Mom and me
I have been cooking for a very long time now, and I have always enjoyed it. I especially love cooking for my family and friends, particularly in the past several years. I learned most of what I know about cooking from my Gommie (my mother’s mother), my mother, my mother-in-law, and one of my husband’s grannies. They were, or are, wonderful home cooks who learned from their mothers and grandmothers, so the cooking I have learned from them has been a tradition that has been passed down through several generations. I am now passing the knowledge I have down to my children.
As a child, I really didn’t have many opportunities to learn how to cook from Gommie or my mother. Since we had a really small kitchen and Gommie was picky about not having anyone in the kitchen while she was cooking and I don’t remember my mom doing much cooking, I would watch from just outside the kitchen. When I was about eleven, or so, we had moved to a larger house with a much larger kitchen. That’s when I was finally allowed to hang out in the kitchen while one of them was cooking.
My mother was also very patient with me when, on occasion I would announce that I was going to cook dinner that night. I would be confident in my abilities to a point, then I would begin to second guess myself and call her at work with questions like “what temperature do I put the oven on?” or “how do I know how much salt to add?” Each question, of course, was a separate phone call. As I got more into my teen years, I became too busy to spend time in the kitchen. Fortunately, by the time I was in college and still living at home, I was more interested in learning from them and I took advantage of their tutoring. When I married a few years later, I knew my way around a kitchen fairly well, but over the years my cooking has definitely evolved and improved.
In the early years of my marriage, I cooked passably well…some things were okay, some were really good, and some were utter and complete disasters. I did find out, however, that I did have a knack that I apparently inherited from Gommie and my mother – I could put things together and come up with a meal or a dish without a recipe, or I could take a recipe and modify it to suit my family’s preferences and it would turn out to be really good. In the past several years, or so, I have settled into what my husband calls my ‘Gourmet Stage’ of cooking. I am unafraid of trying recipes that have more than four ingredients or complicated instructions, and I try different techniques and methods. Fortunately, most dishes I have attempted have been successful.
As a child, I really didn’t have many opportunities to learn how to cook from Gommie or my mother. Since we had a really small kitchen and Gommie was picky about not having anyone in the kitchen while she was cooking and I don’t remember my mom doing much cooking, I would watch from just outside the kitchen. When I was about eleven, or so, we had moved to a larger house with a much larger kitchen. That’s when I was finally allowed to hang out in the kitchen while one of them was cooking.
My mother was also very patient with me when, on occasion I would announce that I was going to cook dinner that night. I would be confident in my abilities to a point, then I would begin to second guess myself and call her at work with questions like “what temperature do I put the oven on?” or “how do I know how much salt to add?” Each question, of course, was a separate phone call. As I got more into my teen years, I became too busy to spend time in the kitchen. Fortunately, by the time I was in college and still living at home, I was more interested in learning from them and I took advantage of their tutoring. When I married a few years later, I knew my way around a kitchen fairly well, but over the years my cooking has definitely evolved and improved.
In the early years of my marriage, I cooked passably well…some things were okay, some were really good, and some were utter and complete disasters. I did find out, however, that I did have a knack that I apparently inherited from Gommie and my mother – I could put things together and come up with a meal or a dish without a recipe, or I could take a recipe and modify it to suit my family’s preferences and it would turn out to be really good. In the past several years, or so, I have settled into what my husband calls my ‘Gourmet Stage’ of cooking. I am unafraid of trying recipes that have more than four ingredients or complicated instructions, and I try different techniques and methods. Fortunately, most dishes I have attempted have been successful.
Marci Arthur This all leads me to my latest cooking adventure…something I have dreamed of for about five years…I have enrolled in a techniques cooking class at Truffles and Triffles, a lovely cooking school located in the heart of Orlando in College Park. Marci Arthur is the owner and Chef who owns the school and teaches the classes, and she is a delightful, knowledgeable, and fun teacher. The class I’m taking began on Sunday, September 8th and runs each Sunday in September, ending on September 29th. Last week we made several pork dishes, asparagus with hollandaise, along with many other delectable dishes and sides. This week chicken was our focus, with a wonderful roasted chicken with cornbread stuffing, carrot soufflé, coq a vin, baked rice, and several other amazing entrees and sides! I highly recommend Truffles and Triffles to anyone who enjoys cooking, would love to learn more, or just wants to have a fun afternoon or evening among friends.
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