The role and feel of the kitchen space has changed throughout history.
Sometimes it is the central hub of activity, sometimes it was hidden away.
In castles and mansions, the kitchen was a workplace where the servants stayed and toiled,
and even in turn of the century homes, the kitchen was only a workplace to make meals,
not a congregating and socializing room.
The kitchen has always been a comforatble place for me, and growing up my sister and I were always encouraged to cook.
Well, encouraged to a point. I tended to get creative in the kitchen and my family didn't always appreciate
the culinary surprises.
Still, I don't understand why no one cared for green pancakes on St Patrick's Day,
My earliest cooking adventure was a chili dinner. I really, REALLY wanted it for dinner and
my mom finally said that if I wanted it for dinner, then I was the one who was going to make it.
Oops. I thought, as any 7 year old might, maybe I had bitten off more than i could chew.
But I gave it a shot and only needed help draining the grease from the meat. I remember thinking
then and many times afterward that the grease smelled so bad that i was ready to hurl any pre-dinner food.
These days, I'm a vegetarian and have no worries about draining grease away from my food.
After the chili turned out so well, there was no stopping me and I began cooking and baking. Chili was easy,
but I did have to expand my menu for the family. Baking is what really turned me on though. Cakes, cookies, pies...
there was always something for dessert.
Somewhere along the way, probably a gift from the grandmothers, I got a subscription to Bon Appetit. One of my first
recipes out of the magazine was a Chambord Cheescake, and since I was quite underage, I had to get my parents to buy the Chambord.
Next came a Cognac-Ameretto cream-filled cake (are you seeing a pattern?) and Shoo-fly pie. Once in college i held a small dinner party
and along the way realized I had one main course and seven desserts. Not that there were any complaints...
