As I stowed casserole leftovers in the fridge last night, I thought, I should bring some of this to my folks. But then, I wondered if my simple shepherd's pie would be, well, too simple. At 86 years old, my father has become a close to a gourmet chef. Mind you, he and my mother are from the generation where the man would never set foot in the kitchen and the woman took care of all domestic household chores, including meal prep. Yet, a few years back, Dad developed an interest in cooking. He buys cookbooks at yard sales, checks them out of the library, and gets recipes and cooking tips on line. He makes everything "from scratch" -- no short cuts. He bought a freezer to put in the basement so he would have more room for his home made chicken stock and garden produce.
And, like most of the "greatest generation" who came of age during the Great Depression, he is quite thrifty. Have chicken bones? Make your own stock. That's much cheaper, and so much tastier than buying it in a box at the grocery store. Grow your own garden -- and he has expanded annually, growing tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, peppers, squash, and herbs. Now that Spring seems to be here, our chats have focused on planting, growing something new, cooking and preserving the garden bounty.
My Dad has always had various interests and hobbies, for as long ago as I can recall. Bass fishing...antique collecting...gardening...and now cooking. He knows his way around the internet, self-taught. He is still eager to learn more, do more, explore something new.
How cool is that?
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