Thoughts About Cooking

When I was a young girl at home, I learned very little about cooking except for watching mother when I was there. I remember in the evening she would have to run to the barn for something and would say "Stir the potatoes while I am gone; don't let them burn." We often had sliced, fried potatoes for supper. The reason I didn't help her more was because my older brothers and sisters had left the home by the time I was in the eighth grade. My brothers were on 3 year missions and then directly into the war; therefore I was dad's helper, rather than mother's. I was in the barn at night- in the morning before school, and in the hay field during the summer. I always cleaned the house for mother, (when I had a date), and I always helped clean up the dishes after supper.

I don't remember that mom had a recipe box, and I only have a few of her recipes. If she had not died so young perhaps I would have more. When Dad became rather unhealthy because of Asthma and they were going to Arizona for winter, some Dr. told him he should use oil instead of butter or shortenings. At that time mother acquired the date cake recipe from someone because it was made with oil; so she obtained this recipe rather late in life. Dad loved the cake, and she made it a lot to take to pot luck parties and picnics with retired people in Arizona and Idaho, and everyone wanted her to bring her date cake. I also have a few of her picnic recipes, and I certainly learned how to help can all the food stuffs in the Fall. I've never known anyone to make sour cream pie except Mother, and I did want that recipe, so I finally found one in the Betty Crocker recipe book that is very similar. Once in a while I cook myself an egg fried in cream just for memories sake as Mom cooked me an egg in cream every morning before school.

My oldest sister LaRee was a most marvelous cook, and she taught Foods many years at Skyline High School in Salt Lake City. Her pie crust was the best ever. It was so flaky and just melted in your mouth. I wish I could do that.

Well, when I married, I could make macaroni and fry an egg, I guess, but I was fortunate because Grandpa, my husband was the sixth of a line of brothers, and his mother used him in the kitchen. After we were married a little while I wanted to prove to him that I could make him a good birthday dinner, (on a wood stove no less. I had only known electricity at home.) We invited a few friends over for this birthday, and I proceeded to cook. I wanted to do it my very self, but he kept telling me how to do everything. It annoyed me to no end, and finally made me so mad that I threw the gravy thickening at him. (I'm just proud that I didn't swear) And guess what, it didn't accomplish a thing because after 65 years he is still telling me how to do everything. but it's ok; I finally got used to it, and I do love him a bunch. Well, I guess I blew that birthday.

Back to LaRee's cooking. I visited her a lot, so now naturally I wanted to know how to cook this or that, so many of the recipes in my collection are from LaRee. Furthermore, whenever I had any cooking problem, she would know the answer since I soon had no mother to call as she passed away so young.

My sister Gwen was a chief stewardess for United Airline which was the really big airline at that time, and since she traveled the world she ate a lot of unusual things. We often had Thanksgiving at LaRee's house when our children were young. One Thanksgiving Eve we arrived at Gwen's house up by the capital. She was making the salad for the Thanksgiving dinner, so Sterling and I helped her prepare it. We had the tedious job of peeling the grapes for this salad. He still talks about peeling those grapes that night. One time Gwen served us mashed carrots and turnips that were creamed. They were soooo good, but I've never been able to make them so that they tasted very worthwhile. I have a few of Gwen's recipes, (After all we lost her early also) but one she gave me is the dumpling recipe that we have all been making for years.

Through the years living in Logan and Dayton Idaho, we just ate whatever. I studied fabrics and sewed everything we girls wore and somethings the boys wore and lots of things for the house. It was my love. I was never very interested in cooking, and with all that sewing, who had the time anyway?

When we moved to Hyrum, some lady friends asked me to join their club, the Do Nothing club. (What a horrible name to be known by) They met once a month in their homes and had a full dinner. Then they sat around and talked about their children, their pregnancies, how many stitches they had at birth etc. (I'm sure I had the most when I had GeNee and the Dr said, "I can't wait for the ether, to take over, I have to cut now) :( Nowadays all they talk about is their vacations, their operations and ailments. While they visited they did handiwork or mending. (Did you know we used to mend the holes in socks?) I was beside myself! I didn't know how to cook for these women who seemed unconcerned about cooking or sharing their fancy homes. Luckily I got my cute new house just in time, and who knows what we ate, but it may have been ravioli. GeNee was married and she told me about this good ravioli she had had. She had to bring me the ravioli frozen and the fancy sauce recipe. I cooked some other things to go with it, and I passed with flying colors. GeNee and my other daughters are still bringing me good recipes. I do have some good recipes from those dear club friends. The onion casserole is one of those.

Soon I was asked to be Relief Society President. I thought I was still a kid. I had a dear counselor Relia who could have been my mother. She did everything so beautifully when we had special RS events. A few of my choice recipes are from her.

Later when I was stake RS president we did a lot of pretty and good things, and my secretary Bonnie was sort of a soul mate. We were both rather advanced sewers, we both did dried flowers, we just seemed to be interested and had the same feeling about things. She loved to entertain and when a group of us began to meet on New Years Eve, I loved to go to her house. She did everything as a gourmet cook, so some of my recipes were hers.

Then off to North Carolina where one of my counselors was known as the cook of the ward. Barbara made good lasagna, garlic bread, etc. which we always fed to the missionaries at Zone Conference. They loved it. I have some more of her recipes and her husband Bob introduced me to cous cous.

In Ireland we were very often served Pavlova. It was always on the menu at eating places. Queen Victoria brought it back from New Zealand or Australia. Also, once a week we walked downtown to the open air market and bought some fresh foods. We would pick out a nice fish, and the man would take it and bone it, and home we would go with a big trout for lunch.

Back in Utah, we moved into a ward with wonderful cooks. When we have RS dinners, wedding showers or such , I can always learn something good. It's inspiring and the feeling of the sisterhood in the ward is of such love and goodness, that I know I have missed out when I don't attend. I have gathered quite a few of those recipes, of course. Even last night at our Christmas social, on the way home we were saying, "We have got to get that Wassail recipe."

I have never wanted to cook. I takes forever to fix and is devoured in a few minutes time. Also, I have to think ahead about what we are going to eat a couple of times a day. Grocery shopping takes forever. However, I have developed such a curiosity about food that I am always trying new recipes that look or sound good in magazines, newspapers, television. Consequently, I have made more stuff that flopped, but once in a while I find a recipe that turns out to be a favorite. That curiosity has charmed me into eating a lot of stuff in restaurants that was nasty and made me wish I had stuck to the safe food like Dad. :)

Now that my back hates to lean over the sewing machine, and I don't need to sew, I need a new pleasure. Hence, I read a lot, but alas, I forget most of it. So, I have turned to cooking. I love to experiment with food; I am excited to find a new recipe that I like, and I love to make it and share it with others. About the hardest thing I do physically is to work in the kitchen, but I am driven to be there because it is a place of creation. It is so satisfying to turn out something beautiful and delicious. I guess it has turned out to be and old age hobby. I think if I were left alone, I would like to go to a retirement center where I wouldn't have to figure out what to have for dinner, or clean house, and wouldn't be alone. Then I think, that sometimes I would like to choose and prepare my own food occasionally. I think the food in my ward is often exquisite is because we live in a time when so much of traveling, eating out, culture, and availability of foods has given us this ability to live and die luxuriously.

Can  you believe that now people here say, "Ask Rhea about that food, ask Rhea for her recipe, or I can't wait to see what Rhea brings." Wow, imagine that!  I can't wait to tell Mother that when I see her.