Homemade Cooking: Is it Becoming a Lost Art? Don't People Really Know How To Cook Anymore?

IMAGE SOURCES: ©MELANIE NEER~PERSONAL PHOTOS

Quiche Lorraine
Chicken Alfredo
Bœuf Bourguignon
Homemade Minestrone Soup

ABSTRACT: In today's society, many people have resorted to shortcuts in cooking, from getting processed foods, frozen dinners, and relying on fast food restaurants. Sadly, this means it seems the people have forgotten how to cook good old fashioned homemade meals.

CONTENT:

Once in awhile I reflect on different things, and only recently I was thinking of how real genuine, homemade cooking from scratch has become a lost "art' form. And yes, homemade cooking can be considered an art form, as it can take skill, time and patience. However these were qualities our ancestors seemed to have naturally; they had whether they liked it or not since there weren't the conveniences we have nowadays. Did one want to serve piping hot biscuits with their dinner? Well one couldn't simply go to the supermarket and get that pop-able Pillsbury canister, our ancestors had to make them from scratch. Did one want some kind of soup, no matter what kind? Yes, back in the old days one had to spend perhaps hours making it, from first making the homemade chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, then later adding in all the other ingredients. One couldn't simply open a can, pour into a saucepan and heat the soup on the stove or pop in a container and place into a microwave.

Another thing that kind of sparked my recent reflection of how cooking has become a lost art form was when one day I was talking to someone and I mentioned that I was planning to make homemade chicken pot pie. So here I was rattling on how I make the dough for the crust part from scratch, chop up the onion and garlic, cook up the chicken and vegetables and make a white sauce for it. The person listened to me with a great deal of interest and when I finished yakking about it, but she asked me, what is a white sauce? At that moment, I swear I was having a Hell's Kitchen Chef Gordon Ramsay moment and rolled my eyes up in disbelief.

As for myself, I must be one of those rare breeds of people. I absolutely love cooking and yes, I do things the old-fashioned way: I prefer to make everything from scratch. I must have inherited my great grandmother's skills in cooking, as she was known as THE cook of the family, while ironically my grandmother nor my mother could cook to save their lives. I had been told that in her younger days, my great grandmother would get up literally at the crack of dawn just to start making the homemade bread for the day. I do happen to know the joy of real, authentic homemade bread as I've done it myself in the past, and nothing beats smelling that yeasty aroma as the bread dough is rising, and then to actually bake it in the oven. I plain couldn't wait to "sample" a slice as the homemade bread came out of the oven and have it literally dripping with a lot of butter.

For awhile there, up until I was about five years old, my great grandmother, grandmother, mother and I all lived together. No one was really allowed to go into the kitchen as that was considered my great grandmother's domain, save for myself that is. Since both my grandmother and mother worked, my great grandmother became something of a babysitter to me, so I supposed to keep me busy and amused she actually would allow me into the kitchen to help out so to say. I remember her teaching me very, very basic things to cook at that young age, like scrambling eggs or frying up the bacon; she'd let me stir her homemade soups as they were simmering, and even taught me how to make something like homemade mashed potatoes.

After age five, my grandmother, mother and I moved out from my great grandmother's home. Well things changed. As I mentioned neither my grandmother nor mother could cook to save their lives. And yes, by that time there were more convenience foods, especially frozen TV dinners like Swanson's, other types of frozen foods like vegetables, canned soups like Campbell's, even instant mashed potatoes once could buy in a box. Yes, of course on occasion my mother would perhaps roast a chicken or form ground beef into hamburgers and fry them up, but my mother had a habit of burning everything she cooked, even the frozen dinners. Let's put it this way, growing up I often ate foods in various shades of grey or black. It's a wonder I survived my childhood!

As I got older, say in my teenage years and a bit older, yes I started to do some cooking, but very, very basic things. In other words, nothing fancy schmanchy, but at least I didn't burn anything. Then came my college years and I was about to embark on a journey so to say. It was during college that I decided to take a basic course in French. The course was entirely conducted in French by the professor but on occasion she would then speak in English and tell of various aspects of the French culture, which of course included French foods. By a coincidence one time I was watching an episode of Julia Child and she was introducing an upcoming new French chef, Jacques Pepin. Well that cinched it. I had become inspired by the talks about French foods via my French language professor and now with Jacques Pepin.

