Cooking with your mom is a rite of passage for any kid, especially those of us raised in the South. You tie up your apron, roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty for a little quality time with your mom but you would never guess the lessons that she teaches you about more than just the food.

1. Be prepared.

Always make sure that you have everything you need before you get started. It's so much harder to retroactively prepare than to be proactive beforehand. It makes for smoother sailing and a much less chance of burning something.

2. There's more than one way to chop an onion.

But there is definitely a wrong way. There's never just one way to get to your solution but, if you listen to your mom, there's probably a best way. (She swears it's to cut the onion all at once.)

3. Time management is key.

If you start your sides too early then they'll get cold while you wait for the main dish and vice versa. You need to be able to balance what's on your burners and never bite off more than you can chew.

4. Mistakes happen, roll with it.

You're going to burn something, you're going to over season, and you're going to forget an ingredient. Just roll with it and try not to freak out. Sometimes, it really is just better to cut your losses and get drive thru.

5. Sometimes a pinch is all you need.

You don't always need to go all in, sometimes a little bit is more than enough. Haven't you heard of "less is more"?

6. Recipes, like rules, are really just guidelines.

7. Nothing beats a little TLC.

You can always tell the difference between a meal prepared with love and one that was just slapped on your plate. The same goes for everything you do outside of the kitchen. If you don't put your soul into it, it's always just going to be food and never a meal.