, my family and my friends (soup club or not), it’s full of hope that this particular fried egg/spaghetti carbonara/veggie chili will be as satisfying as that buttered toast, and as welcoming as that enormous pasta.

What was the first dish you remember cooking?