Since my daughter has moved home we have been treated to some culinary wonders that have been out of the realm of our everyday meals. RJ describes himself as a "chili dog kind of guy" making dinner time a new adventure of sorts for him. I am just happy that I don't have to do all of the cooking.
My daughter comes from a long line of great cooks (excluding myself) and it is strange that this "cooking" thing with her is now just surfacing. Up until recently, the poor girl couldn't even boil water. Now mind you, in this long line of great cooks, it is difficult to come close to my grandmother's skill. I know everyone claims that their grandmother's cooking is the best, but mine had some pretty darn good endorsements.
Dean Martin, yes, that Dean Martin from Amoire fame, was one of her biggest fans. He was a frequent guest of a once famous songwriter, Jimmy McHugh, who my grandmother worked for in the 1960's. Apparently Mr. Martin never turned down an invitation to dinner when his "Anna" was the chef. Grandma loved him and I am sure found him quite charming. He would swoop her onto his lap and serenade her as she would serve the meal, and always showered her with compliments. She told me once that he was just a down to earth man who treated her like a friend rather than a servant. Her protests were loud and proud if anyone had a bad word to say about Dean Martin.
Grandma would appreciate the fact that her great-granddaughter is now venturing into an area that she knew so well. I sometimes tried to cook with my Grandma, but she was way too fast and would always say things like, "a handful of this, a pinch of that, or just throw some of this in". At her pace, I suffered whiplash trying to observe what she was doing and couldn't remember the handfuls from the pinches. Her kitchen was spotless and remained so throughout the process and her attire always inclued a nice white crisp apron that never even caught a drip, let alone a stain!
Fast forward to 2009 and we have been chowing on the likes of Chicken Roma, Stuffed Spinach Pork Chops, Smoked Salmon Sandwhiches on Homemade Green Onion Parmesan Biscuits, Over the Top Mac & Cheese, Stuffed Meatballs and Chicken Parmesan to name a few. All wildly delicious. For the sweet tooth, we have been served Berry Cobbler (made in a crockpot!) and Flaky Sticky Buns. Equally delicious. And did I mention she has become pretty good at replicating a recipe from something she has tried in a restaurant. Most recently she made a delicious soup she had in a Vietnamese restaurant. I asked her what it was called and she said, "Pho something or another". I guess we don't need to get the name right as long as the ingredients are correct. We'll just stick to calling it Vietnamese soup.
While the food has been great, there are definite signs of changing times. There is no real schedule for a set dinner time. When the urge strikes, daughter starts cooking. We have been known to sit down for dinner as late as 9:00 p.m. And, her uniform consists of jeans and a t-shirt. I am not sure what Grandma would say about that, but I do know she would have a few "gentle" words for the condition of the kitchen during her gg-daughter's cooking sprees. Even I, have let loose with a few comments.
Pots, pans, dishes, utensils, and ingredients are strewn from one end to another. It begins as an orderly process, but quickly changes course. My daughter claims the mess and chaos are signs of a good cook. I think that Grandma would differ with that. Grandma would have been over the moon though with the vast array of recipes one can print off the Internet, along with the Food Network Channel. In fact, she would likely have had her own show, but would have been put off if they asked her to slow down so that her audience could actually see what she was doing.
Who knows where this new interest in cooking will lead for my daughter. If I am lucky it might mean that it is her turn to take hold of the reins regarding the holiday dinners (hint, hint). I'll even buy her a white crisp apron. We could start a new tradition and write the date next to the stains. Now wouldn't that be fun!
That is too great about your grandma and Dean Martin! I would have been charmed, too!
I would have to say that I'm probably somewhere between daughter and Grandma Anna when it comes to cleanliness in the kitchen. I DO wear an apron when I bake, though! (I hate flour on my clothes.)
I was excited to hear about you guys trying Pho (Vietnamese soup)...it is one of Chris and my favorite things to eat when we go out, and Denver is chock full of Pho houses. They are so numerous that they just have numbers, not names, and people fight over which number is the best restaurant. I am literally praying that there will be Pho in San Jose, and I think we have a good chance since there is a pretty big Vietnamese population!
PS Tell your daughter about allrecipes.com, which is probably the greatest thing since sliced bread. Also, epicurious.com.
Love you all!
Posted by: Cassandra Tenny | April 04, 2009 at 10:40 AM
That's interesting about the Pho Houses in Denver. I wouldn't have thought Denver was a hot spot for Vietnamese food! If you don't find any Pho in San Jose, you'll have to come down to So. Cal and we'll go to Little Saigon for Pho!
Posted by: BoomerChick | April 04, 2009 at 04:05 PM