After buying a good number of French Cuisine type recipe books, including ones by Jacques Pepin of course, I now started my new "journey", that of attempting real cooking, not just scrambling eggs, frying up bacon, cooking up hamburgers and fries, I was to embark on real cooking journey and entirely from scratch. It didn't seem to take me long to acquire my new culinary skills, for as I said, I must have inherited my great grandmother's skill in cooking. Yes it did take skill, patience and time, but out of it all I was having fun with my new skills. I was making Crêpes, French Onion Soup, Bœuf Bourguignon, a myriad of French styled desserts and yes, I even did a few Soufflés.

It didn't stop with French cooking however, but I also ventured at making Italian, Oriental, German, and Mexican cooking, heck it really didn't matter what nationality, if it was food and a recipe sounded good to me I would make it. Even when I did old-fashioned American type cooking, I still would do everything from scratch, no short cuts. For example, if I were fixing a Thanksgiving Dinner, I would make some kind of homemade soup, usually Cream Of Celery, homemade stuffing of some kind, no Stove Top here! I would make homemade mashed butternut squash, the homemade biscuits, and no, Bisquick was never used and to this day, some thirty five years later i still won't use Bisquick. For dessert I would usually opt for sweet potato pie rather than pumpkin.

Don't get me wrong however since I'm not saying I don't use any kind of processed foods at all, I do as its not as if I'm making homemade pasta for instance, nor am I churning my own butter, but I do try to eliminate as many shortcuts and processed foods as possible. My freezer hasn't seen any kind of frozen foods stored in it in decades. Swanson? Lean Cuisine? Banquet? Healthy Choice? You might as well be speaking a foreign language to me. The only frozen foods I have stored are my own food that I cook in volume and and maybe some frozen vegetables, but that's it. Also, now that I'm on my own since both my grandmother and mother have passed on, I'm not exactly cooking the way I used to, but I'm still a stickler that when I cook for myself I still cook from scratch.

Now…I just might have another Hell's Kitchen Chef Gordon Ramsay moment and roll my eyes up as I wouldn't be surprised if you are wondering what a white sauce is. It's one of the most basic of all sauces to make, and basically it is a combo of melted butter, flour, milk or cream, salt and pepper; also by adding ingredients to it, it can also become Sauce Mornay, Alfredo Sauce and so forth. It's the type of sauce that is used when making chicken pot pie, macaroni and cheese, the base for creme-styled soups, potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes; goodness, the list is nearly endless.

To give you an idea of just how versatile white sauce can be, I've done a good number of articles in the past using white sauce and I have them listed in my Sources section.

Image Sources: ©MELANIE NEER~PERSONAL PHOTOS

Quiche Lorraine
Chicken Alfredo
Bœuf Bourguignon
Homemade Minestrone Soup

Sources:

Former articles of mine using white sauce which have been published. Originally at Yahoo.voices, now on my blog:

The Many Uses For White Sauce in Recipes: Cream Soups Without the Cream

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-many-uses-for-white-sauce-in.html

Old-Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/old-fashioned-baked-macaroni-and-cheese.html

Two Special Potato Recipes to Enhance Any Meal

Part Two: The Versatile Potato

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/article-two-special-potato-recipes-to.html

The Art Of Making Croquettes:

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-art-of-making-croquettes-special.html

The Skill and Art Of Making Crepes
Part Two: Creative Ideas for Using Leftovers by Making Crepes

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/article-skill-and-art-of-making-crepes.html

This article had been originally published on May 23, 2014 on the Yahoo.Voices website,which no longer exists

Recipe Idea: Crown Roast of Lamb with Cranberry Stuffing

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~10/12/2009)

ABSTRACT: This is a very special holiday dish that I often made for Easter time, but can actually be great for Thanksgiving or Christmas as well.

CONTENT: ©Melanie Neer~originally published Oct 20, 2008~Ciao under my pen-name pyewacket)

If you're a lamb lover, you're going simply love this recipe. This has been one of my traditional Easter type dinners that I've made for years and years, however, with Thanksgiving and Christmas being around the corner, this can make a great alternative to the usual and traditional types of dinners served for those holidays.

