Cook It Good & Co
It’s time to get into the world of Blogging so in the words of a song you will know well “Let’s Start at the very beginning a very good place to start – when you spell you begin with A, B, C and when you cook you begin with "Yeah It’s Me". I’m the one who just happens to be so thrilled you will be saying Yeah It’s Me that took the very first step to just get into the kitchen and begin to cook.
Cook It Good & Co is all about getting into the kitchen and making a start. Think about it just like your first day at tennis camp, dance school or singing or any other fabulous activity you do. Where do the begin at the BEGINNING – step by step and day by day with practice and just turning up you begin to get better and better. The best reward here is that you get to EAT too and see smiles on family and friend’s faces – YOU CAN DO THIS!
So my story and how it began for me in the kitchen. It’s a story often told to me by my mum Sue that as a little girl about 4 years old I would take myself off to my neighbours house most nights after I had had dinner at home to have a bowl of ice cream and help her get dinner for her husband Reg. This extraordinary woman Jonie at that time about the age of my grandmother was to hold my hand and patiently guide me in my young years. I do so wish I had precious memories of these early days but as the years rolled on I had lessons in baking cakes, making pavlova, meatloaf and of course I was often borrowing a cup of sugar.
My mum Sue provided a happy loving home and when we were young had to return to work as a single mum. At this time the first frozen meals began to appear in the supermarkets a favourite for us was the Quiche Lorraine & frozen pizza’s. The favourite family night out would be the local Chinese restaurant and the first fast food was Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried chicken in the early 70’s. Other favourites were baked crumbed lamb cutlets with mashed potato, roast chicken & lamb with veggies, macaroni cheese, soups especially chicken and pea and ham.
The delicious lamb cutlet is still a favourite today here’s a recipe from ‘Taste’ using some parsley and Parmesan for a little variety.
Our lamb cutlets were simply coated in a little beaten egg, then into packet dried breadcrumbs that we always put onto a dinner plate making it easier to coat. We always baked then in the oven on a tray, I don’t ever remember cooking them in a frying pan and oil. They always went lightly golden and slightly crisp. I do remember turning them and having that delicious smell when I opened the oven to do that. I would also peel potatoes and cut them into chunks to boil for mash and the greens were beans or peas always boiled ( I never liked peas… ) Salad was the summer option.
I often helped my mum in the kitchen, but Sue is the first to say I didn’t learn to cook from her. Mum was sent to boarding school in the Southern Highlands NSW during World War11 from age 9 to 16. This resulted in very little opportunity to learning cooking from my grandmother. Mum’s classic line for many years was “would anyone like a cup of tea” if they said yes she would say, “great would you like to put the kettle on”. My father was from a larger family of 8 children and did have some cooking skills to help in the early days they had as parents.
