Skip to main content

For the Love of Cooking

It is so joyful that my love for cooking runs deep. Deeper than an eating disorder of my past. For a while I was nervous about whether or not I truly loved to cook or if it stemmed from my need to control everything that I ate during my late teens and early twenties--for this is a common facet to eating disorders. But, much to my relief, I found this "cover page" to an old composition notebook I had made when I was 11, intended to fill with my favorite recipes. The date was September 10th, 2001, far before I went through my struggle with orthorexia. 

So now I know I can say that I love cooking, for I proclaimed it in that simple notebook 15 years ago. I'm no Martha Stewart, but who cares? The joy that comes from making a successful batch of homemade tortillas after completely messing up a loaf of bread the day before from over-kneading is exactly what I need to keep trying the next day. I've had a lot of failures, but even more successes. 

I remember baking with my Grandma Whipple. It was 2010 and I was at her sweet home in Mesa, Arizona while we made spelt bread together. She had become a little more forgetful by that time and called me after I returned to Missouri a week later to thank me for helping her make the best batch of bread. She said she was trying to make bread again but it wasn't as easy as when I was helping.  

Some days now while I am baking I think of her and pray that she will bless my loaves and help them to taste good, even though she is in Heaven. I think of her often.

There is a lot of my Grandma Christensen in me as well, such as my unquenchable love for roasted beets as well as any vegetable. Grandma C loved beets too, of which I didn't know until last month when I was telling my mom about how much I adored this root vegetable. I also have a passion for herbal medicines, something she was interested in too. 

How funny it is that although I did not spend a lot of time with my grandmas while I was growing up, there is still so much of them in me.  My love for cooking truly runs deeper than the need to be a perfect wife. My love for cooking stems from my love for my grandmas and a love for my future family. 

Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 20, 2016 at 9:38 PM

    And I love how you figured out all the sections... Desserts 1-15 (first things first), Snacks 16-31 (next best things next), Main Meals 32-62 (well, you did leave the largest section to that), Add-on recipes 63-90 (I am impressed) and Notes 91-93. Looks like you thought of everything. Delightful!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hoping for a Rainbow

I'm really not sure if I ever thought this day would come. The day that I made it past 13 weeks pregnant without losing the baby. #miracle.  I know I am not out of the woods yet, and honestly, when are we really? I am just trying to live every day with gratitude for the life inside of me, living with hope for the future.  Part of me wanted to wait until next week, when I was past 14 weeks and officially in the 2nd trimester, but I couldn't wait any longer. I've been getting a little thick in the middle, which is getting more difficult to hide, and I feel like I haven't been able to be completely honest with friends when they would ask, "how are you doing?" All I wanted to talk about was how nauseous I was or how nervous I felt. So now, the news is out, whether or not you already suspected something was up.  Seriously though, the 1st trimester is not for the faint of heart! There were many instances when I thought I would lose the baby, but dee...
17 comments
Read more

Grandpa is Always Right | Gender Reveal |

I was hanging out in our rental apartment in Salzburg, Austria with my sister when my dad walked out of his bedroom and announced that I was having a girl. I was only 11 weeks along at that point and while I was wishfully hoping for a girl, I was preparing myself for a boy. His strong conviction of the gender of our child without any hints from an ultrasound surprised me. My dad seems to always be right about things, so I secretly hoped he was right this time too. Today during my scan, my favorite sonographer announced that we were having a girl. Grandpa is always right. I never imagined our family starting with a baby boy. I don't know why, but a baby girl seems to fit just perfectly. Now I just have to keep calm and stay healthy for 19 more weeks.
12 comments
Read more

The Love of a Cousin

Swimming Babes-2006 " What do I do when I get pregnant again?"   I asked. My sweet cousin was on the other end of the phone call when I sought out her wisdom and support.  3 years younger than me, she is in her 3rd pregnancy and ready to deliver her first baby in less than 2 months. She was the first person I wanted to talk to when I miscarried the first time, just 2 months after her ectopic pregnancy back in the spring of 2015. For some reason, I just had this connection to her, like maybe because she was born in the same generation as me and going through similar circumstances, that she would understand. Now, 13 months after my first miscarriage, I find myself going through mental exercises every day to prepare myself to trust my body for my 4th and hopefully successful pregnancy; part of that exercise today was to call my cousin up and have a nice chat about our lives and try to get some insights. We were both strong-headed children growing up--often getting ups...
Post a Comment
Read more