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January Challenge- Passing the Apron

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Home Stager

January Challenge- Passing the Apron

 

When I was young, I learned how to cook by watching my grandmother prepare our dinners and our big family holiday dinners.  She prepared everything for those big dinners…the turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, etc AND at least 4 pies. 

There were no written recipes. When I asked my grandmother how much vinegar, for example, to add to the spaghetti sauce, her answer was “Oh this much” as she dumped a large spoonful in. 

 

My cousins and I have done our best to recreate her potato salad and other favorite dishes but I wish we’d had a written recipe to follow. 

My mother was the baker in the family so it was easy to follow her recipes. We’re still looking for the recipe she used for my favorite yellow cake with chocolate icing. I may have come close after trying at least a dozen chocolate icing recipes. 

Which brings me to my 2025 goal. My 2 nieces were never taught how to cook or bake. Mini-me is learning and has often helped her Uncle Larry in the kitchen. 

My recipes are all in the cloud in Google Drive. They are ones I’ve used from various sources with tweaks and notes from me on them. 

My 2025 plan is to edit and organize them to give to my nieces. I’ll include my own notes or “how to’s.” 

 

 Years ago I took cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma. My chief takeaway was that anyone can read a recipe however there are tips and tricks that you only learn from trial and error or from other cooks. 

NEXT

 

Over the years I’ve kept notes on large dinners and parties I’ve given. It’s not perfect but it helps me remember all of the things that need to be prepared or done…especially the last minute tasks. 


I want to organize these notes so it’s easier for me to refer to and to pass on to them. 

They may never use this information or the recipes… or maybe Mini-me will use it as a reference. Either way, it will be there for them. 

 

It’s about time I organized my recipes and got my act together. 

 

This is my 2nd entry in ActiveRain’s January 2025 Challenge: Planning for Success.

 

Posted by

Kathy Streib
Retired Home Stager
and Interior Redesign

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Comments(21)

Show All Comments Sort:
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Kathy the effort you are putting into this will one day be appreciated and valued by those you are doing it for.

Jan 14, 2025 05:05 AM
Kathy Streib

George Souto I hope so...probably Mini-Me will!

Jan 14, 2025 04:55 PM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

What a great idea! I have some of my mom's recipes, some with her handwritten notes, but I wish I had some of the ones she never wrote down! This is an amazing gift you are giving your family!

Jan 14, 2025 05:11 AM
Kathy Streib

Kat Palmiotti my grandmother was the best cook. I'm thankful for the time I had with her to learn what I did. 

Jan 14, 2025 04:56 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Real Estate Broker

What a wonderful plan, Kathy! Neither my grandmother nor my mother cooked in the truest sense of the word... so I have no experience of watching anyone cook and there were certainly no written recipes to be passed down. Your family will remember this gift for generations to come.

Jan 14, 2025 05:20 AM
Nina Hollander, Broker

Kathy Streib hi Kathy... maybe when I retire I can take some cooking classes.

Jan 15, 2025 05:33 AM
Kathy Streib

Nina Hollander, Broker I learned a lot when I took cooking classes at the Williams-Sonoma in Reston. I enjoy cooking but also enjoy eating someone else's cooking once in a while. 

Jan 14, 2025 04:59 PM
Bill Salvatore - East Valley
Arizona Elite Properties - Chandler, AZ
Realtor - 602-999-0952 / em: golfArizona@cox.net

In our family it is the males as the cooks.  I grew up with my dad running a Restaurant. He taught me many tricks, which I passed on to my adult son.  My wife is the baker in the family.  My daughter wants nothing to do with cooking.  Funny how that happens. 

Jan 14, 2025 05:32 AM
Kathy Streib

Bill Salvatore - East Valley how lucky were you!!!!  I have a good friend who doesn't like to cook at all. She did when her daughter was younger but her pantry holds can soups, crackers, and not much more. 

Jan 14, 2025 05:00 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good morning Kathy,

Good for you! It's important to organize those recipes and make notes..I have a lot of my moms recipes and am so glad she made notes on them for me to follow. I have tackled that job but need to update recipes! Thanks for the reminder!

Jan 14, 2025 05:44 AM
Kathy Streib

Dorie Dillard Austin TX I know that Ms Beckett would love them!!! I remember seeing her cooking efforts in your posts last year!!

Jan 14, 2025 05:06 PM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Kathy - although I don't have any culinary skills nor children, I have seen magic coming from the kitchen by the way of two of my nieces.  Where it came from - I am still wondering. . . 

Jan 14, 2025 06:12 AM
Kathy Streib

Michael Jacobs isn't that wonderful. It's nice to see that young people aren't totally relying on food that is delivered!

Jan 14, 2025 05:15 PM
Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty
Waves Realty - Melbourne, FL
Florida Space Coast Homes

OK, I can't get past adding vinegar to spaghetti sauce. That being said, I also know people who add sugar (NEVER...use grated carrots if you like it sweeter). My mind occasionally wanders...lol

Jan 14, 2025 07:20 AM
Kathy Streib

Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty I'd have to put the blame on the Italian family that lived next door to my grandmother when she came to the States. They taught her to make lasagna, spaghetti, etc. She never learned how to cook Chinese food. 

Jan 14, 2025 05:26 PM
Nick Vandekar, 610-203-4543
Realty ONE Group Advocates 484-237-2055 - Downingtown, PA
Selling the Main Line & Chester County

I learned to love to cook from my mother and a father who only cooked once or twice a year, because afterwards we all had to clean up the kitchen and he used every dish and pan we had. But, loving to cook i found it unleashed my creativity and started off cooking Chinese dishes, then Indian, then Italian, then made up dishes etc. My boys all asked for my Chicken Enchilada recipe when they left home. We have a ton of cook books, I love perusing to see what tickles my fancy, or to find a recipe for something I want to make.

