Culinary Cassie: The Eager Skillet

I always think of food as the best way to share culture, beliefs and love. Most of the time we show this by cooking Grandma Carlton's spaghetti from the old country, or Grandma Mowery's chicken noodle soup. It's a way to nurture, and be nurtured. It creates a feeling of being at home, being a part of a family and reflecting on who we are and from where we came.

Where and how did I get these recipes? Well, my wonderful, thoughtful, creative best friend Leslie hosted my bridal shower a while ago. She knew that I love to cook, and asked each invitee to fill out a recipe card with their favorite recipe on it. So here I am, with a stack of recipe cards and an eager skillet.

I have recipes from my Italian Grandma (they use pork chops, not meatballs in their marinara), my Midwestern mom (meat and potatoes please), Nick’s Czech grandmother (mmmm… kolaches) and even my vegetarian best friend (a salmon recipe, really?).

My goal is to re-create a recipe every week, good, bad or ugly, and give an honest account of what happened in my kitchen. I will try to come up with vegetarian alternatives, if possible.  I will try to highlight something practical about the recipe I am making, and include an antidote about the person who shared it. I will try to avoid any and all meltdowns. There will be pictures.

I have an eager non-stick skillet from pampered chef, and a box full of recipes. The best thing is I will be cooking with all of the utensils that I registered for when I was getting married. See? It all comes back to sharing. Full circle. Boom.