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Recipes Inspired in Grandma's Kitchen

Everyone has something they do well and for me, it's cooking and baking. I can remember when I was about 4 years old sitting on a red stool in my Grandmother's kitchen watching her make Strawberry Jam. I can still see her in my mind as she showed me (as if every 4 year old should know how to make jam) how to tell when the jam was done by the way it dripped off the spoon.

Extra good cooking (and baking) was an everyday occurrence as I was growing up. But without a doubt my sister and 5 brothers were accustomed to good cooking and baking. We all agree the best of the best were the Cinnamon Rolls our Grandmother made, no matter what, every Saturday morning of her life. It was one of those old family cooking recipes that was made with a little bit of this and a little bit of that and flour till it felt right. Some family favorite recipes come from my Great Grandmother, especially the Chili Sauce and Molasses Cookies recipes. My Mom is no slouch in the kitchen either and that goes for all of my Aunts also. Mom was my teacher, giving me many of the basics I use today and so much more. In my family, I guess it just comes naturally. And so it is, I invite you to:

Stroll down Main Street and browse through the restaurants and shops. Cooking has been a passion for me for many years now and I would like to share my adventure of cooking with you. My hope is that you will find cooking recipes that will be to your liking, recipes that could be served at a family outing, when friends come to visit, holiday time or any time of day.

Cooking -- What You Need To Know

From ancient times till the nineteenth century cooking was basically a survival skill. The nineteenth century marked the division of cooking into two main categories.

The two branches were defined by the French, were there is 'normale cuisine' which means home cooking, and 'haute cuisine', which is cooking conceived like an artform. The major difference between the two branches is that one form should be considered as practical cooking while the other is more like cooking with a view to demonstrating skill.

The boundary between ~normale cuisine~ and ~haute cuisine~ gets thinner and thinner over time. New professional kitchen equipment and more information about cooking allow people to perform like chefs at home.

Haute cuisine cooking gathers different techniques and ingredients together in an artform. Haute cuisine thrives to gather as many aromas and subtle variations as possible to let our taste buds discover the variations of even the most ordinarily food. Color is also an important factor in this type of cooking.

While cooking was mainly a means to survive, food cooking techniques were simple ~ roasting by the fire, or wrapping in leaves to steam. The first revolution in cooking took place twelve thousand years ago, when pottery was invented.

Pottery opened the door to new cooking techniques like stewing, boiling, and frying. Actually, the heart of modern cooking is the combination of these simple techniques.

Historically, the three most important cooking styles are Italian, Chinese, and French. The oldest is Chinese. Its most popular equipment is the wok, which is a special frying pan, where food is prepared fast and effectively. Food ingredients circulate permanently inside the wok. Its design also allows to fully utilize the heat.

Chinese cuisine chops ingredients in small pieces. On one hand, this saves fuel, which is a scarce commodity, and on the other ~ since maximum surface of the ingredient is exposed to heat, dishes are prepared in no time at all.

Chinese food is considered light and fresh. Sauces and various flavors and aromas help to fine-tune the taste of Chinese food. Chinese dishes are light and fresh and Chinese restaurants are very popular internationally.

Because fuel was also a rare resource in Italy, Italian cooking, similarly to Chinese, relies on the fast and efficient exposure of ingredients to heat. The main ingredient of Italian cuisine is pasta, to which small pieces of meat, rice, corn, and tomatoes are added.

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