One might think it odd that, by the time I reached my early 30's, I knew next to nothing about cooking. I had watched Rachael Ray’s cooking shows and could read a recipe, but I didn’t know how to cook from scratch, based on my own sense of taste. Then, about 4 years ago, I took some classes in whole foods cookery, at Bastyr University and learned how to cook healthy meals for myself from scratch, like my great grandmother did, before there were foods like Bisquick, ketchup, Cool Whip and the “cream of..” soups. These ingredients, along with several others, were first marketed in the 30’s and 40’s towards busy stay-at-home moms with big families, who wanted to save time in the kitchen. In the 60’s and 70’s, these time-savers were resold to moms, who now worked outside the home and wanted to throw together a quick crowd pleaser in under an hour. Dad and I were always thrilled at the delicious meals that mom made. Salty, creamy casseroles and colorful, mayonaisey salads were often seen at our dinner table and at family gatherings.
This blog is dedicated with love to my mother and grandmother, and the food they raised their families on. I hope that I can honor these hard working women by finding some healthy upgrades to the ingredients in their delicious recipes that I remember from childhood, so I can enjoy the comfort food I remember so well, as close to the original taste as possible. I also want to share some of my own cooking experiences, and the journey that has more recently led me to finding a better nutritional path. And I hoope that we (you and me) can inspire each other to cook healthy!
