How I Learned To Cook

I started cooking before I was born. After all, I was a bun in my mother's oven!

Ok, let's rip that psychologically damaging imagery out of our minds.

On with my story....

This is my Mom and me. (I still have those big feet :P )

Looks like I'm eating some soup. Yum.

I still eat soup like that too - feet on the table.

~

Before I was born, my Mom worked in a cafe.

After I was born, she took me to work with her.

She would rise hours before dawn, tuck me into a corduroy kangaroo-pouch-baby-carrier-thingy and jog downtown to the cafe.

Then, she would bake dozens of loaves of bread, sweet rolls, croissants, cakes, pies, soups and the special of the day - pot roast, lasagna, ect.

While she beat eggs and kneaded dough, I was still strapped into my snuggly kangaroo pouch picking up cooking tips (and probably napping).

Before I was one, I learned how to use a spoon..... to mix up homemade bread.

Later I progressed to using a knife.

Check out those peeling skills!

And the half chewed cucumber in the salad.

Baking bread with Mom.




And making pie crust.
I'm about 2 1/2 in this picture.





Frying up breakfast.

And here I am at four years old.

~

This might look like a cardboard kitchen (or just a cardboard box, if you're really bad at imagining), but for me - this was my studio.

I wanted to be The Frugal Gourmet.

You don't know who that is?

What?!?

Ok, he was a TV chef with a cooking show and he had an assistant named John.

It was great!

For years and years Frugal Gourmet was the only game I would play.

My Mom was John, so....she did the dishes.

I had a little crock pot and all day long I would put things into it and stir it and put more "secret" ingredients into it.

Then, when my Dad came home we would have candlelight suppers and they would eat my Crockpot Delight.

It took me a long time to figure out why we ate by candlelight.

They must have loved me a lot.

Bearing in mind, I thought salt was a major ingredient and paprika was a magic flavoring.

I wrote a recipe for bread: Take 1 cup salt, 3 cup floer mix togeter and add hony, egg and milk. Beat and leve for 5 houers to rise. Bake at 560 degres for 3 houers.

~

So, that's how I learned how to cook and love food.

Mostly from my Mom, with a little dash of celebrity inspiration a la Frugal Gourmet as a 'secret' ingredient.

Saturday Afternoon

I went over to my Mom's house on Saturday.

She had invited Alexa over for a baking lesson.

Alexa is my gardening, cooking, craft making buddy

AND best friend!

First, the important tying on of the apron.

My Mom is such a good teacher. Very, very patient and hands off. She lets you figure things out for yourself. I think that's the best way to learn how to cook.

Mom and Alexa measuring out the squash.
Notice: No canned squash/pumpkin here!
This is all home grown.



Alexa adding the squash.

Alexa separating the eggs.

My Mom gave her 3 eggs explained how to separate them and then went to the other side of the kitchen to whip up a different kind of bars.

I have to tell you about Alexa making me scrambled eggs.

It's our funny story.

Granted this happened when she was much younger (like 8).

She told me she was really good at scrambled eggs.

So, she made them and we started to eat them.

Finally, Alexa turns to me, "I think there is something wrong with your chickens. 'Cause these eggs are crunchy."

The chicken's eggs were fine, including the shells that she had dropped into them.

hee hee!

II was the official taste tester.

They tasted delicious!

Best friends forever!

The Tomato Walls and Me

This is me with my giant tomato walls.

Sorry there are a lot of pictures! :P

I'm kinda proud of them.

I picked one of these striped German's and it was 2 1/2 lbs!

Tucking a branch back into the wall.

They are as tall as my house!

The power of chicken poo!

Cucumber wall.

It's tall too!