Hey Precious Friends!
Hope and pray that enjoying the glory of life and weather with deep gratitude and tons of positive
energy :)
When I was young girl i never liked to join mom in kitchen instead i would like to run around like boys and do some exercise .
I still regret that i could not make my mom happy by being girl who loves to do girlish stuff :(
My mom was one of the finest cook i had ever seen. Meals she cooked were loved by everyone who tasted or ate it .And praised for long specially when she cooked for family gatherings.
She would also spend time in kitchen while making her personal recipes that she adopted from her mom and moms of her friends .
I could see how anxious and cautious was about her health in last decade of her life .She would gather different herbs and ingredients to make food that she said was must to have in that certain part of age.
One particular name of the one of such food was "Panjeeri" (local name)
She would make her yeast from wheat grain at home and it was long process .
She would share her special health foods with father when they were not angry with each other .
My younger sister would also take portions as she was so smart to understand that it was good and necessary for health.
I was the only one who never had single bite of it. Once mom put in my mouth forcefully and i swallow it obediently but it came back by vomiting after few minutes . Can't tell how disappointingly she looked at me that time .
When i would ask mom how she cooked such delicious meal she would smile and say " i knew nothing about cooking when i got married" she told many times that she learnt cooking gradually.
And in beginning she would make lots of mistakes.
When i think about why everybody says that "her or his mom is best cook in the world"
i (now) can understand that until we get old enough to judge the food ,our moms are already learnt how to cook .
Or we just get used to it and find it best .
I too didn't learn how to cook from my mom . When i was at home after my 10th grade i was trying to cook randomly and learn gradually .But my interest was completely out of it and this is why when i got married i could hardly cook.
Specially the traditional wheat bread tortilla was quite a task to make for me . Tortilla must look so "round" and flawless but mine was often fragment from world map .
I still wonder how my inlaws or hubby would find my dishes good .And more wonder that how they would find my tortilla fine .
Once hubby invited some friends at home and i cooked the salan (traditional name of chicken curry or veggie curry) .
I had to make tortilla too and many because friends were five or more . I tried hard to keep my tortilla "round and slim" but it was mission impossible :(
When hubby came to collect the food and saw the tortillas i still remember his expressions that he could not hide inspite of trying.
He said he will take the food after while and went to his sister in law . She made tortillas for him and he finally served the meal to his friends .
This made me angry because i thought he belittled my hard work as chief . It took him time to convince me that it was necessary because here people think the woman who cannot make round tortilla dowdy .
This happened during very first year of our marriage. That incident shake my womanhood and i started to pay attention towards my cooking specially the tortilla .
This is grace of Lord that my cooking was already appreciated and approved by all but tortillas took time to be round .
Later mission "round tortilla was accomplished .But still cooking was just part of duty to me.
My husband is just like me ,he likes simple easy to cook food. Though my eldest son often said that "mom why don't you be bit experimental in your cooking.
May be one reason for this was my laziness towards cooking but other was that i found it tough and time consuming job for me , who had all kind of responsibilities upon my shoulders .
This is sad that when my eldest son lived with us i could not provide him with variety of dishes that i try to make today for my younger and youngest sons.
But good thing is that i find cooking more than just a duty now :)
Kitchen is special place for ladies . Some use this space as way to escape .Some use it to play with their creative ideas. And for some it is place where they join their moms and past freely and quietly through window of memories :)
For me it is all at same time :)I think kitchen is place where a lady shows to her family HOW MUCH SHE LOVES THEM!
Sharing few images of my recent cooking and backing .Hope you will find them interesting :)not the best but trying to cheer up the kids .
I think that is it for today . See you guys soon hopefully with next random spontaneous sharing !
Please take great care and stay blessed with faith that gives you wings of hope to fly on sky of peace and happiness :)
God Bless You All!!!
Ti auguro un sereno martedi.
ReplyDeleteCooking is indeed an expression of love.
ReplyDeleteAnd an art I am still learning.
