Excerpt from "Bringing Cooking Back"

Tomorrow I will meet with a panel of four to see if we can incorporate my recipe ideas into their new program. It's an exciting opportunity. As I've been preparing for our meeting I've been fumbling through my cookbooks. I thought it would be nice to share with you the introductions from each.

Taken from "Bringing Cooking Back" by Chrisetta Mosley published November 2012

Introduction  

I love food. Good wholesome food. Not so-called food from a box or in a box. But, food, my late grandmother would recognize. Food that grows from the earth, free of preservatives, and will eventually rot. 

I prepare 99 percent of my meals at home. Honestly, I don’t know any other way. Cooking is natural for me. My mother cooked at home. My grandmother did too. I have fond memories of watching my mother in the kitchen lovingly preparing dinner for us. The aroma of freshly baked cornbread, butter beans, and fried chicken for Sunday dinner.

My love for food became a problem though when I ballooned up to 388 pounds. One too many pieces of cornbread, consumption of highly caloric processed food, with no exercise contributed to my progressive weight gain. I’m proud to say, however, I took control. Through conscious food choices, food preparation, and exercise to date, I’ve lost 170 pounds and counting.

A healthy lifestyle for me begins at home in my kitchen. Cooking at home is not only how I was raised, but it allows me to be in control of what I eat. I abused food for a long time by making poor food choices and overeating. Today, I no longer abuse food, I enjoy it to the fullest by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and adding zest to my dishes with seasonings.

I prepare, cook, and eat at home because the thought of a complete stranger preparing my food seems impersonal to me. Cooking is a labor of love. Creative, love. I chop, dice, mince, puree, grate, and stir with affection. I’m feeding my body, after all; that calls for the finest ingredients and loving preparation.

I’ve never bought into the fat-free, sugar-free, craze. Frankly, I don’t want to compromise the taste of my food by using substitutes. I use real cream, real butter, and yes, even sugar. My recipes call for these ingredients, I encourage you to use these ingredients too. Maybe some critics will say my meals don’t fall into the “healthy” category, but I’m confident preparing my food at home is much better than the alternative. Besides, I’ve lost 170 pounds -- my way.

I welcome you to make adjustments to my recipes to suit your taste and dietary needs. Perhaps you want to make my to Die For Southwestern Chicken Soup less spicy. Go ahead, omit the cayenne pepper. That’s the beauty of cooking at home. You’re in control. Once you become comfortable in the kitchen you’ll learn to experiment freely.

I’ve strayed away from my mother and grandmother’s recipes a bit, but the art of cooking was taught to me by them and will always stay with me. Today, I follow modern day cooks and add a few of my own twist to come up with good wholesome recipes.

I’m thankful for the women in my life for passing on their love for home cooked meals to me. Undoubtedly, I’m sharing the same love for food with my daughter as well.

What will your children remember from your kitchen? What recipes will you pass down?

My hope is that my recipes will inspire you to cook and enjoy meals at home. Perhaps you’ll allow your kids to join you in the kitchen, dine at the table, and unplug your electronics.

From my kitchen to yours -- healthy, happy eating!

Chrisetta