What is a Recipe?

What is a Recipe? A recipe is a list of directions for preparing a particular dish. I have come to find that many people are overwhelmed with the thought of cooking and follow that recipe exactly. Well not me. My grandmother was a pretty good cook and my great-grandfather a chef. I remember at a young age intrigued at my white haired 80 something year old great-grandfather making the best stuffed cabbage. That started my passion for cooking. As I got older I would ask my grandmother for his recipes. She would always say he used a little bit of this and a little of that. I would watch her in the kitchen and take mental notes to try to recreate those delicious flavors and smells. When I went to Johnson & Wales for Culinary School I remember having to follow the exact recipes. As I got older and started catering and then cooking for my own family I reverted back to how my grandmother cooked. I have book shelves worth of cook books and baskets of cooking magazines. I don't even think I can count on one hand how many times I have followed the recipes exactly. The times I did I realized the timing was off or my tastes were different changing the whole recipe. When I had the privilege of co-writing Simple Foods for Busy Families we created a Mix and Match section which is how we cook. Cooking unlike baking is not a science. It is very forgiving. Everyone has different taste preferences. Today I am very careful about writing down the amounts of my recipes because one of my daughters is very particular with her food and would like her dishes recreated exactly the same way. This has been a personal challenge for me because it forces me to be very organized. Have fun in the kitchen creating delicious nourishing meals for you and your family. I encourage you to get your family involved. Yes even young children can help out. In my experience the more they help out in the kitchen creating the food for the family the easier it will be for them to try new foods. It is said that it can take up until 15 times for your taste-buds to get used to a new flavor. Or as the 12 year old girl behind me in line at the Father's Day buffet said her Mom said 32 times. Whatever it takes! A great family rule is to take a bite and then a second sometimes a third and very often kids are amazed at how they do like the new food they are trying. Positive peer pressure works well during a holiday or just inviting a friend over. If there friend likes something chances are they will eagerly try it. Through my years of experience working with clients it's amazing the difference home cooked or semi-home cooked family meals make. There are so many bonuses from the obvious health benefits to building a strong family connection. Studies show that the more days a week families eat together there is a lower risk of substance abuse and they are less likely to drink, smoke cigarettes or marijuana. Chances are they will have good school grades. Next week we will be launching recipe's to cook once and eat twice. Please feel free to change recipes to your liking and leave comments. If anyone is interested in being a family taste tester please contact us. The site will continue to grow and change to your needs in this busy society we all live in.