It is dear EC indeed :)
DeleteI am glad my husband likes to cook. I'm better at washing and cleaning up. We do a lot of soup and sandwich meals. I eat my soup at the table and bring my sandwich to eat at the computer. lol
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that your hubby likes to cook for you dear friend :)
DeleteI miss my husband 's tasty food
A great story of you, Baili. Finally, you are a good chef! All of foods look so yummy. Thank you for sharing delicious food :)
ReplyDeleteI am still just a beginner in cooking classes dear Evi :)
DeleteTrying to learn
Your meals look so good, for me it seems you are a great cook! And I always say that it doesn't have to look perfect, the taste and effort and love are the most important things in cooking☺ My husband is open to a lot of nontraditional foods, so I can experiment a lot and as you can see on my blog, I do that often ☺ I would love to try some of traditional food from your part of the world. Have a lovely day ☺☺
ReplyDeleteOh this is great to have taste for variety of food dear Natalie:)
DeleteYou are great cook and I am so happy to find you my friend!
The food looks good! I love to cook. My parents were also good cooks. I also did not appreciate everything that they made when I was young. Some of these dishes I do appreciate now.
ReplyDeleteHaving both parents who are great cook can help lot children to learn not just cooking but also the collaboration and understanding of relationship I believe dear Brain
DeleteI bet your wife is proud of your cooking ;)
I didn't learn how to cook from my mother either. I refused to learn how to do anything that I feared would trap me into marriage and family. I wanted a career instead. I learned to cook later, on my own.
ReplyDeleteIt is May was not big deal for you dear Debra but in small village like mine when a teenage girl refuse to walk on decided path is so annoying but thanks to mom who knew me better ;)
DeleteMy husband is a great cook and prepares many meals. He could maintain a home on his own easily and cook all the meals. Many young men today are doing the same.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great dear Marie :)
DeleteMy husband used to cook lot for me for many years but he had to stop it when he got hepatitis
Doctor asked him to stay away from heat so I never let him do cooking but tea sometimes only in winters
We miss his delicious foods
Your food looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story. It's interesting that food nourishes us both physically and emotionally: that it is what's affordable & available OR that it can be a portal into culture. Still, I am with you - to prepare food for your family is a labor of love:) Great post!
ReplyDeleteHere is a famous saying dear Chris WAY TO MAN' HEART PASS THROUGH HIS STOMACH
DeleteSo emotional fulfilment is there for sure
I think this is one of the most loved Labour for a woman :)
I enjoy cooking, meat and potatoes kind of stuff, but just for myself and Mrs. C and an occasional guest. Not great, but what I do, I do well. The internet is great for tips and learning. I used to think my mom was a great cook, my first two wives were not great relationships, but I did learn that in fact my mom was not very good in the kitchen. Mrs. C is half Italian, Italians are known for their wonderful dishes, alas she did not spend much time in the kitchen with her Italian mother. She did learn a few dishes that I love, but she does not love making them, maybe twice a year I get treat and at least these dishes are as good three days later as they are on the first day so I get extra days of fine eating.
ReplyDeleteOh this is how sweet of you to acknowledge and appropriate the cooking of your ex wives dear Joe :)
DeleteI am glad that you get your favourite food some part of the year at least
Delicious looking food. Today, we find more men in the kitchen. I like cooking and unfortunately I learned very little from my Mom. Nowadays you go to the internet for recipes.
ReplyDeleteSo true dear Red
DeleteInternet is huge help for people like me :)
Oooh Baili that pizza looks deeeee-lish!!! :) Nice chicken rolls, and I have to say there is never a bad reason to make cookies lol! :) What kind of cake did you make?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, being in the kitchen and creating food and meals is a show of LOVE. I can't be in the kitchen if I'm not feeling well or if I'm sad, nothing works. But when I'm happy and feeling good, my energy soars and the dishes I make are really good! I loved this post!
And by the way, I CANNOT make a round tortilla. I have just recently mastered the round pizza crust! I learned everything I know on my own too. I used to watch a lot of cooking shows and I read a lot of books on cooking and baking. Now I watch You Tube channels to learn new things!
this is embarrassing to hear from you words of appreciation for my so simple and not so perfectly made food dear Rain
Deleteyou are such an inspiration and ALL ROUNDER ,each work you do is nicely and incredibly done always :)
lol tortilla seems to be big problem for ladies ,i bet after doing impressive home work you make tortilla round as ball lol
youtube is such encouraging and helpful for learning all one need surly
i made plain cake with refined wheat flour which we call "all purpose flour here with addition of butter ,sugar and baking powder
it went under high flame accidentally so bit over cooked :( but taste was fine eventually
I used to cook a lot. I had a family to take care of. Now it is just as easy to grab something quick. It is not worth the time or energy to cook for only one.
