I loved my Grandma’s kitchen. I was taught at a very early age that if you want to eat, you have to cook. Nothing was better to me than learning to cook the things I loved to eat.
I was three years old when I first taught to cook. I had been watching the adults in my life with earnest for a while and three was the magic number. I was beyond excited to help. My podium was a dining room chair beside the kitchen counter. I was elated and biscuits were my first endeavor.
My father taught me to cook my first set of biscuits but it was from a family recipe passed down over generations. Just as many generational things are passed down, the ingredients, directions, cook time, everything was recited from memory and nothing was measured. You just knew it was a half a bowl of this and a dash of that. The oven was always set to 350 degrees and cook time was until the biscuits were lightly browned.
While my dad taught me about the family biscuits and many other recipes over the years, it was always cooking with my Grandma that I lived for. My cousins and I would visit grandma’s house once a week. During those visits the cousins and I would play office or ride the four-wheelers. But my fondest memories are from the kitchen. From chowing down on Grandma’s pancakes and cornbread, to being snapped on the leg with the dish towel {I deserved it!}, to important conversations that came as we aged, we were always surrounded by love, food and laughter. I knew earn on that kitchens and cooking would be a constant staple in my life. Not only because I enjoy cooking and eating, but because they are the gathering place. A happy place to share, learn and laugh.
During those times with my Grandma, I was creating memories with a grandparent that I would grow to miss as an adult.
My grandmother imparted more than just cooking knowledge. She taught me about organization, time management and cleanliness. She built my courage, told me I had tenacity, and showed me that, as a woman, you could do it all if you wanted to.
In Grandma’s case it was a need-to and want-to, the boss that she was. Grandma held down a full time job {often with overtime}, got her master’s degree, had a little side business selling crystal dinnerware, tended her garden and flowers, kept her house spotless, helped all of her adult children with whatever they needed even if they didn’t ask for help, took care of the three grandkids most weekends, did whatever grandpa needed, cooked a full meal every night and made a dangerous margarita.
Grandma’s kitchen was one of the only places in my lifetime that has ever felt like home. Despite the challenges that I had as a child, I knew I could always be safe and have something really good to eat in Grandma’s kitchen. It’s why as a mother now, I’m encouraging my children in the kitchen.
Not only are my kids learning to cook delicious things from scratch, but I’m hoping they are absorbing some of the same life lessons that I did.
