The Modern Kitchen Cook’s Philosophy

Today modern cooks think “Quick and Easy” do not over do is the best method to cook. You have the use of a microwave and plenty of frozen entrée’s that you can heat and eat. This is great for the workday folks but what happens over the holidays? I spent this holiday with my son and daughter-in-law expecting a homemade from scratch “Thanksgiving Dinner.” Do not get me wrong we had Turkey and the trimmings but this was the Q & E method if I ever saw it. The Turkey was dry, no stuffing inside but boxed stuffing from the microwave quickly stuck in the oven (burned on bottom) left to set out and dry out. Potatoes were lumpy and watery since she only wanted to use a bit of butter. A sweet potato placed in the oven forgotten until the burn stench came upon us all out in the dining room. A giggle and a laugh oh, I guess I forgot something. I could not believe that anyone could mess up a butterball.

Turkey, Turkey, everywhere, cannot make a Turkey who cares!

Desserts to be made after dinner (a joke) I think by midnight one pie completed and nothing else. Our son saved the afternoon by bringing out a tray of veggie’s, summer sausage and some cheese with a dip. Not to say that I was not glad to be there, truly I would not of wanted to be any place else in the world. I love my family and my grandchild and life without them would be miserable but I am writing this on behalf of moms, grandmothers and daughters. I know that it is very hard to talk to the younger generation because unlike most of us they already know it all and have the “I” attitude.

Girls the good old days are worth taking a second look maybe you just by some accident learn some things about life. “Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmothers house we go.” Grandmother made her food to please her family not herself, because she was filled with love. Grandmother knew the importance of putting time and talent into her cooking and was not afraid to use the real butters, crèmes, and natural foods that are healthy. Grandmother never thought about herself as an “I” person but as a humble being that God let know the value of having a family and loving them each for all their goodness. Grandmother has had much to offer and it was a pleasure if she permitted you in her kitchen to watch or even help when she created her special dishes. Everything that Grandmother made was special to her for someone in the family that was special. Grandmother kept most of her recipes in her head and if you are lucky enough to get the recipe passed down to you, you were truly blessed. Admittedly, we no longer have the time that grandmother had to prepare our meals but because of modern inventions, we can still turn out some great tasting food.

Our mother has come along and started cooking the same foods that grandmother prepared only in a more convenient manner. That is ok because mother still made the food with caring and love for her family. Mother had to take short cuts because of her heavy work schedule but she still made the same foods tasty just like grandmother. Mother knew that aroma was part of the secret to making the holidays seem more enjoyable. My mother would bake gingerbread, pumpkin breads, spice cakes and cookies on a Monday so our home would have the aroma of ginger and spices to introduce the holiday affair. Tuesday my mother made all her fruit pies like apple with cinnamon and brown sugar and cherry pies etc. This gave us the smell of delicious tasting fruits that only added to the holiday affair. Wednesday mother made pumpkin and sweet potato pies and homemade bread rolls for that special day. Our home was filled with the entire great aromas’s that were pleasing to the pallet. Finally, the big day arose when mother got up early, prepared a stuffing (even if it was a box mix) she would add chopped celery, apples and raisins, and use chicken broth instead of water then stuff the Turkey. She would place the Turkey in the oven to bake while the aroma has filled the air she prepared us a nice breakfast to tidy us over until the grand meal was delivered. In the meantime mom would open up her canned corn, put it into a slow cooker add a bit of sugar and real butter to enhance the sweetness of the corn and let it simmer until dinner. She would open up a large can of green beans put them into another crock pot where she added a bit of ham and minced onions and let simmer to dinner.

She already had the dinner rolls made the day before so all she had to do was heat them in the microwave. She peeled her potatoes by hand cooked them, drained them, mashed them adding real butter and condensed crème. She would cook her sweet potatoes, and then put in a baking dish to finalize in the oven for about 10 minutes while she removed the Turkey. She normally put butter and brown sugar on the potatoes and browned them in the oven making them taste delicious. She did not forget the cranberry sauce either making it in the microwave by heating it up and separating it into rings. She used slow cookers, microwave, and blenders her meal was made with love for her family and it was very delicious. She used many recipes that her mother had given her but modernized them keeping the same great taste using care in her preparation. She would permit us girls to help and watch so we could pass on the tradition.

WHAT HAPPENED!

I raised my family to appreciate the finer things in life and enjoy the holiday meals together as a family sharing our love for one another enjoying a fantastically prepared meal with love.

“What happened?”

When I went through with this years meal prepared in haste, much waste, quick to eat good by see ya (smooch, smooch) I felt such a let down. I hope that next year will be better and I pray that I sleep through Christmas. I love my family and I am glad that I have them my prayer is that all young mothers start putting love back into there meals, start listening to grandmother’s and pay attention to how they are putting together there meals. Try there best not to cook for “I” but for the family that surrounds them with love. Cooking with a dash of love is easy and you find that others will brag about your food without being asked because they too care about your efforts. Add a big dash of love for others and see if this does not work better than all the spices in the world!