Ahh, Fall! I love this time of the year. It brings to mind days of old, time spent with family and friends, and , of course, great meals! The weather cooled off just enough this weekend for me to make some Chicken & Dumplings! I had been wanting to make them for a while, but it was just too hot. As soon as the mercury started to dip, I went to work and made a huge pot of Chicken & Dumplings for the family. (I am trying to cut back on my calorie intake, so I did not eat as much as I normally would have…but that’s another subject entirely!)
Some of my earliest “cooking” memories, are centered around Chicken & Dumplings. My grandmother use to make them every fall and winter. I loved watching my grandmother cook. She made EVERYTHING from scratch…she made it look so easy and she never cooked a meal that I didn’t like! I can still see her rolling out the dough, covered in flour. I don’t think she knew how much of an influence she was on me. How much I wanted to be like her. In my eyes, she was Super Woman! There was nothing she couldn’t do.
Not only did she cook well and make everything from scratch; she also canned just about anything you could imagine! She had a huge garden, and would can tomatoes, make her own pickles, peppers… she’d make her own jams and jellies. She’d pickle all kinds of veggies. She would freeze fish (catfish mostly) that she had caught and cook it throughout the winter.
She was an excellent candy maker. Fudge, divinity, peanut brittle! I remember watching her make taffy one time. And cakes! She could whip up a chocolate cake in a heartbeat! Complete with home-made frosting! And don’t even get me started on her pies! Coconut cream pie was my favorite!
I do not cook as well as my grandmother, probably never will. But I’d like to think I got my love of food, and cooking and baking, from her.
Who did you get your love of cooking from?! I’d love to hear from you, so please leave me a comment!
