Meredith
I have several interests when it comes to cooking. This all started as a way to maintain a, medically necessary, low fat diet. Although that requirement disappeared following surgery I'd like to continue trying to eat healthier. Cooking has also become a way to turn off my brain. When the grief is overwhelming I just pull out a saucepan and get started. Interestingly, it is also a way to feel connected to Lauren... doing something productive that we enjoyed doing together. Finally, I want to make sure that my children are well-rounded eaters. I want to encourage them to eat different tastes and textures now so they will be adventurous eaters later in life.
I have several interests when it comes to cooking. This all started as a way to maintain a, medically necessary, low fat diet. Although that requirement disappeared following surgery I'd like to continue trying to eat healthier. Cooking has also become a way to turn off my brain. When the grief is overwhelming I just pull out a saucepan and get started. Interestingly, it is also a way to feel connected to Lauren... doing something productive that we enjoyed doing together. Finally, I want to make sure that my children are well-rounded eaters. I want to encourage them to eat different tastes and textures now so they will be adventurous eaters later in life.
I got out of the habit of cooking for a few years while my life underwent some dramatic changes but now I am, once again, facing a medically suggested diet change. Suffering from some serious reflux I'm currently eating with quite a few restrictions (no carbonation, caffeine, alcohol, gluten, beef, or chocolate and limited fat and spicy food). After spending a week or so trying to adapt both logistically and emotionally to the change I realized I was being foolish for not pulling on my support network. As such, the club is back in business.
Max
The kid who continues to make the world turn. He is just starting out in the cooking world, having nearly mastered nachos and create-your-own pizza. His lack of experience is more than made up for by his enthusiasm (see photo above). He is pretty much willing to try anything, which is one of my favorite things about him.
Max has done quite a bit of growing up since the club first began. He is going through a phase where he is less interested in helping cook on a regular basis but he continues to delight me with his openness to trying new food and eating almost anything placed in front of him. Now that he and Stella only spend half of their time with me I would like to be more purposeful about cooking together and giving him some basic skills that will serve him well in the not-so-distant future when he is out on his own.
The kid who continues to make the world turn. He is just starting out in the cooking world, having nearly mastered nachos and create-your-own pizza. His lack of experience is more than made up for by his enthusiasm (see photo above). He is pretty much willing to try anything, which is one of my favorite things about him.
Max has done quite a bit of growing up since the club first began. He is going through a phase where he is less interested in helping cook on a regular basis but he continues to delight me with his openness to trying new food and eating almost anything placed in front of him. Now that he and Stella only spend half of their time with me I would like to be more purposeful about cooking together and giving him some basic skills that will serve him well in the not-so-distant future when he is out on his own.
Stella
Max has recently been joined by a little sister. She has yet to be involved in anything related to cooking, other than being perched on my hip while I prepare dinner.
Stella, too, has grown up a lot in the past few years. She is now the kid who is constantly interested in helping prepare almost every meal. She is avid stirrer. Her specialties include Kraft macaroni and cheese and quinoa enchilada bake, a dish that a few years ago she nicknamed 'chiladas' which has stuck to this day.
Max has recently been joined by a little sister. She has yet to be involved in anything related to cooking, other than being perched on my hip while I prepare dinner.
Stella, too, has grown up a lot in the past few years. She is now the kid who is constantly interested in helping prepare almost every meal. She is avid stirrer. Her specialties include Kraft macaroni and cheese and quinoa enchilada bake, a dish that a few years ago she nicknamed 'chiladas' which has stuck to this day.
Laura
The cooking in my home as a child was very simple. Two pounds of burger and tomato sauce over noodles=spaghetti. Two pounds of burger and tomato sauce with beans=chili. What was on the table was not what was important. Our dinner was served only when all family members (particularly Dad) were present anywhere between 6 and 8 in the evening. The secret my mother shared with me was put a plate of bread on the table with your dish and call it a meal. Just make sure you all sit down. I felt honored to be invited to The Nanner Cooking Club. The motivation came from the desire to hold up Mere in any way possible. It was impossible not to respond to the thought and effort she put into this endeavor. A delightful benefit is it brings my family home to me from as far away as Seattle, Washington. It's gathered together the family in my house making food, looking at foods differently and appreciating the effort that goes into preparing foods. I am ever grateful to Meredith.
The cooking in my home as a child was very simple. Two pounds of burger and tomato sauce over noodles=spaghetti. Two pounds of burger and tomato sauce with beans=chili. What was on the table was not what was important. Our dinner was served only when all family members (particularly Dad) were present anywhere between 6 and 8 in the evening. The secret my mother shared with me was put a plate of bread on the table with your dish and call it a meal. Just make sure you all sit down. I felt honored to be invited to The Nanner Cooking Club. The motivation came from the desire to hold up Mere in any way possible. It was impossible not to respond to the thought and effort she put into this endeavor. A delightful benefit is it brings my family home to me from as far away as Seattle, Washington. It's gathered together the family in my house making food, looking at foods differently and appreciating the effort that goes into preparing foods. I am ever grateful to Meredith.
Caroline
The complexities of cooking have always been a daunting task for me. As an avid baker, the faster pace of cooking, specifically on the stove, seemed stressful. My knowledge of cooking didn't go far past, boiling water for noodles. However, when Meredith came up with this club, I jumped on it, mostly to please her, but ended up discovering a real excitement for it. Since moving out to Seattle, one of my absolute favorite things to do is cook with Meredith. I've always said that if you're literate, you can follow a recipe, I hope one day to be able to truly say "I can cook."
Emili
My invitation to join the Nanner Cooking Club was not based on a storied culinary past; I once insisted that my mother provide me with detailed instructions on how to boil water. But I have worked diligently to earn my keep as a member of the club, in the process learning how to cook "real food" (as my mother would say) and discovering new favorite meals. For me, perennial cooking challenges include avoiding knife/grater injuries, not setting off the smoke detector, and keeping cat fur out of the food (as well as keeping one of the cats from eating the leftovers). My favorites recipes are those that call for a bit of wine because once you open the bottle, you have to have a glass. (Otherwise, as Lindsay from Arrested Development observed, it turns into alcohol.) But more than the food, or the accompanying beverages, what I relish most about the Nanner Cooking Club is the sense of connection and support that it provides across great, otherwise isolating, distances.
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