bearisgray

Usually "basic" food turns out to be quite tasty when I put my mind to actually preparing something.

My presentation does need some work, though.

I think it is quite all right to serve oneself out of the kettles on the stove.

Quiltah Mama

I grew up in a family of good cooks, and an old fashion family where the men did not cook at all. I remember many holidays with lots of family gatherings at both sets of my grandparents house, lots of great food and fun times. My mom is a great cook, home made bread weekly, everything from scratch while growing up. I married into a wonderful family and gained a DMIL that also was a wonderful cook, as well as raised a large garden and canned it all, and best of all had a son who also is a wonderful cook. DH and I actually blend very well in the kitchen. DH is our main supper cook, and I am a lover of baking, everything from bread/rolls and biscuits to cakes and cookies. DMIL taught me how to can, her skills and what she taught me only added to my skill set I already had. I feel very blessed to have had the great cooking influences I have had during my life.

my-ty

I have always loved to bake, and have learned to enjoy cooking. These factors have shaped my skills:

• Mom, Grandmothers and Siblings that encouraged me to try and shared their wisdom as I learned
• Many great friends, relatives, and neighbors which shared their favorite recipes.
• Home Economics class which taught me, meals must be colorful, have a mix of textures and compatible flavors.
• A supportive family that will eat my mistakes and my successes.
• A Mother-in-law which taught me it is okay to try a new recipe when serving guests. (If it fails then blame the recipe)
• Teaching my children to bake and cook. And they now are teaching me!

tropit

My mom was single until I was a young teen. Although she could cook pretty well, she worked 2, or 3 jobs to keep us afloat, so there was a lot of "Tuna Noodle" Casserole, (without the tuna,) and simple egg dishes for dinner. I would be sent over to my grandmother's house for a week, or two at a time to get me out of Mom's hair. Now Gramma could cook! She taught me so much about making food and the joy of eating together as a family.

~ C

SuzzyQ

My mom tricked me into learning to cook by telling me my girlfriend (who was two years younger) made supper for her family because her mom worked. Turns out her mom had popped home at noon and prepped everything and all she had to do was turn on the stove....
I loved to bake and cook - very inventively - but my DH was a very plain (English) eater. He told me his mom never put onion in many things because his dad didn't like cooked onions. Turns out (oh yes) she did! She grated onion in to all ov her mains.... After that I pretty much cooked as I saw fit and DH could pick out the bits he didn't like...
But he loved my desserts!

quiltingcandy

My mom was a fantastic cook - she started cooking at 12 for her family because her mother didn't like being a housewife and went to work. My grandmother and great grandmother both believed women were put on this earth to do more than have babies and take are of men. They ate to live but did not live to eat. My mom liked food and she was great at cooking. She made pies that were the envy of the neighborhood. She could read a recipe and know what it was going to taste like. She planned meals because she didn't drive and she and my dad went to the grocery store on Thursday evenings. Most big family dinners were at our house because she would end up cooking no matter where we went. She altered most recipes because they were either too bland or she didn't think the seasoning truly worked together.

We were taught to eat what was put in front of us or go without - we didn't have to clean our plate but not to take more than we could eat. We could have more. And my dad believed there had to be bread with dinner - so her biscuits were always spot on and he always wanted dessert. It only had to be a scoop of ice cream or jello but he wanted something. We ate dinner as a family and it was not in front of the TV.

My mother did not like people in the kitchen while she cooked, so she did not teach us to cook. (We did wash the dishes. My mom was once asked if she had a dishwasher and she said she had 3 of them.) We were allowed to make cookies and we had pizza parties where we made homemade pizzas with our friends - that was about it. When my two sisters were off at college she started teaching me how to cook a bit. She did not like canning - she said that was why God gave us grocery stores so she didn't to do that anymore. Which was kind of funny, both of my sisters and I do some canning. (I quit when it was no longer cost effective.) But I have 2 apple trees so I freeze apples in the amounts I need for pies and can applesauce. My family doesn't eat much jam so I make strawberry jam about every 3 to 4 years.

But the best compliment I ever received for my cooking was my best friend I grew up with said my chicken and noodles was as good as my mother's.

SusieQOH

quiltingcandy- My Mom was the same way. It was "her" kitchen so she never taught us to cook. My husband taught me! And the lady I babysat for taught me how to knit.

My Mom was way ahead of her time as far as cooking nutritious meals. The only "junk food" we had was her wonderful baking. I'm actually a good baker but developed an interest in it. I never did so with cooking.

SouthPStitches

My maternal grandmother was an excellent cook. By the time I came along she was stricken with severe arthritis and unable to do much. My paternal grand mother cooked once a week. Would roast lamb and make mashed potatoes on Sunday. My Mom was a homemaker. She was a very good cook. She wanted no one in her kitchen, however, even though I showed interest. By the time she hit her late 60's, she wanted little to do with cooking and unfortunately it showed in the little effort she put forth. I enjoy cooking. Old family recipes make me nostalgic and I like trying new recipes. As I age, can't say I'm quite as enthusiastic as I used to be about it.

tranum

Mother was a farm wife who could cook, bake and work outside helping Dad. Every Summer she & Dad butchered about 60 chickens so we could eat chicken 1x week & a few extra for company dinners. After I was married, that amount doubled but we came & helped. She had fruit trees, sweet corn patch, potato patch and a garden. She helped Dad milk about a dozen cows 2x a day for years. Anything she made was tasty & most of her recipes she carried in her head. Dad never went near the stove but in his retirement years he made soup occasionally.

I have many recipe books but I’ve weeded many out trying to simplify things.

SusieQOH

I don't recall my Mom using cookbooks or recipe cards much at all. But she did buy me a Betty Crocker cookbook when I got married. That was her contribution to my learning how to cook lol