Learning to Cook

My daughter wants to learn to cook. Finally. I've been waiting for this day for years. Waiting for her to say that she wants to learn to cook. She'll be in an apartment at college this year; she will make her own meals. Right now she knows how to make fried eggs and pancakes.

"Mom, will you make me a cookbook? Put in a section called 'food boys like' "

My son's friends loved Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy. My Grandma's Swedish meatball recipe will go into the section called "food boys like."

Her dad is teaching her to make spaghetti. He doles out fatherly advice as she browns the sausage. "Always use extra oregano, basil and garlic in the sauce" "Stir the noodles when you put them in the water so they don't stick together"

I'm writing down recipes written for her, making her a cookbook. Some recipes will go in because I know she likes them; other's because I want her to try family recipes. I want her to eat more than fried eggs and pancakes this year at college.

Grandma's Swedish meatballs

.

1/3 cup onions

2 lbs ground beef

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup water or milk

.

Mix together, shape into balls and brown in frying pan. When brown, remove meatballs from frying pan. Add the following ingredients to the drippings in the frying pan:

.

1/4 cup shortening

5 Tablespoons flour

3 beef bouillon cubes

3 cups water

1 1 /2 teaspoon lemon juice

2 bay leaves

.

Pour over meatballs and simmer 1 hour.

.

This recipe makes a lot of meatballs. Grandma made them every Christmas Eve but they aren't so fancy or difficult that they can't be made anytime. They are good for a crowd, a party, a football game or to serve to hungry boys. I put them in the crock pot to simmer. I'll teach my daughter how to mix in the flour so she doesn't get lumps in the gravy. And to take the bay leaves out so she doesn't eat them. I'm so happy to be teaching my daughter to cook.