Apparently, when I was little, I could crack an egg with one hand.
That's what my mom tells me.
I suppose I got it from my grandmother. Nan had a long history of cooking and baking. She passed away when I was eight, and my memories associated with her are baking and being my only babysitter. Years later, people would still remember things she made, such as a lemon chiffon cake.
The recipe that I most connect her with is Divinity. Ah, the elusive Divinity. See how it prowls across the barren landscape... Ok. It doesn't prowl. But it is very elusive and temperamental. Made from mainly eggs whites, powdered sugar, and (traditionally) pecans. We did walnuts. You have to do this recipe exactly right. Under the right conditions, or else it turns out like rubber cement. It did, one out of the two times Mom and I made it.
When I was a little older, I would sometimes watch cooking shows with Mom on PBS on Saturdays. Our favorites were the ones with Julia Child, especially the series with Jaques Pepin. (Those were the best ones.)
Several years ago, Mom found a box of Nan's recipes and took it upon herself to organize and type them up. That was easier said than done. Some were newspaper clippings, but most of them were in Nan's handwriting. Furthermore, the recipes were often in shorthand and sometimes didn't have exact measurements, and Mom had to figure them out. Mom collects recipes, and I have too, for a while. Just look at my Pinterest board.
In getting me to try new foods as a toddler, Mom would hide her judgements/distaste of them. It worked. I loved sometimes-considered unconventional foods (shrimp pizza, anyone?). I absolutely love Brussels Sprouts and cauliflower. I am rather proud, and shocked, that I got her liking seaweed salad at the Japanese restaurant.
