Thirty-One Things - Cook

Cook

There was a time when I tried as much as possible to cook from scratch.  I had this desire to go back in time when there was more home cooking and less processed food.  I was inspired by the hearty meals of the Amish.  I even learned how to make things that I would not eat:  apple butter, fresh peach pie, apple pie, freezer jam.  Then that began to wane, although it was not necessarily a conscious decision.

It was one Thanksgiving when I was doing cooking preparations when it hit me as if a bucket of ice water splashed over me.  So much of the activity of cooking was accompanied with stretched phone cords and cradled conversations with my mother, while she was in her kitchen doing the same.  My mother’s Alzheimer’s robbed us of that.  Even when she was still able to cook, it was becoming more and more difficult to have conversations with her over the phone.

Now I rarely cook.  I miss it at times. But he is retired and I am working full time.  He has taken that role over...FOR NOW.  He also does the grocery shopping.  What is really interesting is that there are things he cooks really well:  pancakes, deep fried food, grilling, throwing things together, shrimp, chili, sandwiches, poultry (he makes the best turkey in a bag!).  Things I enjoy making:  lasagna, pot roast, stuffed pork chops, homemade bread, French oven stew, pasta primavera, chicken casserole.