ReplyDeletehow so true dear Emma that there is no fun to cook for one only
Deleteif i was alone i would have hardly cooked for myself because i noticed i skip meals when i have no one around to cook for
I learned to cook on my own. My mother was a good cook but I wasn't interested in her teaching me when I was younger. But that was okay because I developed my own style and made dishes that she never did. Now there's the internet where you can find so many wonderful recipes!
ReplyDeleteAnd all the food here looks so delicious! I am now hungry :)
this amazing dear Martha that you became more creative in your cooking than your mom which is a big deal for me who is far behind from her mom's skills :)
DeleteEverything looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteDou you send to Macau?? :)))
oh thanks dear Pedro
Deletei will for sure
let me know the address and way to do do :)
How interesting to read of your path of learning to cook, baili. When I was growing up we ate quite plainly - meat and potatoes and a vegetable for our main meal, sandwiches for lunch as both parents worked and we went to school, and a quick breakfast of toasted bread or cereal. I learned to cook after I started living on my own. I remember the first few times I cooked meat I found it so gross to handle raw meat that after it was cooked I had no appetite to eat it. That changed though, and I have always been the main cook for my husband and children. I'm happy to hear that you enjoy cooking now, and I so agree that it can be a labour of love to prepare dishes for those close to you :)
ReplyDeletethank you for kind sharing dear Jenny
Deleteback in my parents home we too ate simple dishes just like you mentioned in your comment
mom would cook bit special food occasionally such as on festivals or family gatherings
this is so true that working families cannot invest much time to cooking i know this because when i worked in pharmaceutical in islamabad i had to leave home early morning and there was no time to cook so me and my son ate slice of bread with fried eggs for ling though cooking traditional breakfast for mom was important
i think i feel good that the hesitation and laziness about being bit experimental in cooking is leaving :)
Wonderful blog!
ReplyDeletethank you for kind visit Ashok!
DeleteI am also a bit lazy to be engaged in cooking. Since it is a must, I perform the art with sincerity. You have elaborated it inerestingly.
ReplyDeletewell said dear Pray when it is must :)
Deletei used to stick with same formula until my kids shaken my conscience lol
Hello dear Baili, and thank you for the very interesting post!
ReplyDeleteMy mother (like yours) is an excellent cook. I never became especially good, even though I understand that good food is a great way to spread happiness to the family and friends. :) I am very fortunate though: When the family is together, not only my mother, but also my brother, husband, son and even my father may prepare something tasty, everyone their own speciality. :)
I'm sure your cooking and baking make your family very happy... and you bring happiness to their lives also with your other loving deeds, understanding, kindness and wise words. <3
Big hugs!
this is such a blessing to have all family together dear Sarah:)
Deletei can only imagine the peace and happiness when you live together with own family and in laws at same time and both families became one how joyous is that :)))
i am huge fan of your CAPTURES my friend and i am so sure that your cooking is as sublime as your magical images :)
My mother was a good cook, but growing up our meals were basic what some might term "peasant meals." My parents had a garden so we had tomatoes and greens and she also made pasta. We hardly ever ate at a restaurant. My cooking is a bit more adventurous than hers as I am willing to try new recipes, but i tend to like basic ingredients that are readily available in local stores. Thanks for sharing the photos of your recent cooking, all looked wonderful.
ReplyDeletebeing experimental once in while is not bad for me either but i too love basic simple food and glad to have life partner who has also same likening :)
DeleteHello Baili, it is nice to catch up with you once more.
ReplyDeleteI can really sympathise with you in your first year of marriage to have such a setback as that. Yes, it must have certainly undermined your confidence.
I relied on packet foods and tins mostly in our first year!
It all takes time, as you say, and the meals in your photos certainly look delicious. The need for measuring etc goes over the years doesn't it and in the end we cook by instinct.
A lovely, thoughtful post. All the best to you :D) xx
you are always so wellcome to place dear Sue :)
Deletei feel so blessed and honored when my friend keep me in their memories little bit (teary eyes) :)
you were lucky to have choice for using prepared food but here girls are taught strictly and properly before marriage because it is matter of honor for her parents to send their daughter to her in laws with all basic skills that a lady needs to run household appropriately
yes that incident shaked my confidence for while until i took it as challenge and learnt more as house wife
Growing up I can remember seeing both my dear mum and my Gran doing lots of cooking and lots of baking.
