Mother’s Day Giveaway – Leave Entries Here

My grandmother made bread in a woodburning stove in her basement. Some of her friends and my aunts would come and they would bake and talk. I loved to be there with them, the smell of the wood and the fresh-baked bread made it so cozy and they’d cut into a loaf and we’d snack on the warm bread with butter melting into it. It made me see baking as a labor of love.

My grandmother really shaped how I viewed the kitchen. My grandmother was a self-taught cake decorator and she made all of our family’s wedding cakes, birthday cakes, etc. I have fond memories of watching her make tons of frosting roses in her kitchen. The smell of buttercream frosting is the smell of my grandmother and her kitchen.My mother sometimes work 2 or 3 jobs when we were growing up, and she was a waitress for most of my childhood and she worked the dinner shift. I remember he working one Thanksgiving when I was 13 and I was in charge of the entire meal. I wasn’t a seasoned cook, but I had watched her enough times to know what to do. When I was 14 I decided that I wanted to make an elaborate meal for my family. I got out my mother’s new cookbook and chose (I still remember the meal all these years later) fettucine alfredo, chicken milanese, stuffed tomatoes and cheesecake for dessert. I walked to the grocery store and got all of the ingredients while my parents were at work and cooked what to this day is still probably the most elaborate meal I have ever made.

I just tweeted the news! http://twitter.com/misseskwittysThankS!fingers crossed!

My great-grandmother made every meal for the holidays and the favorite was the rolls. It’s not a difficult recipe but for some reason few women in our family can make them like grandma. When I was 14 it was my time to learn. I did it all with my mom closely watching. I melted the yeast, add the flour and then kneaded the dough. It felt like magic happening in my hands. I remember not being able to wait for it to raise so I could get my hands back on that soft ball. I made the rolls and again had to patiently wait for them to raise. When they finally came out of the oven, golden brown, I can remember my mom tasting one and saying, “You got the touch girl, just like grandma’s” That was a great day for me. I knew I could do anything in the kitchen. I would say that it was that exact moment that helped me fall in love with cooking. I have plans to teach both my daughters how to make grandma’s rolls and hope they will pass it to their daughters. I am a mom and I want to thank you for celebrating us!Amy

One of my favorite kitchen memories is when my mom taught me how to bake a cake. Our oven didn’t work and we did it in some kind of stove top baking pan. It was fun just being with her.

The Woman that Inspired me the most in the Kitchen is my grandmother, Lois Ann. My grandmother can whip anything into a masterpiece. I remember as a little girl watching her careful hands prepare scones with plump golden raisins, I remember watching her whip eggs into a perfect souffle and I remember eating her cakes delicately so that I could savor every bite! My grandmother is still cooking and still inspiring me to be the best person and baker I can be!CherryBlossomsDesign at hotmail dot com

My favorite memories in the kitchen involve baking with my mother, cuttin out cookies, and licking spoons! YUM! My mother is a wonderful baker!emily a.ankeney121(at)charter(dot)net

What woman has influenced you the most in the kitchen, and why.My grandmother most deffinately.She grew her own vegatbles and still to this day she grows the best tomatoes I ever put in my mouth.She was a true southern cook.Fried chicken ,fresh vegetables,homemade bread.I got my big hips from her too,lol,her cooking and her genes.I remember poppin beans with her on the front porch while my grandfather whittled or played the guitar.We were so far in the sticks noone but us to hear.A good time was sitting out in the yard eating watermelon and just being with family.Lol yes Im from TN.I love my grandmother and can’t wait to go to her house Mother’s day ,she still cooks a big meal.Sorry got lost down memory lane.