My Food Passions

[Joanna]

It's funny, I was just thinking about this topic yesterday.  Family, friends & food just go together in my mind. When we have company the first thing I think about is "what can I make for everyone to eat?"  I love it though, it's not a burden at all; it actually makes me feel good! 

My mom is a great cook, and she makes plain old stick-to-your-ribs food.  She makes the best gravy too!  My favorite meal was always fried pork steak, mashed potatoes & gravy and corn.  Sometimes we'd have blueberry muffins for a treat.  When I need comfort food, the first thing I think about is mashed potatoes & gravy... probably explains why there's a little more of me every year    Another favorite at Mom's house is pan fried chicken.  Mmmm, now I'm getting hungry and it's only 8:30 am!

When we have big family meals, everyone visits before, during and after.  We're all in the same group, but mostly it seems like the guys visit more than the gals; then again, we're usually outnumbered.  Also, there is often some project or something 'out at the farm' to go help with or go look over after things are washed up.  When we remodeled our kitchen, we wanted there to be place for folks to sit & visit while the cooking is going on ~ my biggest gripe about the house we had before was that everyone left me all alone in the kitchen ~ but there really was no place for them to be to help or hang out anyhow.  Now we've made good use of the space we have and everyone is comfortable there.  If I ever move, the kitchen will need to be the biggest room in the house!

[pam]

This is a nice thread! Seems like the main times all my kids and grandkids get together it is over food! In the summer we have cookouts, play horseshoes, visit, swim. But my favorite is Christmas Eve, I make a huge pot of chili and chicken and noodles or some other soup for the ones who can't have chili,peanut clusters,cheese and crackers,we kinda make a day of it, and all the kids bring snacks and candy and we do our Christmas, watch It's a Wonderful Life or Christmas Vacation lol, and visit and have the best time.....some of my best memories are of Granma Smith's kitchen.....Mom makin "bear sign" Lol, Granpa Smiths name for doughnuts.....that's one of the things I have always wanted in my house is a huge farm house kitchen like Granmas.

[sixdogsmom]

I'm with you Pam, I always wanted a kitchen that was large enough for a rocking chair.

[greatguns]

Food is my passion, whether eating it or cooking it.  I love to cook for people.  Just yesterday I thought I am turning into my Grandmother as I got up and baked pie just in case someone shows up to visit.

[S-S]

Food always reminds me of family. I'm always baking. I bake cookies two times a week - sometimes more. There's always someone coming or going at our house. Guys working on trucks or tractors...And they want a beer (ok beers) and food. It seems like since I've become a mom and a housewife I plan my days AROUND meals. I actually plan out our meals every Sunday night and post them on the fridge so everyone can see and it's also a reminder of what I need to pick up at the grocery store.

I love trying new things. I LOVE learning how to cook something new. Billy has always been a trooper and eats everything I make - even when the dog won't eat it! The first year was a huge learning experience as I had never made anything from scratch. No one ever taught me how to cook. I taught myself and Billy's mother and both of his grandmothers taught me things - Joetta Miller and Sylvia Crum.

We always eat dinner at the table. The tv is shut off, cellphones are put on silent, and I pity the telemarketer who calls and interrupts our dinner. When I was a child, dinner was never special at our house. My parents would fix their plate and go to the livingroom while my sisters and I were left alone to eat in the kitchen. I never wanted that for my family, so I'm strict on our dinner rules. If I've had a bad day, I can tell Billy about it at dinner and he tells me about his day. Lane tells us about school (he calls it work). It is a very special time in my house. We have eaten dinner in front of the television before. . We only do this if there is a special program or something on.

Dinner time is my favorite time of the day. It seems like everything slows down. The world needs to sit down all together at a big dining room table and just enjoy the meal prepared. I'm a very passionate person and as you can tell - I'm very proud of my home and especially my kitchen!