Jan 14, 2025 07:28 AM
Kathy Streib

Nick Vandekar, 610-203-4543 I've always said that men make some of the best cooks!  LOL And I've also said that men (Larry in particular) feel as if they have to use every single pan and utensil in the kitchen!!!  Larry has become an excellent cook and baker!  I'll bet Annie loves that you love to cook. 

Jan 14, 2025 05:29 PM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Kathy, my mom had receipes that were never written, but luckily before she passed I wrote them down.  Her potato salad is SO good.   Hopefully your nieces will love your digital recipes for them.

Jan 14, 2025 08:15 AM
Kathy Streib

Joan Cox you were smart to write them down. I wish I'd written some of the recipes down. 

Jan 14, 2025 05:30 PM
Will Hamm
Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO
"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

Hello Kathy and I am so glad my mom put so many recipes in writing and past them on to me.  I wonder what she would come up with recipes for a Air Fryer.

Jan 14, 2025 09:10 AM
Kathy Streib

Will Hamm you're lucky that your mom did this!!!  I end up Googling air fryer recipes when I want to try something. 

Jan 14, 2025 05:32 PM
Eileen Burns 954.483.3912
Trans State Commercial Realty Inc. - Fort Lauderdale, FL
FLorida Real Estate Connector

passing on a new tradition online and printed format - what a great idea to preserve history Kathy Streib  

Jan 14, 2025 09:52 AM
Kathy Streib

HI Eileen Burns 954.483.3912 I'm glad my cousin knows how to make my grandmother's potato salad because all of us grew up on it. I remember taking copious notes in my cooking class even though we were given printed recipes. The chef/teacher taught us so much that was from her experience and not in the recipe. 

Jan 14, 2025 05:35 PM
Lew Corcoran
Better Living Real Estate, LLC - East Bridgewater, MA
Expert guidance. Exceptional results.

Thanks for sharing such a heartfelt journey, Kathy Streib! Your plan to pass down those precious recipes and insights is truly inspiring, and I love how you're blending tradition with modern tools to keep the family cooking legacy alive.

Jan 14, 2025 01:24 PM
Kathy Streib

Lew Corcoran I'm all about digitizing as much as I can but they're also backed up on an external harddrive. 

Jan 14, 2025 05:36 PM
Sharon Lee
Sharon Lee's Virtual Assistance - Jonesborough, TN
Retired and loving life

Hi Kathy- Just popping in to say hi. I am doing well.  Hope your holidays were good and your new year is fantastic.  

Jan 14, 2025 03:09 PM
Kathy Streib

Sharon Lee you brought a smile to my face!!!!! Text me and let me know where you are. 

Jan 14, 2025 05:36 PM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

What a wonderful gift for your nieces, Kathy. Best wishes on accomplishing your 2025 goal.

I keep an on-line file of recipes and we also have a bunch of notebooks with recipes my wife has found and used over the years (deserts, entrees, slow-cooker recipes, vegan recipes, etc.). Years ago we assembled a small cookbook, with a plastic cover and spiral bound. using the most popular recipes from my wife's Mom - Rockin' Ruth's Cookbook - and made copies for the family. We both enjoy using recipes but also creating things from scratch.

Jeff

Jan 14, 2025 03:41 PM
Kathy Streib

Jeff Dowler, CRS I love that you've incorporated the cloud and written recipes!!!  I love how you carry on the tradition of the cookies you make before the holidays. ONline is easy but you've made me think about giving them a notebook like the one you and your wife did. Thank you. 

K

Jan 14, 2025 05:40 PM
Anna "Banana" Kruchten
Retired Broker/Owner - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

What a great goal Kathy!  I'm one of those cooks that doesn't really 'measure' because I know and sense along making the dish what it needs. How I learned to cook I'll never know because it wasn't my Mom's favorite activity.  I too need to write things down AND add some tips and tricks as to the why.  Love this idea!

Jan 14, 2025 04:09 PM
Kathy Streib

Anna "Banana" Kruchten it wasn't until 2020 that I had to make Thanksgiving dressing. My cousin who usually makes it was playing it safe and distancing. I read 4 or 5 recipes and cobbled something together and surprised myself!!!!  

Jan 14, 2025 05:42 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

My mom wasn't much of a cook and I don't really have any memories of cooking with her. However, I do have some recipes from her and her mother that I still make and have passed on to my kids. Rick's mom was a great cook and I did learn a bit from her.

 

Jan 14, 2025 06:50 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

How funny Kathy Streib  I watched my mother cook and also one of my grandmothers.... and  many years later I just loved going to good restaurants.... needless to say one day my mother & father were visiting us and she said wow where did you learn to cook like that, clearly not from me:))) we all laughed and shared stories about Diane's mother had no recipes it was a little bit of this and a little bit of that:)Endre

Jan 14, 2025 09:19 PM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

I am sure that your nieces will really appreciate that and perhaps before too long, you won't have to do all of the cooking for your big family get-togethers!

Jan 15, 2025 04:44 AM
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!
Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374 - St. George, UT
The best agent in Southern Utah!

That recipe sounds so good, thanks for sharing, I will be making it for sure, Kathy! I cook the same way your grandma did and mine (unless I am following a recipe for something different). Her finger pinches and palm measuring devices were always ready to make something delicious!

Jan 22, 2025 04:02 PM
Leanne Smith
Dirt Road Real Estate - Golden Valley, AZ
The Grit and Gratitude Agent

2025 appears to be a year of organizing for you with photos and recipes. i wonder what your third post will be?  Off to read it now.

Feb 01, 2025 03:48 AM