This was so special to read! Thank you for putting this “on paper”. I didn’t know some of these stories. I, of course, learned to cook from you and Grandma Pat. A lot of my staples are from Aunt Patti, too! Lately it’s Instagram but without the skills I was taught, I wouldn’t be able to add my own touches either saving time or money.
Thank you so much for this sweet comment, Carrie! You are such a superb cook, I feel really honored that you learned anything from me! ❤️ I’ll be sharing a bit more about Grandma Pat’s legendary cooking next time 😊
I cooked in secret when my Mum was out as the kitchen was too busy when she was home. But it was rarely very 'secret' when she got home and discovered what I'd burnt or broken!
That’s hilarious! You must have been one motivated kiddo 😊 And to think cooking in secret led to that gorgeous baklava cheesecake you wrote about last week!
Apples here have become a *bit* too much of a good thing! So yay for crisps and crumbles 😊
We didn’t manage our trees well in the earlier years, so they got into an every other year production cycle. Still doing it, although I started assiduously pruning and thinning the last 5 or 6 years. Nature will just do her thing, I guess!
Yes, I took my first cooking instruction from my mother, Wanda Mae McDonald-Browne. As I recall pancakes were the first item because we used a mix, only having to add an egg, oil and milk. But I quickily branched out adding buttermilk. Next I learned the historic family favorite, Cowboy Cookies. This was a recipe my mom got from my father's mother, Grace Goodell-Browne. I was roughly 11 or 12 when I got started but by the time I was in Jr. High I was making piecrust and my sister did the fillings for apple and blackberry pies. I also recall making pies with two of my cousins, Cyd Marie Browne and Libby Stegman. By the time I graduated from Sr. High School I was proficient in omlets and baking quick breads. I justify this endeavor by telling young men that any boy/man who knows how to cook will never go hungry. In truth, my father, older brother and sister were all good cooks.
My first wife and I taught both our two kids to cook. My daughter's three kids (14, 16, 17) all cook a few dishes. Sue and I collaberate on a few food projects, especially crisps with me slicing up the apples as she mentioned. We do have different tastes. Sue has a rescipe very similar to my old cowboy cookies, but she uses butter instead of Crisco. She gives me half the batter and I go wild adding more stuff. Sue puts in rolled barley and then I add rolled Rye, Spelt and Oats. I also add sunflower seeds so my cookies are basically granola cowboy cookies. Anyway, we do have fun in the kitchen.
This was so special to read! Thank you for putting this “on paper”. I didn’t know some of these stories. I, of course, learned to cook from you and Grandma Pat. A lot of my staples are from Aunt Patti, too! Lately it’s Instagram but without the skills I was taught, I wouldn’t be able to add my own touches either saving time or money.
Thank you so much for this sweet comment, Carrie! You are such a superb cook, I feel really honored that you learned anything from me! ❤️ I’ll be sharing a bit more about Grandma Pat’s legendary cooking next time 😊
I cooked in secret when my Mum was out as the kitchen was too busy when she was home. But it was rarely very 'secret' when she got home and discovered what I'd burnt or broken!
That’s hilarious! You must have been one motivated kiddo 😊 And to think cooking in secret led to that gorgeous baklava cheesecake you wrote about last week!
Lovely memories here, Susan! How great that you got to have your grandmother's recipe box.
Your potatoes look amazing, and I'm drooling in envy at your apple harvest. Fruit crisps & crumbles are a crowning joy of life.
And thank you for all your lovely comments this week!
Apples here have become a *bit* too much of a good thing! So yay for crisps and crumbles 😊
We didn’t manage our trees well in the earlier years, so they got into an every other year production cycle. Still doing it, although I started assiduously pruning and thinning the last 5 or 6 years. Nature will just do her thing, I guess!
Yes, I took my first cooking instruction from my mother, Wanda Mae McDonald-Browne. As I recall pancakes were the first item because we used a mix, only having to add an egg, oil and milk. But I quickily branched out adding buttermilk. Next I learned the historic family favorite, Cowboy Cookies. This was a recipe my mom got from my father's mother, Grace Goodell-Browne. I was roughly 11 or 12 when I got started but by the time I was in Jr. High I was making piecrust and my sister did the fillings for apple and blackberry pies. I also recall making pies with two of my cousins, Cyd Marie Browne and Libby Stegman. By the time I graduated from Sr. High School I was proficient in omlets and baking quick breads. I justify this endeavor by telling young men that any boy/man who knows how to cook will never go hungry. In truth, my father, older brother and sister were all good cooks.
My first wife and I taught both our two kids to cook. My daughter's three kids (14, 16, 17) all cook a few dishes. Sue and I collaberate on a few food projects, especially crisps with me slicing up the apples as she mentioned. We do have different tastes. Sue has a rescipe very similar to my old cowboy cookies, but she uses butter instead of Crisco. She gives me half the batter and I go wild adding more stuff. Sue puts in rolled barley and then I add rolled Rye, Spelt and Oats. I also add sunflower seeds so my cookies are basically granola cowboy cookies. Anyway, we do have fun in the kitchen.