Meals and Memories - Interview with a fellow Mama

I recently got the opportunity to interview a fellow blogger named Tree (aka Mother of Pearl) and here about her cooking adventures, who runs the kitchen in her household and what she TRULY thinks of cooking.

Tree brings a different outlook about her time in the kitchen - but one I think many of us share.  :)

Thank you Tree (aka Mother of Pearl) for being interviewed.

Check out Tree's blogs at:  http://www.motherofpearlitis.com/ and http://www.mommiesfaves.com/

And don't forget to try her 2 favorite recipes:  The Ultimate Lady's Cheesy Mac and Cheese and Spritz Cookies.

1)  You mentioned that your husband is the primary cook in your household - do you share cooking time or ever cook meals together?
     Yes, my hubby went to Culinary school about 23 years ago when we first met, and its a good thing, because I honestly DO NOT like to cook! LOL  I do it out of necessity when I have to (like now...my hubby just had his 2nd foot surgery, so I am the cook at this time).  I do love to bake, however.  We always cook together on holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc), but not on a routine basis for regulat meals.  He does most of the cooking.  I have no patience in the kitchen with my kids (ashamed LOL), but he does and has taught all of our kids to cook.

2)  What is your favorite memory in the kitchen as an adult or child?
     It would definitely have to be when my brother and I were small, and we would help our mom bake cookies, fudge, pices, etc. for Christmas.  I loved being in the kitchen with her at that time of year.

 3)  What food(s) bring back the most/best memories for you?
     Probably my mom's tuna noodle casserole.  So warm and yummy!  And sadly, I've only made it once or twice since "leaving the nest" 26 years ago.  My birthday cakes were also homemade most of the time...I once had a guitar cake when I was taking lessons, and a telephone cake (because I loved to be on the phone as a teen... now I hate talking on the phone.  LOL)
4)  What is your favorite type of food or your standard comfort food dish?
     Oh wow...my "downfall" is definitely cheese and bread.  I can't get enough of either one...all kinds, too!  Nothing better than tons of gooey cheese....esp. plopped on top of or dipped with some of my favorite breads.
5)  Where do you guys get most of your recipes?
     I do have some recipes that were passed down through the family (mine and hubby's).  However, although I don't really care to cook, I am a "recipe junkie."  I LOVE to watch cooking shows and search for recipes online.  My favorites are Paula Deen, Rachel Ray, and Emeril Lagasse.
6)  Do you have a memorable kitchen disaster?
     Besides the common "burnt dish" every now and then, I can't think of one that I've had personally.  Although, we still laugh about the time that the hubby decided to use kerosene and burned all of the hair (eyebrows, mustache, etc) off of his face!  LOL  Wasn't too funny for him back then, but we can definitely laugh about it now.  (NOTE:  No cooks were injured on this day...only the ego was).  :)
7)  If you could improve any of your kitchen skills, what would you tackle first?
     Hmmm...probably that I had more patience to teach my children and grandchildren how to cook.  I really am a very good cook...just don't like it.  I want to get in there, and get it over with quickly! :)
8)  What is one tip you have learned from cooking?
     I would say, for the both of us, not be afraid to experiment in the kitchen.  Some of the best, most delicious recipes were invented by "mistake."  I wanted to write a cookbook using my hubby's recipes at one time, but he is a "make it up as you go," "never measure" type of guy, and we could never pinpoint exactly how much of anything should go in the recipes.  LOL  So, I gave up the idea.

9)  As a fellow blogger, what blogs do you follow the most and what do you love about blogging?
     I really just began "seriously" blogging a couple of months ago.  I have found MANY new and exciting blogs to follow (including Mama's Recipe Swap) and try to keep up with and comment when I can.  Here are some of my favorites...

http://thetamom.com/

http://thisfullhouse.com/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen

10)  What are your favorite recipes?
     Paula Deen's "The Ultimate Lady's Cheesy Mac and Cheese" and my mom's "Spritz Cookies"

Cooking for a Cause

One of the things that has inspired me the most since starting this blog, is how many different reasons people get in the kitchen.  For some it is the personal joy of learning the art of cooking, for some it is enjoying those family moments over dinner, for some a way to save money or even to eat healthier, and for others it is about serving a cause - providing meals to the sick and injured, or those less fortunate than ourselves.

