Cooking and Baking

11/2/2014

From a very early age, I was assigned chores in the kitchen, other than dish washing.  In junior high I had to peel potatoes every night, before I could play or do homework.  I have no recollection why potatoes every night, I just know that it was my job.  Mom made me peel potatoes with a knife, which was terrifying and I could "peel" a large potato down to a nubbin in nothing flat.  One of the greatest gifts I ever received was a friend gave me a potato peeler!  I was able to peel faster, less cuts and while I don't think Mom appreciated the peeler, she at least didn't toss it out!

When I was in high school, Mom was working and by then I had moved up from potato peeler to making dinner every night.  My sister is eight years younger than me, so I cooked dinner while watching my sister.  Homework was done after I had done the dishes each night.  

What I did learn from both my Mom and Grandma was how to cook and bake.  What I didn't learn from either of them was how to keep my kitchen clean while doing so!  I can whip together a casserole in minutes from food in my pantry and freezer - add some hot salsa and sour cream and you have a tasty dish.  No two of these slap together casseroles are ever exactly the same.  What I do know is that the men in the house always and I do mean always ate these dishes.  And asked what the recipe was I'd have to say I have no idea.  Start with a meat, add stuff, cook and stir and you have a casserole.  Easy.

This weekend Jeff and I were going to a girlfriend's house for lunch on Saturday. I was bringing pumpkin bread and Mom's cherry cheese dessert.  Both of these items are easy to make and yet when I finished cooking and/or baking them, my kitchen was at least a 4 on the hurricane scale!  I managed, as always, to use all of my counter space, multiple measuring cups and bowls.  Flour tends to end up somehow on the floor and splatters from the mixer beaters "dots" a large area.  To put it bluntly - I am somewhat of a sloppy cook.  I don't ask anybody to clean up after me, which is probably a good thing, since they likely would refuse.  

By the way both dishes turned out exactly as they should and were enjoyed by everybody.  I don't do a lot of cooking and baking these days since it's just Jeff and I, as we tend to operate on difference schedules.  Dinner at my house is at 6:00 and has been since the beginning of time.  If I actually make dinner and Jeff's not home, I settle myself on the sofa with my dinner.  

I love all things pumpkin.  So at this time of year you can buy pumpkin bread mix, pumpkin cheesecake mix, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin ice cream, just to name a few "pumpkiny" things.  So if you love pumpkin, now's the time to enjoy some!

P