Over the years unfortunately, one may have noticed that lamb has gotten to be one of the more expensive meats to buy. The traditional way to make a Crown Roast of Lamb is to buy two racks of lamb and tie them together to in effect make a "crown". But with a little bit of skill, and if you aren't having a large gathering or if trying to cut a bit of the expense for a special holiday dinner, one rack will do, and one rack of lamb can be carefully and successfully tied together to also make the "crown".

Crown Roast of Lamb
Traditional amount: Two racks of lamb
or: One rack of lamb for smaller portion**

Stuffing for Crown Roast of Lamb:
½ pound fresh cranberries
½ cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons sugar
1 onion, finely chopped
¼ pound mushrooms, washed, stem removed and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1½ teaspoons ground thyme
2 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

For the stuffing:
In a saucepan, add cranberries, chicken stock and sugar, and if necessary enough water to cover the cranberries. Bring to a boil and boil until cranberries have popped and the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce.

In skillet, sauté the chopped onions, garlic and mushrooms until onions are translucent and mushrooms and garlic are cooked. Turn off heat to prevent further cooking.
In a bowl, combine the cranberries and the onion/garlic/mushroom mixture with the parsley, thyme, and breadcrumbs. Beat the egg and mix thoroughly with the stuffing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tie each end of the rack of lamb with butcher's white twine. One can poke small holes with a skewer into the rack of lamb itself, a hole on top, and one toward the bottom. Slide the twining into the hole of each end of the racks of lamb and tie together.
Spoon the stuffing into the hollow of the "crown". Wrap foil around the bones to protect them while roasting the lamb. Place crown roast in a roasting pan and add just a little water on the bottom and roast in a 350º F oven for fifteen minutes per pound of meat. Baste frequently while roasting.

**If you are only using one rack of lamb reduce the recipe for the stuffing by half OR, you may keep the original amounts, spooning just half the mixture into the one-rack crown roast of lamb and set the remainder aside for extra helpings of the stuffing. If you do it this way, place the extra amount of stuffing in a small buttered baking and place in oven approximately the last fifteen minutes that the crown roast is roasting.
Quick and easy gravy method:

Boil a cup of water in saucepan, add one beef bouillon cube, when broth is done, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with water to make a paste and whisk into the broth.
Side dish suggestions:
Asparagus (don't ask me why but I love asparagus with lamb)
Any other preferred vegetable

Also most important!!
You must use fresh cranberries, canned just won't do. When bags of cranberries become available, usually right before Thanksgiving, buy the bags then, and then freeze. Cranberries freeze very well.

(UPDATE: I have to confess I don't eat lamb anymore, but posted this recipe for those that do)

Recipe: Poached Pears in Wine (Poires Au Vin Rouge): A Truly Elegant and Special Classic French Dessert

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~ 9/8/2009)

ABSTRACT: Poached Pears in Wine was one of the first French desserts I made many years ago, and remains a favorite of mine and great for the holidays.

CONTENT: ©~Oct 8, 2008~Originally published at Ciao under my pen-name of pyewacket)

Instead of the usual pumpkin or sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving dessert, which before you know it, that holiday will be upon us, why not try something different?

As we all know, we do tend to eat more than usual at Thanksgiving...we stuff ourselves rather silly, so instead of a pie dessert, poached pears in wine is a much lighter alternative and gives a little elegance to the meal.

Poached pears are a well loved favorite in France and the French for this dish is Poires au Vin Rouge. This is one of the first French desserts I made while I was teaching myself to cook French cuisine. It is time consuming....not so much with the ingredients but it does take about 3½ hours to "braise" in the oven, so that the wine absorbs into the pears.

Poires au Vin Rouge (Poached Pears)

6 Large pears (the best are Bosc or Anjou types)
½ cup sugar
1 quart dry red wine (Beaujolais or Merlot)
the skin of one lemon (yellow part only)
Peel the pears, but leave the stem intact.

In a stainless steel large saucepan add the wine, sugar and lemon peel to a slight boil. In a fairly large casserole baking dish ( such as a Corning Ware type) place the pears standing up tightly pressed against each other. Pour in the wine mixture into baking dish. Cover the dish loosely with foil...do not cover tightly as you need the steam to escape and the wine mixture to reduce properly. Bake in a 350º oven for 3½ hours or until the pears have turned into a deep uniform mahogany color.
Let the pears cool slightly in their own juices..you will have some wine mixture leftover. Place the pears standing up on individual dessert dishes, and spoon over evenly on each pear the remaining wine mixture.

