From Spoiled Rotten to Semi-Chef: My Ninja Foodi Era

From Nannie’s home-cooked comfort to quick-fix family meals, Simply Sina shares her journey from being spoiled rotten to mastering the Ninja Foodi—complete with picky eaters, pizza spaghetti, and Chick-fil-A-style hacks.

Nobody Ever Taught Me to Cook

Nobody ever taught me to cook.
Nannie (God rest her sweet soul) spoiled the hell outta me. I’m talking cooked me whatever I asked for, whenever I asked for it. She’d carry it — and my Ovaltine — right to me instead of making me get off my bum and get it myself. Spoiled. Me. Rotten.

Fast forward a few years, and now it’s my turn in the kitchen. And let me tell you — if Nannie could see me trying to be domestic, she’d probably laugh herself silly.

Enter: The Mighty Ninja Foodi

Before we moved down here, we bought a Ninja Foodi, (being an Amazon Associate I can share the link and if you buy one I can make some moo-lah!) and y’all… that thing does everything.
Air fry, pressure cook, slow cook, bake, sauté, make yogurt — literally ALL THE THINGS.

Now, I mostly stick to the air fryer and pressure cooker buttons, because they make me feel like I know what I’m doing… without actually having to know what I’m doing.

Doctoring Up the Basics

Lately, I’ve been on a little mission to doctor up ordinary meals and make them taste just a little better.

Take those frozen chicken patties, for example.
I hit them with a honey glaze that made them taste eerily similar to Chick-fil-A. Minus the drive-thru wait and the spilled fries on the truck floor.

Yesterday, I made a one-pot spaghetti with pepperonis — kind of like the pizza baked spaghetti Nannie used to make. It’s not exactly gourmet, but it’s giving comfort food with effort.

Feeding Quincy: The Real Culinary Challenge

Now the real challenge? Quincy.
My boy is the pickiest eater alive.

We’re talking:

• Bologna and cheese sandwiches — dry
• Pizza
• Cheeseburgers with ketchup only
• Plain french fries
• Maybe chicken or a hot dog if the stars align

That’s it. That’s the menu.

So finding ways to make different things he’ll actually eat — and that give us a little variety — is basically a full-time job. But I’m learning. Slowly but surely, I’m figuring out how to turn basic into better… and honestly, that feels like a win.

Maybe I’m Not Nannie… But I’m Trying

Maybe I’ll never cook like Nannie did, but if I can make a picky kid smile at dinner, that’s close enough for me. 

XOXO,

Simply Sina