I Have A Secret

My cupboards runneth over with cookbooks.  A neighbor recently asked Dan if I did a lot of cooking. He said, only if she has to.  I know you are asking, "Why so many cook books then?"

That is a very good question.  I once met a lady in the back of a fabric store; they had a selection of Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks.  I was reading one of the books, this delightful lady said "Oh you read cook books like novels, then laughed looked around and in a conspiratorial whisper revealed a dark secret. "So do I!"

I think secretly I would like to be able to cook like my mother.  She was a fabulous cook.  The only thing preventing me is 1.  I don't have her passion for cooking 2.  I hate cleaning up my messes  3.  It takes time to do it right.  When I was young and Mom tried to teach me to cook she became exasperated and said, "Child you had better marry a man who can cook otherwise you will either starve or have to eat out of cans."

Most of the men I dated were great cooks.  The microwave was invented and a host of food that can be quickly prepared in it. The down side - "Its not home cooking." They also invented the "Slow cooker".  Food prepared in it has lots more flavor. So I didn't starve.

I know you are wondering if Dan cooks. He doesn't!

Getting back to my cook books.  My all time favorites are the Gooseberry Patch books and Taste of Home books.  I like easy and flavorful.  Easy is the operative word.  I also like these books for the short memories the writer shares.  Its like getting a peek into the cook's life.  I have often been touched from the memories they share and sometimes have been inspired to try the recipe.

In 1983 I bought a Keepsake cookbook from Current Catalog.  Each page had a place to write the recipe where it was from and a memory connected to it.  Most of the pages are now full of wonderful recipes.  It is one of my most cherished possessions.  And you thought all I did was read them.