ReplyDeleteMy Mum was also wonderful at sewing and knitting.
Now as the years have passed I still love cooking but have never enjoyed sewing or knitting, which is perhaps a shame. I guess we all have our strengths and weaknesses!
I enjoyed seeing your dishes.
All the best Jan
i think this is lucky us that we could see our moms and grans cooking and doing all others chores and skills which were essential for that time of women
Deleteeither i feel shame for not adopting skills from my mom such as knitting and embroidery (i can do but not with variety actually)
i often think about doing this just to please my mom's soul :) may be in future when i am not busy with much necessary work
I do admire you Baili for your dedication to creating such a loving and nurturing home. I am not a good cook, the only success are my curries. I have taught my sons to cook though so they don't have to rely on my poor efforts!
ReplyDeletethis is blessing to have more than one cook in a family dear Betty :)
Deletehow nice that your sons cook for themselves and for you either
i bet their wives will be proud of them
my eldest son lives abroad and learnt to cook for himself which we really admire because i think it is so must for men and women to learn cooking as it is basic skill for living and cherishing way to bring family happiness :)
"It took him time to convince me that it was necessary because here people think the woman who cannot make round tortilla dowdy .
ReplyDeleteThis happened during very first year of our marriage. That incident shake my womanhood and i started to pay attention towards my cooking specially the tortilla ."
This made me very sad!
Me too but how great is my Lord who don't let the sadness last long and I find new way out for solution :)
DeleteHow I enjoyed this post, Baili! Cooking is an act of love. I'm sure that your oldest son is sampling all the dishes that Germany and Europe have to offer, but he will remember your dishes fondly because you are his mother. I started cooking at four one morning when my mother was too sick to cook ~ She was actually delirious. My brother and I were hungry, so I made us hot porridge on the stove since I had seen my mother make it many times. I took some up for my mother to eat, and she was so distressed over my using the stove, that she roused herself enough from her illness to get help. I was making pies at eight and bread at ten, and I've never stopped. It's really difficult for curious and intelligent women like you and I to have to fit designated roles. My heart went out to you when I heard the tortilla story. I have the feeling that your husband was trying to protect you regarding the tortillas, at least I hope that he was. My husband isn't interested in cooking one bit. He'll stir a pot for me, but that's about it. When I had my cataract surgery on Monday, he took great care of me and served me a frozen pizza he had cooked for my dinner. It tasted great, because it was heated up in the oven with love! Take care, my friend!
ReplyDelete
DeleteOh four is too young to use stove dear Louise !
it happened long ago and yet made me worried about you believe me ,this was grace of Lord that you were so attentive and wise to use stove at so little age really !
i can share the fear of your mom because i could not let my boys do it until they were in collage
back in village we used kerosene stove for some years and mom was afraid to attend it alone when i was ten though i used it to boil milk or tea or rice until i was fifteen
i started cooking after i was 18 and got married when i was twenty .
hubby was quite protective about me because he knew that his family and friends can make issue about tortillas dear Louise so he did not present mine before them
i understood it later though i really felt bad
How surprising to know that Terry have no fondness for cooking ,i had conception that all men in west cook well lol
still he made Pizza for you and i hope it was so good :)))
I think the foods you prepared in your photos all look good. Some people have a talent for cooking while others have talent for other things. I like to cook some things and enjoy it, but other foods feel like a chore to prepare.
ReplyDeleteI can especially relate to your post, Baili, because while my sister spent time in the kitchen with my mom, I was outside running around in the fields making dirt forts with friends and helping my dad in the garden. Look at all these wonderful dishes you made - they look so delicious! Your mother sounds so special preparing homemade meals for her family. My mom cooked every day as well, but I don't remember her baking that often, so that's why I like to make all those Yummy goodies haha. That's nice that you enjoy cooking more now. Sometimes the kitchen can be a comfort, making creative and delicious things for the ones we love. And it looks like you know how to cook well now. : )
ReplyDeleteHave a very nice weekend, Baili.
~Sheri
Baili, I wanted to answer your question.....the little one is Francesca on my post. But her and Mia look alike sometimes, so I can see where you thought it was Mia. : ) Have a wonderful week ahead, Baili.
DeleteMy mom is an amazing cook too! I like to cook my way and my mom doesn't like that! LOL! When I'm on my own, I will be able to do that. But, I do appreciate everything she has show me! Big Hugs!
ReplyDelete