The Tradition of Cooking

I can remember as a child learning to cook. Standing by and watching as simple ingredients were added together to make some wonderful dishes. We all have people that influenced us in learning to cook as we grew up. With me it was several people, my Mom and Stepmom were very active in teaching me to cook. Surprisingly, my Dad also had a hand in it. There was always the rule of trying at least one bite before deciding you didn't like something because of that rule I found out that I even liked fried liver. I know, I know...a lot of people are going Yuck! right now. It really is good and I really like it.

My Stepmom used to can also so I learned the basics of canning. My oldest Brother and I used to have to help with shucking corn, picking green beans, and washing everything off before it could go into the kitchen. At the time it seemed like a lot of work but I do miss those days now. My Dad always planted large gardens. We had one at our house, one at my grandparent's house and one out in the woods at my grandparent's where there were potatoes. There were times we had so much from the gardens that Dad would fill baskets and take them around to friends and family and just give them the filled baskets. Still today my favorite canned food is pickled beets. I've been known to eat so many that I've made myself ill from them.

My Hubby also taught me to cook some after we met. Mostly things like biscuits from scratch, gravy and roasted chicken and potatoes. A lot of times we'll get together in the kitchen and make a big pot of chili, which is a lot of fun to do. I've taught myself to make Lasagna and Homemade Pizza, two of my favorite dishes.

My oldest Brother is big on cooking. He makes these huge dinners quite frequently. Pasta Salad, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Barbecued Meats, Rolls and several other dishes. He really is a good cook though sometimes he uses more spices then I would. He has been teaching his kids to cook as well. His daughter is 12 and his son is 10 and they have each made their own dishes at the last dinner get together we had. His son made cheeseburgers and his daughter made grilled corn on the cob. They both turned out really well and I think it's really important to teach kids to cook. It helps them to be more self-sufficient and gives them a sense of accomplishment. I also get them to help me when they come over. They both love to be in the kitchen and are actually turning into pretty good cooks.

My Mom taught me some great things also about cooking. How to make food stretch further, how to shop the right way and dishes to make when your on a tight budget like pinto beans with ham and cornbread (one of my favorites). She used to make homemade tortilla's when she was married to her second husband (he was Spanish) and so I learned to make those and Spanish doughnuts with cinnamon and sugar on them. I still make those every once in awhile.

Whenever I cook, no matter what it is, one of my family members usually comes to mind and I'm reminded of all the fun and the wealth of knowledge they passed on to me.

**AT PEACE WITHIN**

~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~