Recently, I was inspired by a lady named Nancy Clark, who is using cooking to serve another purpose - raising money for Horizon International (http://www.horizoninternationalinc.com/ ).  Horizon International is a non-profit Christian organization that helps orphans affected by HIV/AIDS.  The first time I heard her speak about her mission trip to work with this organization, I was just in awe.  So, I immediately asked her to be interviewed for this blog. 

I hope you enjoy and if you feel moved, as I have - please donate to the cause (information within the interview)

1)  Tell us a little about Horizon International and your upcoming trip.
     On March 2008, the Kyasa Kids, an African orphan choir sponsored by the Horizon International, danced and sang at our Northview Church.  By Jan. 2009, my husband Win and I became field representatives for this mission organization that works through partnerships in some of the hardest HIV/AIDs-hit areas in southern Africa (http://www.horizoninternationalinc.com/ ).   God impressed on us to use these years of our lives to "defend the fatherless and care for the afflicted."  So we did and it is an exciting journey. 
    

2)  I was inspired by your decision to raise money for the trip, by cooking some of your favorite family recipes.  Tell us what you are baking and how people can donate.
     As I have prayed for the women of Zimbabwe, I realized how they would love to bake but they are experiencing a famine in their country presently.  I thought that I could bake to raise awareness of their plight - all the money will go directly to these incredible women to give their children bread when I travel to Zimbabwe.
     I have a suggestion donation of $8.00 for my Rhubarb Bread and $10 a dozen for potato rolls.  If a check is designated to Horizon International, you receive a receipt for tax deducation.  Just call Nancy Clark at 1-513-258-1176 or 1-317-564-4488 to order!
     If you are not local to the area (Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville, Indianapolis, etc. in Indiana) please still feel free to donate directly to Horizon International (http://www.horizoninternationalinc.com/giving.asp ).

3)  Where did you learn to bake these items?
     In the 1980s, our family with 3 young children lived in a huge parsonage in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as Win was the pastor of a church 2 blocks away.  Many University students attended our church so we invited them to lunch often on Sunday after church.  I made dozens of Potato Rolls with dinner and Rhubarb bread for dessert - they loved them! 
4)  Where did you learn to first cook or were inspired to cook?
     Soon after we were married in 1970, my husband attened Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and I taught high school nearby our New England town.  Jeanette Scholer, a professor at the Seminary, offered to teach the seminary wives how to bake bread on 3 Saturdays and I was desperate for ideas to become a 'home maker.'  Her inspiring and practical lessons changed my life; I baked our bread and goodies from then on.  That inspired me to read every cook book that proclaimed inexpensive/nutritious meals because we lived on a parson's salary.
5)  What is your favorite comfort food?
     Absolutely - Vegetable Soup -- yum!!

6)  What are your favorite memories associated with cooking?
     Seeing mashed potatoes in the mixer and Mom giving me the beater to lick, smelling a pot roast simmering, sitting around our kitchen table and eating together with my Mom, Dad and sisters.

7)  Do you have a memorable kitchen disaster?
     Oh yes...one lunch at the parsonage I made a thick tomato soup and left it on very low heat during church only to discover that without stirring the soup it burned on the bottom and the smell permeated the parsonage!  But one student explained, when he saw my dismay, that he thought that was how it was supposed to be...his home kitchen always smelled burned.  :)  So I scopped off the good soup and served it with a smile (and aired out the house).
8)  Can you give our readers one tip that you have learned about cooking?
     Jesus ate with people often and in the classic story of Mary and Martha, He clearly told the girls to not fret over the meal details but rather enjoy His presence and others in the home.  So I cook and bake, but TRY TO not get stressed over the mishaps and disasters.  Cooking is about loving people, not impressing them with my ability.


Thank you Nancy for the interview!  And, check out Nancy's recipe for Meatloaf (yum!)

If you would like your story to be highlighted on Mama's Recipe Swap and would be interested in being interviewed, please email me your information and a short quip about your cooking story (via the email book on the right).  I'd love to hear from you!

Stay tuned, because next Friday we have our next interview with Tree from the blog Mother of Pearl It Is, and her families' cooking stories.  :)