Thanks to my daughter's interest in culinary arts and her working to build a career as a cook / chef / kitchen manager, I don't do a lot of cooking anymore. I never was much of a cook. Sure, I learned a thing or two from my mom and grand-mom, could certainly follow a recipe, and was able to do a bit of improvising to come up with a "special" dish.
One such dish was a take on chicken cacciatore.
My take was basically seared chicken thighs with onions, garlic, and canned tomato sauce that I spiced with hot or barbeque sauce. It was spooned over rice. Nothing fancy but the kids loved it. And because it was easy and fast (my two "what's for dinner?" rules) it appeared often.
Over the years I was able to create "faux" takes on a number of fancier fare. They weren't the real deal but were tasty enough to pass muster and please the target audience. I was also able to learn how to prepare and perfect (for my family) cultural staples; macaroni and cheese, cornbread stuffing, greens, and candied yams over the years.
Still, I considered myself a so-so cook.
Some weeks ago my daughter brought home some of what she'd prepared at the nursing home. She described the dish as, "a kind of Greek" chicken which is from here on out shall be dubbed, Faux Greek Chicken.
My daughter is a much better cook than I am; much better than I ever was, better than I will ever be.
Mostly because she loves it (I never did) and because she has patience and is excited to learn more.
I do, however, enjoy tasting her creations and will occasionally serve as her sous.
It is all good.
Sounds like you made your children happy with your cooking. I used to enjoy cooking, not so much anymore. I really like the drawing. It evokes so many images and ideas.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I did dial into their tastes. It got easier as their taste buds matured.
DeleteThank you. The group's prompt for the month was BOOKS. It was a fun prompt.
I've never been a good cook. Serviceable, I think is the best I could be described. I always found cooking so intimidating. But, I've grown more confident over the years and can now make my take on a number of recipes. Henceforth, I will throw the word faux in front of them!
ReplyDeleteAnd, really, the children were fed nutritious meals that they enjoyed... you did your job!
Serviceable is apt, yes. And yes, they were fed decent, nutritious meals. And survived. :-)
ReplyDeleteFaux . . . whatever. Yay!
When my former workplace put together a cookbook, we were all asked for recipes. I submitted:
ReplyDelete1-800-TAKEOUT
Necessity has made me a better cook, maybe one star above edible.
I envy your live-in chef. That, and a private masseuse, are my "when I am rich" dream.
1-800-TKEOUT sounds perfect for a cookbook!
DeleteA live-in chef has some ups for sure. Some downs too.
That said, a "personal" chef does feel like an ultimate luxury. :-)
When I read this post I think, well, you did a lot right! You showed your daughter that making meals can give pleasure, that it needn't be anything to get stressed or make a big fuss about. That's probably why she is now such a good cook! It is the same with my daughters - I'm learning a lot from them.
ReplyDeleteThank you. We teach and learn from each other constantly. Still. :-)
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