Meet the Cook: Jennifer

Jun
11

Post by community member:

Say hello to Jennifer from Southern NH!

Food interests: cooking, baking, learning to can

Hobbies: reading, cooking, gardening

Q. What are your favorite things to cook?

Those good old standbys that you know by heart how to make, without having to look at a recipe–brownies, roast chicken and Franconia potatoes, Thanksgiving dinner, Welsh rarebit, strawberry shortcake, spaghetti and meatballs, soup…. Things that make the house smell good, like it’s giving you a hug when you walk in the door.

Q. How/when did you learn to cook?

Through osmosis, watching my dad and grandparents cook. I think the first thing Dad showed me how to make was scrambled eggs when I was about 5 years old. Then helping my grandparents in the kitchen when I would stay there on vacations and holidays. I really started to experiment with cooking as a pre-teen. As a very picky eater, the idea of cooking something how I wanted (no chunks of onions and peppers!) was very appealing.

Q. Tell us about some of your cooking triumphs.

For me, just making something that everyone really enjoys and requests again is a triumph.

Q. What was your most memorable cooking tragedy?

Oh, there have been a few…. Setting off the smoke alarms at 7 a.m. making spaghetti sauce, putting baking soda in corn bread instead of baking powder, over-cooking this or that, and I can’t poach an egg to save my life.

Q. Describe your kitchen. Do you love it, hate it, and why?

I don’t love it or hate it–it just is. Although I have a beautiful new window over my sink I can actually use now! More counter space, storage space and a wall oven are on the wish list.

Q. Is your pantry organized and are your kitchen drawers tidy? We need to know.

The pantry/cabinets aren’t super organized, but I know where everything is. The drawers, on the other hand, are a mess–don’t go there!

Q. Do you have any favorite family cooking traditions?

Thanksgiving dinner–always the same–turkey, stuffing (with apples, raisins or cranberries and sometimes sausage), mashed potatoes, gravy, baby peas, rolls, homemade cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie (with Grandma’s secret ingredient), and deep dish apple pie.

I make a TON of Christmas cookies to give away every year like my grandmother used to (with her cookie press).

Q. What is the one gadget (or ten) you couldn’t do without in your kitchen?

Tongs, food processor and wooden spoons.

Q. If you had to take one food to a deserted island, what would it be?

I don’t think I could choose just one.

Q. What is your go-to comfort food?

Brownies with walnuts, wedge salad, macaroni and cheese, chicken parmesan, Bee’s cheeseburger soup, chicken salad with Granny Smith apples and red grapes or sometimes just celery and dried cranberries, fresh baked–still warm–crusty bread and butter.

Some of Jennifer’s favorite recipes that she’s contributed to Farm Bell Recipes include:


See all of Jennifer’s recipes!

Do you have a recipe post or kitchen-related story to share on the Farm Bell blog? See Farm Bell Blog Submissions for information and to submit a post.

Want to subscribe to the Farm Bell blog? Go here.

Comments

  1. Bev in CA says:

    Jennifer, you know we have to ask. Is it a top secret ingredient in your Grandma’s pumpkin pie? Enjoyed meeting you and will check out your recipes.

  2. bunnyruth says:

    Hi Jennifer, nice to “meet” you. I saw you were learning to can, if you ever have questions, I am also in southern NH.

    We are doing some canning today, making wild grape jelly from juice made last fall and canning up some pineapple chunks. It’s a good weekend to do it with all this rain.

    Hope you have a great weekend,
    Ruth

  3. Jennifer says:

    Nice to meet you guys! Bev, not “TOP” secret, just a good old splash of brandy or whiskey, whichever she had on hand. Ruth thanks, I’m sure I will have a ton of questions. As a matter of fact I never would have thought of canning pineapple… is it done with HWB or pressure cooker? I have some concord grapes from last fall I threw in the freezer to make jelly but there are only maybe 2-3 cups and couldnt find a recipe for such a small amount.

