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At this point in my life I'm starting to bake. Got a KitchenAid mixer and raring to learn. With cooking per se I never measure-just eyeball everything so being precise is something new.
Love all your stories and aren't we all just amazing!!!
lovelovelove my kitchenaid, got the pasta attachment, love to make homemade pasta!
My mom was a decent cook who HATED HATED HATED cooking. Many nights we'd come home to bean and cheese burritos (which were good but got old after a while).
My grandmom taught me some but since we lived in Germany and she lived in El Paso, that wasn't an ongoing thing. So I taught myself a lot.
I learned the traditional cooking from my mother , I also learned new recepis from the tv programs and cook books . Now I can do a few dishes perfectly but I still find some difficulties in my cook and I keep trying .
Location: Finally made it to Florida and lovin' every minute!
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Oh, gosh, what nice stories. Thanks, all.
I always thought my mom was a good cook. Now, I'm not sure if my tastes have changed or she's turned into an ok/bland cook.
She always worked full time and I had 2 younger sisters. It started with her calling me while she was at work and asking me to heat something up in the oven or on the stove. Then it progressed to preparing meals (yes, I baked my first chicken with the giblets still inside). She never measured things either and I think I got that from her.
As a kid, I used to like to bake things, too, but not so much any more. First hubby used to tell me "I eat to live...you live to eat" and he was right. He liked meat, potatoes and maybe 2 or 3 veggies. No desserts, not many sauces. He was a banker and, on occasion, we would entertain. At first, we hired a caterer. I looked at the food she was bringing in and realized I could do just as well if not better for a lot less $$. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and they did a lot of dinners there. I watched the cook and that's where I learned to cook for crowds and to make killer prime rib. I can't eat it in restaurants any more because mine's usually better. We also used to go out a lot and, consequently, became friends with bartenders and restaurant owners. Hence, more secrets.
Then the Food Network came along...... What can I say?
DH (the current one, of course) loves to eat, which is not good for either of us, because now I make desserts on occasion and can experiment with a number of different recipes. About the only things banned from our house include lima beans (yuk), curry powder (DH hates it!) and liver (I won't go near the stuff!). I make a darned good shrimp alfredo that is pretty close to fat free and you'd never know it. Hmmmm... that's sounding pretty good, to tell you the truth!
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
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Summer job, Jersey shore, cooking in a luncheonette.
Best summers I ever had
Then alternating cooking duties in a college fraternity house.
More about mass quantity than fine dining, lots of spaghetti
Now it's because I like to eat and have learned for the most part it's not rocket science. I make no claims to haute cuisine but can usually turn out a decent meal in less time than it'd take me to run out to Abudanza Burger.
I've been able to recreate some favorites from my childhood, mostly by trial & error.
Now I love watching the food shows on TV, but I get most of my inspiration from the "What's for Dinner" thread on this site. Learned some great new recipes there.
Now that we're not making nearly as much money as we used to, I actually enjoy cooking new things at home. Going out to dinner is a treat (rather than a "necessity"), and some restaurants that we used to go to frequently don't even appeal to me any more (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, etc).
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