One thing that I've passed on to my daughter
My daughter loves to cook from scratch. How many 19 year olds do you know can or want to do this? How and why did she aquire this skill?
DD used to be like a lot of kids her age, liking things that were quick and easy ( ie prepackaged ). One summer, her best friend went away for the bulk of the summer ( I think she was 12 at the time) and DD was bored. She started watching the Food Network and fell in love with Chef Michael Smith and Rachel Ray and their simple techniques for cooking high quality food, in a short time span ( no 12 hours slaving over the stove). At the same time, I became fascinated with the "slow food movement" and the concept that food/cooking is meant to be enjoyed and shared, not another chore to add to the list. That same summer, at our local library book sale, I found a 1926 version of the Boston School of Cooking cook book and I picked it up for a whole dollar.
I stopped buying( about 90% of the time) convience foods to cook, handed her the cook book and told her if she wanted something, look it up and figure out how to make it. The first thing she figured out and mastered was a basic white sauce. Her friends used to cringe I'm sure when they'd look for food and I'd say there's lots here but you have to cook it. Her friends now usually request her homemade mac& cheese when they come to the house or if she is visiting them.
DD has also grown up watching people make bread, rolls, biscuits, pie crust from scratch. She has the knack for this and her bread is on par with both of her grandmothers and great grand mothers. In our house, we refer to baking as a"science" and I'll say that this is one science she has mastered!
She can make a pot roast, roast a chicken, make a pot of soup ( her split pea is amazing), and her homemade alfredo sauce... OMG... Plus her gravy, there's usually a fight over the leftovers...
I'll never worry about her abilty to create a meal for herself. With some basic staples, she'll always have the tools to eat ( and eat well). She's willing to share her skills with her friends, and most of them have caught on to the idea that if she cooks, they're more than willing to clean!
Another added bonus of her ability to cook, is she knows her way around the grocery store and she knows how to get the most out her grocery money.
DD used to be like a lot of kids her age, liking things that were quick and easy ( ie prepackaged ). One summer, her best friend went away for the bulk of the summer ( I think she was 12 at the time) and DD was bored. She started watching the Food Network and fell in love with Chef Michael Smith and Rachel Ray and their simple techniques for cooking high quality food, in a short time span ( no 12 hours slaving over the stove). At the same time, I became fascinated with the "slow food movement" and the concept that food/cooking is meant to be enjoyed and shared, not another chore to add to the list. That same summer, at our local library book sale, I found a 1926 version of the Boston School of Cooking cook book and I picked it up for a whole dollar.
I stopped buying( about 90% of the time) convience foods to cook, handed her the cook book and told her if she wanted something, look it up and figure out how to make it. The first thing she figured out and mastered was a basic white sauce. Her friends used to cringe I'm sure when they'd look for food and I'd say there's lots here but you have to cook it. Her friends now usually request her homemade mac& cheese when they come to the house or if she is visiting them.
DD has also grown up watching people make bread, rolls, biscuits, pie crust from scratch. She has the knack for this and her bread is on par with both of her grandmothers and great grand mothers. In our house, we refer to baking as a"science" and I'll say that this is one science she has mastered!
She can make a pot roast, roast a chicken, make a pot of soup ( her split pea is amazing), and her homemade alfredo sauce... OMG... Plus her gravy, there's usually a fight over the leftovers...
I'll never worry about her abilty to create a meal for herself. With some basic staples, she'll always have the tools to eat ( and eat well). She's willing to share her skills with her friends, and most of them have caught on to the idea that if she cooks, they're more than willing to clean!
Another added bonus of her ability to cook, is she knows her way around the grocery store and she knows how to get the most out her grocery money.
Comments
I learned early on too, for me it's memories of my grandmother in the kitchen using a pinch of this, a pinch of that :) that's my preferred cooking method too :)
Your DD would make the best roommate for a housefull of college students :)
Jane, a lot of people are amazed that she can cook...
So wonderful that your daughter is smart, talented, loves to cook and knows the meaning of dollars and cents.
I'm glad she has learned so much from you and her grandparents.