Grandma's Home Cooking

"If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldn't have given us grandmothers."  - Linda Henley

I included this quote because I attribute my love of being in the kitchen to my grandma.  I used to sleep over at her house frequently and it was rare that those sleep overs didn't result in something being cooked.  Her kitchen was small and the counter space was limited.  She had a stool that sat next to the sink and I would sit and watch or help when she let me.  The stove was gas (and I would rather cook on a gas stove ANY day, P.S.) and she didn't have a microwave until much later.  She didn't have a dishwasher or storage space.  I can't count the number of times I would run up and downstairs to get things we needed.  I'm not sure if I loved to cook as much as I just loved spending time with my grandma.  She was a patient woman (even though I was eventually the only grandchild she ever spanked- no lie) and you just felt safe and comfortable sitting there on the stool.  So that's what I associate with cooking and being in the kitchen.  Safety.  Comfort.  Relaxing.  I know some of you don't associate any of those words with your kitchen, unfortunately! haha but for me, its where I go and what I do when I want to relax.  I will often spend the day cooking and then not want to eat it because I'm not hungry but wow I'm relaxed!

A lot of what I cook at home is just thrown together or tweaked from memory or twisted from a recipe.  Just like my grandma.  When she passed away, my mom got her recipes books.  What a treasure! ....haha until you try to follow them.  Dash of this- cook until thick- or just a list of a few items with a title.  She knew instinctively and also from years of home cooking, how to make things just perfect.  So that's how I learned.  I later worked for a catering business and have all those recipes and experience stored in my head, as well.  I went to school to become a home ec teacher and can add a little flavor from those years, too.

Pretty much I can sum it up by saying some of what I'll post here will be from set recipes and some will be tweaked or I'll add a side note from experience.  I'll try to start off with easy stuff that even my 7th graders can do.  I can't guarantee perfection because sometimes its just instinct plus trial and error, but I hope you enjoy what shows up!