As Julia Child would have said........Bon Appétit!

Old-Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese

(Originally published at Yahoo.voices formerly Associated Content~7/26/2009)

ABSTRACT: With few rare occasions I've never used boxed macaroni and cheese and prefer to make my own homemade version

CONTENT: (©Oct 20, 2008~Ciao--previously published at Ciao under my pen-name of pyewacket)

In my mind nothing beats the taste of good old fashioned baked macaroni and cheese. Like most people, I've tried the commercial boxed versions in a pinch, but they just don't taste all that great. A friend of mine, while in a sense she makes "homemade", she uses canned Cheddar Cheese soup, but while it tastes all right it has a strange aftertaste.

So while it does take longer to make a truly homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese dish, it's well worth the effort.

Old-fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese

½ lb box of Macaroni
2 quarts boiling water
In large saucepan, bring water to a boil and add the macaroni and cook until done. Drain macaroni in a colander. While macaroni is cooking, make the Medium White Sauce
Medium White Sauce

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
¾ cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
Additional Ingredients for finishing touch:
Breadcrumbs

In a saucepan melt butter, then add the flour, constantly whisking to blend. Slowly add the milk and whisk to blend while adding the milk. Add the salt and pepper. Next slowly add the shredded Cheddar Cheese and continue to constantly whisk the white sauce until fully blended with the cheese. If you wish and the sauce seems too thick to you, add a little more milk to the desired consistency.

In a buttered baking dish, add the macaroni, then spoon in the Cheddar Cheese White Sauce mixture and blend until evenly mixed.

Now sprinkle on top of macaroni about ½ cup or slightly more of seasoned breadcrumbs, then dot top of breadcrumbs with butter and bake in a 350º F oven for at least fifteen minutes.
Serves about 4

Stuffed Lamb Chops: A Great Recipe Idea for Lamb

(Originally published at Yahoo.voices formerly Associated Content~7/2/2009)

ABSTRACT: This recipe adds a little something special to lamb chops that is truly delicious

CONTENT: (©Oct 20, 2008~Ciao-originally published at Ciao under my pen-name of pyewacket)

With the exception of my great-grandmother, no one in my family were keen on lamb except for me. I love lamb and would prepare it for special occasions or holidays, however, one doesn't have to wait for a holiday to make this stuffed lamb chop recipe. Anytime one wants something just a little special and if you love lamb, this is the perfect meal to prepare.

Stuffed Lamb Chops

4 Thick Lamb chops with bone (at least an inch thick)

Stuffing:
1 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
4 mushrooms, washed, with stem removed and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
In skillet, melt butter and add the chopped shallots, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until done. Turn heat off and add the breadcrumbs and blend. Let cool.

Take each thick lamb chop, and carefully cut into the center of each chop creating a pocket. Stuff each lamb chop with the stuffing mixture. To keep stuffing secure in the chops, seal the pocket close with a toothpick in each chop.
You may broil the chops for 8 minutes for rare or about 15 minutes for medium done. However, I always used my regular oven and baked the chops in a roaster type pan that had a wire rack in which I could place the chops on the rack and would bake for approximately 20 to 30 minutes at 350º F

As a great side dish for the chops I always loved serving any lamb dish with asparagus. You may also serve with another side dish such as a small baked potato.

For a gravy I do a really simplistic method. I boil a cup of water, add a beef bouillon cube, and once the "broth" is made, I thicken it up by using cornstarch...about a tablespoon or two mixed with some water to make a paste then slowly add into the broth and blend with a whisk.

(UPDATE: I have to confess I really don't eat lamb anymore, but thought I'd share this recipe that I used to make anyway for those that do).

Mexican Recipes: Gordita and Guacamole Appetizer

(Originally published at Yahoo.voices formerly Associated Content~6/29/2009)

ABSTRACT: This is a great festive type of appetizer to give any meal that Mexican flavor

CONTENT: (©Oct 13, 2008~Ciao~Originally published at Ciao under my pen-name of pyewacket)

I seemed to have been blessed and inherited my great-grandmother's skill in cooking, thank goodness! My grandmother and mother on the other hand couldn't cook a lick and if they could burn water, they would have...yes, that's how bad they were. I'm of a real diverse hodge-podge of ethnic groups, from Native American to German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English and Mexican.

