I love to cook. Of course, I suppose I come by it quite naturally. Both of my grandmothers were fabulous cooks and my mom is a great cook, also. Now, none of my cooking role models were 5 star chefs. Oh no, they were/are just good ole down home country cooks. So, naturally, I don't make fancy schmancy kinds of dishes. I am more into dishes that are easy to make and taste great, too. I make a lot of casseroles, one-dish meals and slow-cooker meals. If I had to define my cooking style by comparing it to Food Network shows, I guess it would be a cross between Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee and Paula's (Deen) Home Cooking.
Luckily, Kaylea and Bub are really good about trying new things and generally like whatever is put down in front of them. Most of the time, I don't have a recipe to go by when I am preparing a dish; I tend to make it up as I go. Just like my grandmother passed her love of cooking to my mom and my mom passed it to me, I guess I have successfully passed my love of cooking on to Kaylea. Almost daily she asks if he can help me cook and is always wanting to chop, stir, mix and prepare. Because she has this interest and often will request that we make certain dishes, I decided it would be a good idea for us to make a cookbook for her with all of her favorite dishes. Originally, I thought about typing the recipes on the computer, but I really wanted to personalize this project a little more.
Then, one day, I found this:
It is a blank cookbook that you fill in yourself. It is divided into standard cookbook chapters like Breakfasts; Appetizers; Soups & Breads; Sides & Salads; Main Dishes; and Desserts. Then each page has a place for the Recipe Name; Ingredients; and Directions.
Now, Kaylea and I have a big summer project. We are going to be cooking up all kinds of items and she will decide which are "keepers" for her cookbook. Then, I will write the recipes in her cookbook and give her my own little helpful tips and serving / meal suggestions.
I know after my Nana died and I started looking through her cookbooks, I found several handwritten notes on the pages giving tips and suggestions for the recipes. These notes were a treasure to find and I wouldn't trade the cookbooks for anything. It is almost as if Nana knew that one of her grandchildren would be reading her recipes after she was gone and she didn't want us to mess them up.
Hopefully, when Kaylea moves out and begins cooking meals in her own kitchen she will enjoy reading all of the notes that I am leaving for her..
5 comments:
I think that is a wonderful idea!
I have some of Nana's recipes in my cookbooks, she'd write them down whenever she thought about it when I was living with her. That spidery writing is so familiar and so missed. PS - thanks for no credit on the whole cooking thing... you know I always made the best Rice-a-Roni and Asparagus! Love you anyway!
Yes, sis and your spaghetti sauce made with the powdered mix packet, ROCKED! Actually, you grew into an excellent cook, as well. You like to make all the fancy stuff, though. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat it, but just don't like to cook it :)
it is a great idea!
my mom has talked about doing a family one, might need to bug her about it...
Kaylea likes to cook at our house too. She "taught" me how to make Kool-Aid (you know, the hot water thing) and she loves to make omelets. Best of all, she like to eat everything she makes.
Kaylea likes to play restaurant at our house. We do menues. Then we take turns knocking on the door to come to the restaurant (with our children - stuffed animals)and proceed to have 3-course meals. I keep a container of macroni just for her to use for "play cooking".
We have a lot of fun getting out all the plates, pans, funny cups, etc. so we can play.
I KNOW that she is going to be a good cook because she has already shown a lot of promise!
Post a Comment