I’ve been cooking my entire life. But I can’t take credit for that. I’ve had great teachers in my mom and my two grandmothers. Through different phases of my life, I have been in the kitchen with them, learning and helping. If they were in the kitchen, I was in the kitchen!
My maternal grandmother was a cook by trade, and I never saw her use a measuring cup or a cookbook. She would rise early each day, making fresh yeast rolls from scratch for breakfast and dinner for her family. It always amazed me that they came out perfect every time with no recipe or formal measuring. My paternal grandmother was a great cook too, spearheading holiday dinners for 20 people or more and cooked daily for grandaddy and their six children. I never saw her use a cookbook, either. Both Southern cooks, they could cook anything, from main dishes to desserts, and of course, we all admired them for it.
Growing up, my parents didn’t take my brother and I out to dinner much since there were four of us. That was reserved for special occasions. Instead, mom kept the freezer stocked with frozen meat and the refrigerator and pantry stocked with the other staples. For as long as I can remember, my job was to have dinner on the table when my parents arrived home at 5:30 p.m. If I had homework or an after-school activity that prevented me cooking, my mom would call and ask me to take something out of the freezer to get things started before she arrived home.
I recall cooking everything from pork chops, to fried chicken to homemade pizza. And of course, homemade chocolate chip cookies. You could say that I grew up in the kitchen!
In the summer, I had to be more creative, as my dad didn’t want me to use the oven because it made the air conditioner work harder. That’s when I learned how to make creative use of the microwave and the stove only. I was pretty proud of myself when I was able to make a one-pot dish without heating up the house!
After I taking a cooking class in junior high, I learned how to make even more sophisticated dishes, like lasagna! I remember teaching my paternal grandmother how to make the dish for the first time, and it was fun for both of us to learn something new. What I remember most about that dish was that it had a lot of ingredients and seemed expensive to make at the time.
I’ve always enjoyed cooking, but as I got older and went to college, I reveled in going out to eat. I think the other reason I strayed away from cooking every day is because I always got more joy out of cooking for others. After graduation, I held dinner parties for friends from time to time and did cook for myself, but it just wasn’t the same.
Now that I’m married, I’m back into my real cooking groove, and I couldn’t be more happier! I love it. I originally started cooking more so my husband and I could cut down on our food bill, but somewhere along the way, something happened. I actually prefer to cook my own food instead of going out to eat.
Plus, my parents have been vegans for the past few years, and I’ve learned the value of cooking with fresh ingredients instead of processed foods. I still like meat, but I no longer cook with canned vegetables. Fresh vegetables all the way for me! So me and my chopping board have become friends, and I must say I’m enjoying it.
Cooking really is an act of love! Learn to love! I did.
xoxo – Tiffany