Growing up as a girl, my mother's idea of authentic Mexican cooking was merely to fix chili and serve on rice. She also made her version of guacamole, which forever turned me off from it and avocados in general...yes it was that bad. As I got older, I started going full steam ahead with cooking and was self taught. I first started out with French cooking, but then expanded to other ethnic cuisines.

Many years ago, I decided then to indulge with "real" Mexican cooking and wanted to celebrate the Mexican holiday, Cinco de Mayo in true style. I started collecting Mexican recipes books and up to a week before Cinco de Mayo planned out a true Mexican gourmet feast.

Since, as I said my mother could barely boil water right, I naturally had to self teach myself how to prepare the dishes I had planned, which included Gazpacho soup, homemade Tamales wrapped in corn husks, Empanadas, and for dessert coffee flavored flan.

There was one other item on my menu...Guacamole. Since my mother had loved it so much, yet hadn't prepared it in ages (thank goodness), she kind of insisted that I make it also...and I did. I looked through my cookbooks and actually did a combo of several recipes to make my own version. I also decided to make "Gorditas" as the small little serving tortilla that the Guacamole could be served with.

Before making the Guacamole, it's best to make the Gorditas first.

Gorditas

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 8-ounce can red kidney beans
1 cup water
1¾ cups Masa Harina tortilla flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
Oil for frying

In blender add red pepper, undrained beans, and water t and blend until smooth. In mixing bowl, combine the tortilla flour, salt and baking powder. Add the bean mixture and mix well. Cover and let stand for at least 1 minutes. Divide the dough into about 24 parts and pat each into a 2-inch round shape.

In a skillet, heat about 1/8 inch oil and fry gorditas a little at a time about 1½ minutes on each side until crisp. Drain on them on a paper towel. Set aside until ready to serve.

Guacamole:

2 large ripe avocados
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 or 2 serrano peppers, minced
1 small tomato, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
½ salt

Cut avocados in half and remove seed pit. Scoop out avocado meat and mash well in a bowl. Add the onion, serrano pepper, lime juice, tomato and salt. Mix well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap to retain color and refrigerate up to two hours for best color and flavor.

When ready to serve the Gorditas and Guacamole, place Guacamole mixture in a decorative type serving bowl and place on a platter and surround the bowl with the Gorditas. Your guests or family can then take their own Gorditas and top them with the Guacamole mixture.

As a humorous aside here. The first time I made the Guacamole, I was very hesitant to taste it, since lingering memories of my mother's version was still in my mind. Well, when I took a taste of it I nearly fell in a dead faint. No..it wasn't that bad...It was THAT good and I had to laugh at myself...I never knew Guacamole could taste so good, since all I had to judge on was the way my mother had made it.

Good Old Fashioned Hush Puppies: A Classic Down-South Recipe

(Originally published at Yahoo.voices formerly Associated Content~6/27/2009)

ABSTRACT: My great grandmother had a lot of down south traditions, and one of them was to make crispy, tasty hush puppies

CONTENT: (©Oct 9, 2008~Ciao~This recipe first appeared at Ciao under my pen-name of pyewacket)

Here's a real old-time traditional down South recipe that is a particular favorite with fried fish...especially Catfish.

Hush puppy recipe

Shortening, or oil for frying
1/2 cup cornmeal, preferably stoneground
6 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup very finely minced white onion
1/3 cup fresh, whole corn kernels ( or substitute frozen corn, parboiled and drained)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
(Variations: Add 3/4 cup very finely shredded sharp cheddar and a pinch of ground red pepper (cayenne)

In a large, heavy skillet, heat 1/8 inch shortening or oil until smoking.
In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in onion and corn, and the variation ingredient if using. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk. Stir until just combined, do not overmix.

Drop batter by teaspoonfuls into the hot oil. (Note: Do not crowd the skillet, cook hush puppies in several batches if necessary.) Cook about 2-1/2 to 3 minutes, turning several times or until golden-brown. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot.