My Passion for Cooking

This section of our blog is inspired by one of the best compliments I've ever received. We were eating breakfast yesterday morning, and my dear husband, Ryan, says to me: "Stormy, I wish you couldn't cook so well, then I wouldn't have to eat everything." It was a very proud moment for me and in turn prompted an entire cooking and recipe section of our blog. I'm happy to share with you my passion for cooking and some of my favorite recipes!

Cooking for me is a way to dip into my creative side, relieve stress, spend time with Sofia, and put smiles on the faces of those I cook for--especially when they taste my food. My cooking training began way back when I was just a little girl. My mom would bake and cook dishes all the time and it never failed that she would allow me to stir batter or test taste the final product. During the summertime each Sunday afternoon we would walk down a block to an alley which was abundant in blackberry bushes. We would pick and pick and pick and then take them home to my mom where she would make the most unbelievably delicious blackberry cobbler.

As my sister and I got older, my mom enrolled us in the 4-H program. My mom teamed up with another mom named Jan, and started a 4-H cooking class for us and Jan's daughters. Each week we would pick out new recipes and they would teach us how to make them. We went on to learn recipes so well to enter the county fair competitions. We even entered cooking competitions where we had to make a full recipe in front of a panel of judges. They not only judged the final product but also our techniques and sanitary practices throughout the cooking demonstration. It was so much fun and one of my most fond memories of spending time with my little sister Darci, and my Mom. It became the big thing of the year. My paternal grandmother who could cook like you would not believe began scheduling her month-long annual visits around county fair time. Ma-maw would love to accompany us, give us advice, and sit in the audience to cheer us on as we participated.

So that is where my passion and training for cooking was born and it continues today. Now that I am home with Sofia, I have more and more time to cook healthy and yummy meals. Sofia often cooks with me and we have so much fun doing it. I'm proud to pass on this essential skill to my daughter Sofia and future children which, thankfully, my mom passed on to me. Thanks, mommy!

In this section of my blog under "Recipes," I'm going to post some of my favorite recipes and even new ones I find and fall in love with. You can be certain that if it's posted here--it's no doubt a delicious recipe to try.

Bon Appétit!