i learned how to cook when i was quite young - mostly to help mom around the house. with five children, including one terminally ill child, she had her hands full. she taught me the secret of fried chicken and beautiful brown pan gravy. i watched her hands as she stirred in the flour and made a caramely roux and though i'm not as good at it as i used to be (a lack of practice and impatience for precisely the right moment to add liquid) i still make gravy the same way. i look at a plate and think "on wait, it needs something green". i'm probably one the few weird people that like green olives in their chicken a la king....wait, i'm probably one of the few people that know what chicken a la king is...isn't that a 50's dish?today i find myself looking over recipes, reading some of them as though they were the most intriguing book ever. i wonder if everyone will like it - is it too weird for my brother with the very plain taste? will the nephews eat it or pick around it because they were raised politely?
i am glad that i learned to cook at a young age - it helped me stand on my own two feet and take care of myself...and as a result, my family and friends.
this is beautiful. I know the basics but am less creative in the kitchen than other areas in my life ...I wish I would have watched more and learned from the elders ;)
ReplyDeletethat's so lovely! i wish i was better about cooking. andy does most of that around here! but i've started a recipe box for my kids so that they can have some of the family staples and new ideas. it's so important! not just the recipes, but things like your memory of cooking with your mom and how that's impacted you life. this is beautiful stuff!
ReplyDeleteGrowing up vegetarian in the 80's cooking meant cleaning veggies or boiling pasta. Ha.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a very young wife I made chicken fingers and pizza rolls and ramen and hated every second of it.
Now as a mature happy adult I bake and cook much much healthier foods all the time and enjoy it.
....I can't remember my mother "teaching" me how to cook...but she never discouraged me if I wanted to try something...now I love to cook and bake...maybe too much as I am gaining too much weight:)
ReplyDeleteLOL...I do know what chicken a la king is!!!! And I love it (but i'll take it w/o the olives...:).
ReplyDeleteI think being able to cook well is an art. I used to cook a lot before kids...even took some pretty serious cooking classes. I do like to cook when I give myself the time. Unfortunately my kids are picky (as I once was). I do make them try everything...but they seem to only want the bland stuff...
Nonetheless, there is nothing more gratifying than cooking an amazing meal for friends and family.
mmmmmmm... Southern Fried Chicken , biscuits and gravy. Certainly not my everyday fare, but mmmmmm I could go for some now!
ReplyDeleteCooking is one of the highest forms of self-sufficiency, really. If you can feed yourself, enjoy doing it, and it tastes good...you're lucky. It sounds ridiculous that someone wouldn't feed themselves but before I met my husband (who really turned me on to cooking and eating), my sink was always filled with cups and mugs...hardly ever plates. Cooking just wasn't my thing so I didn't eat a lot. My health suffered. Cooking for yourself is indeed a great thing to be grateful for. : )
ReplyDeletechicken a la king? i loved it too. and always, you have to have something green on the plate - always!
ReplyDeletenice memories
This is a great series, Char. You're more than half-way there! WOo-Hoo! Also, I love gravy. The End.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you learned to cook too...so many young people now days do not know how and it's sad they think using a micro-wave is cooking..ha I love homemade gravy!
ReplyDeleteI was never taught to cook, I just figured it out as an adult. I am ok but wish I had more skill in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteyou know, my kitchen is your kitchen if you ever decide you want to teach me all your tricks....pan gravy....hmmm....nope I'm clueless here....seriously !
ReplyDeleteI'm a terrible cook and as a result...my family and friends have suffered...well, they're alive, but you know what I mean :)
so your love in the kitchen...well yes, I'm a tad bit jealous !
It's a good skill, both for nourishing the hungry and soothing the weary.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful shot! I tried cooking when I was little, I tried coming up with my own recipes (flour and water lol) and my grandpa was kind enough to eat them and tell me how delicious it was. My grandma on the other hand would tell me to give it to the dog! lol
ReplyDeleteHave you heard of PhotoBatch editing software? I'm hosting a giveaway on my blog with them!
Sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI've never been good at the culinary arts, yet wish I was. But wishing and doing are two different things. You're blessed to have these talents and someone to teach them to you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely memory, and a beautiful image!
ReplyDeleteLovely all around!
ReplyDeleteworthy of gratitude for sure. lovely image.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful story! I'd love to have it published in my website, in the tab, Food Tales. What do your think?
ReplyDeleteit works for me Laura! sure - e-mail me
ReplyDeleteCooking can be such a soothing thing, when you are not rushed, when the wonderfully pleasant smells start filling up the house and you realize at the end of the nigh, when you put your head on the pillow that your hair still smells a little bit of whatever you made earlier in the night... It is a gift. To do it and to be able to enjoy it and share it...
ReplyDeletexoxo,
-maria
I have often thought how when reading your posts about cooking, that you love it. Your friends and family are lucky. Take care.
ReplyDeletecooking helps me unwind. i really enjoy it, especially teaching my kids to cook.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful gift for a child to learn how to cook. I just wish I'd paid attention to more than just the baking...
ReplyDeletelove to work in the kitchen with you...or sit at the table and chat while you cook!!
ReplyDeleteI know this is going to sound silly Char but your photos of apples are just wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had more of a love for cooking...I think it's all that chopping that gets me down.
ReplyDeleteBut I love good food!
there is something
ReplyDeleteabout food
and it's preparation
that can be so
comforting...
I learned to cook too at a young age watching and helping my mother. And I make gravy the same way...and you have to be so careful, because it's a fine line between just-right-brown and burned-brown.
ReplyDeleteGotta have the green on the plate!
A visual treat of blog, wonderful photographs- thank you. You or your readers might be interested in a new website for self-sufficient vegetarians and vegans, 'The Self-sufficient Vegetarian can be found at http://tssveg.ning.com/
ReplyDelete