When I make my Sunday breakfast I do it like a robot. I give no thought to what I’m doing because I’ve done it so many times in the past. If I’m cooking bacon, I give no thought to the temperature setting on which I’m cooking. Nor do I think about when it’s time to turn it over. If I’m making scrambled eggs, I think nothing about how much milk I add to make them softer and creamer, how long do they need to cook and how often do I stir. When making toast, I never stop to ask myself “Do I butter the bread before cooking or after?” Why should I think about any of these things? I’ve done most of them since I was 6 and I’m now 58. That’s 52 years of cooking! But, I didn’t start cooking with all of this knowledge. I had to learn it.
When a young lady I know asked the question “when a recipe calls for egg yolks, can you use the whole egg?” I said no and explained why. When she asked the question “how do you separate eggs?” I told her, showed her how and gave her an egg separator. But when she asked the question “what part of the egg is the yolk?” I was floored.
We aren’t talking about a child here. We are talking about a young lady who is smart and intelligent in her own field. No her field is not cooking.
When talking to a friend about these questions I was assured that she is not alone. My friend told me about a young lady who was told to separate 2 eggs. She did. She placed them away from each other. Again, this was the reaction of an intelligent young lady.
Unless we have mothers, aunts, grandmothers or someone to teach us the basics of cooking, then how do we learn? As I said above, I cook like a robot that’s been programmed to make each step. And when I think about it, I have been programmed by the teachers of my past.
So, the next time you fry up bacon, scramble an egg or make toast, slow down and notice the steps you take. Then ask yourself. Have I passed these steps on to my children?
When my grandson was born I had the opportunity to spend a few days with my daughter and family in New Jersey. My daughter had planned a dinner after the christening for about 30 people. She wanted me to make some southern dishes and especially my Chicken ‘n Dumplins. I worked up a menu using that as my main dish. I made southern potato salad (no vinegar), southern slaw, banana pudding, and of course southern wine (sweet ice tea). By the end of the night every bite of the chicken ‘n dumplins were gone as well as everything else. It was really a lot of fun watching this group of people enjoy home cooking from the south.
This is also where I met a friend of my son-in-law named John. We talked for an hour about the south and the difference in our cooking. Later my daughter came in and asked me if I knew who I had been talking with. I told her he said his name was John. She then told me that he goes by J3. He played with Tommy Lee. My first brush with famous people! And he enjoyed my southern cooking!
Now, if you would like to have my recipe for “Southern Chicken ‘n Dumplins” visit my website. It’s found on page 118 of my book Stir, Laugh, Repeat.
Stir, Laugh, Repeat can also be found through Amazon or my publisher Tate Publishing Enterprises, LLC
ISBN #978-1-60462-818-0
