I developed a love for
cooking at a young age because…well…food is delicious! I grew up in the most
southern part of Maryland and in my opinion, country living and cooking
compliment each other quite nicely. As a child I remember my favorite place was
the kitchen. My grandmother was a mother of seven and she always seemed to be
cooking. This woman was a magnificent chef in my eyes, although she probably
just viewed herself as a conventional housewife. I can still remember the
delightful smells than filled the entire house and embraced my being, a memory
delicately etched in my brain.
My Aunt was also a great
chef. She was the one who instructed me in cooking the most. She always
surprised me with a lesson, I don’t think intentionally but mostly because she
suffered from physical ailments and needed my help. This was fine by me, I was
happy to help and learn all I could. She sat at the end of the table and
verbally instructed me in each step. I felt so useful (feeling useful is
important to people with ADHD because we are often being indirectly told how
worthless we are). I didn’t know at the time why cooking with her made me so
joyful and carefree.
People often ask me to
share recipes with them from my “recipe book.” Ha! No such thing exists. People
with ADHD are notoriously known for being unorganized and forgetful. However,
everything I know how to cook lies in the special
chambers in the memory part of my brain. When I plan to cook something, I
get the ingredients and everything else just produces itself magically. I
couldn’t see myself constructing a book of recipes that don’t really exist. My
Aunt didn’t teach with recipes, she used innovation. We may have cooked the
same dish together hundreds of times but in various ways. I’d like to think
this manner was conditioned for my brain because she would always say things
like “What’s wrong with you besides being nuts?” This was how she showed
affection and I was ceaselessly amused by it. I’m very hard to offend and I loved
her jokes.
I don’t have a television
so I rely mostly on the internet and books for learning new recipes and
techniques. I do sometimes watch the Food Network and the Cooking Channel on my mother’s television in the off chance that no one is home to
bother me because I’ll watch for hours, not realizing time has passed. I have a
few favorite chefs. Giada de Laurentiis is an Italian chef who
simply stole my heart. Italian is one of my favorite types of cooking and she
is so pleasant and personable on screen. Alton Brown is nothing
short of a genius, he teaches science and history in his cooking lessons,
further drawing you into a passion for food. Paula Deen is a country
girl and despite the recent news of her diabetes or whatever, I’m still fond of
her unconcealed zeal for using real butter (margarine decreases immune response and lowers the quality of breast milk). Nadia G is a punk rock-esque, fashionable and unmistakably
fiery personality who brings a hip disposition to the screen but a professional
nonetheless. Last but certainly not least, Lorraine Pascale. Her
diverse recipes, British accent, and balmy personality make you want to quickly
cook whatever she’s making.
In the future I may focus on a single recipe or category in a post. Suggestions are welcome. For those of you have some time on your hands or just want to learn
more, I suggest:
Cooking with Children
Book - Favorite Brand Name Silly Snacks (My son's favorite cookbook)
Cooking for Single People
Recipes, Cooking Tips and Catering
Eats and Such by Joy Doe - Catering available in the Washington DC Metro Area (EatsAndSuch@hotmail.com)
Flour on my Face - Vintage Recipes and Family Blog
2 comments:
I remember your Grandmother being a good cook. Your uncle always tell me how he learned so much from his mother.
Which Aunt are you referring to?
Paula.
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