  4. bunnyruth says:

    Hi again Jennifer, you can pineapple in a boiling water bath. I just got carried away when they had a good sale (plus coupons) and bought more than we would eat fresh. You can find the directions at this link: http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/mod01/01600459.html

    Ruth

  5. brookdale says:

    Welcome to another New Englander! Looking forward to checking out your recipes.

Add Your Thoughts



Search Farm Bell Recipes

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
All Recipes
Appetizers & Snacks
Bagels
Bean Soups
Beans
Beans, Grains & Rice
Beef
Beverages
Biscuits
Blog
Boiling Water Bath
Bread Machine
Breads
Breakfast
Brownies
Budget
BWB Condiments
BWB Fruits
BWB Jams, Jellies, Butters & Preserves
BWB Marmalades & Conserves
BWB Other
BWB Pickles & Pickled Stuff
BWB Salsas
BWB Sauces
BWB Tomatoes & Combos
BWB Vegetables
Cakes
Candy
Canning
Casserole
Casserole
Casserole
Cereals
Cheese
Cheesecakes
Chilis
Chowders
Cobblers
Coffee Cake
Cold Remedies
Condiments
Cookery 101
Cookies & Bars
Cream Soups
Crisps
Crock Pot
Crowd-Size
Crusts
Cupcakes
Cure & Smoke
Dairy
Dehydrating
Desserts
Diabetic
Dips
Doughnuts
Dressings
Egg Dishes
Eggs
Entertaining
Fat-Free
Featured
Fermenting
Fillings
Fish
Food Photography
Freezing
Frostings & Icings
Frozen
Fruit Breads
Fruit Cakes
Fruit Salads
Fruits
Gift Basket Goodies
Giveaways
Gluten-Free
Goat Cheeses
Gourmet
Gravies
Griddles
Grill-Outdoor Cooking
Hard Cheeses
Herbs & Spices
Holiday
Homemade Cheese
How To
Ice Creams
Ingredients
Ingredients & Mixes
Jell-O
Jell-O Salads
Kid-Friendly
Kitchen Gadgets
Kosher
Lactose-Free
Lamb
Leftovers
Lettuce & Greens
Low-Carb
Low-Fat
Low-Sodium
Main Dish
Marinades
Meat Salads
Meet the Cook
Muffins
Non-Dairy
Old-Fashioned
One Dish Meal
Other Breads
Other Breakfast
Other Condiments
Other Dairy
Other Desserts
Other Main Dish
Other Salads
Other Side Dishes
Other Soups & Stews
Other Special Diets
Pasta
Pasta
Pasta Salads
Pastries
PC Beef
PC Chicken
PC Meats
PC Other
PC Poultry
PC Soups & Stews
PC Veggies
Pets
Pickling
Pies
Pizza
Pizza Crusts
Pork
Potato Salads
Potatoes
Potluck
Poultry
Presentation
Preserving
Pressure Canning
Pressure Cooker
Puddings & Custards
Recipe Requests
Relishes & Chutneys
Rolls
Rubs
Salads
Salads
Salsas
Sandwiches
Sauces
Scones
Seafood
Side Dishes
Soft Cheeses
Soups & Stews
Sourdough
Special Diets
Special Occasions
Steam Juicer
Stocks
Stuffings
Substitutions
Syrups
Tarts
Tips & Tricks
Tortillas & Pitas
Using FBR
Vegan
Vegetable Breads
Vegetable Salads
Vegetables
Vegetarian
Wild Game
Yeast Breads

Browse Tags

4th-of-July American Amish Asian bake-sale cast-iron-skillet chocolate Christmas Christmas Cookie comfort-food Country-Style Cuban Dutch Easter easy egg-free Fall Filipino Finnish flowers garden German Greek Halloween healthy holiday Italian jam make-ahead Mennonite Mexican microwave no-bake no-cook no-knead picnic Polish quick sausage soup Southern spicy Spring Summer Tex-Mex Thai Thanksgiving Traditional vanilla zucchini


If you would like to help support the overhead costs of this website, you may donate. Thank you!



Thanks for being part of our community!