>>I need to learn how to cook more things now that I'm being paid to cook for 104 small children.<<

I've found some "cooking for the masses" recipes online.

https://www.angelfire.com/bc/incredible/Servesfiftyindex.html

https://www.cooks.com/rec/sch/0,1-0,cooking_for_50_people,FF.html

https://www.quick-e-recipes.com/institutional-recipes-for-200/

http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/

Some international things are very easy to cook in big batches, like rice or dal (legume) dishes. One way to encourage kids to try different foods is to offer a staple item, like rice, along with different things they can put on it, like chili or dal. But that depends on the serving situation. You can always just go with sheetpan cornbread.

>>This last year has been rough. I'm not fond of it at all.<<

My favorite New Year's quote: "I need 2023 to come in, sit down, shut up, and not touch anything."

>>I've got the beans. I grew them in my garden this last summer.<<

Go you! I did a post on landrace beans.

>>Photography. I really slacked on it this last year.<<

I like photography too. Most of mine features my yard.

>>That European House Sparrows are assholes. <<

And yet blue jays are bigger assholes, and >everything loses to a turkey.

>>Photography, baking, pyrography, gardening, BIRD WATCHING.<<

I just launched birdfeeding because the older bird communities here were dead. I post about it all the time on my blog, so I figured I could echo that in a community, maybe get some other folks to share what birds they see.