Hey, What's Cooking

Ever since I was a kid I've cooked. Often when my mom Sybil Miner Beck was working and I was hungry, I'd pull out a cook book and make something to eat. Mom was always a better cook, but hunger sometimes overrode my patience and I would rummage through the cupboards trying to decide what I wanted to eat.

Although cooking wasn't permitted in the rooms of the barracks, my roommate and I had an electric griddle. We often made pork chops, grilled cheese sandwiches, or eggs. It was great for late night snacks. We had to be sure the griddle was hidden before inspections. There was a space behind the tall wooden wardrobe. The old wardrobe was large and was where we stored our clothes and other belongings. The space behind it had a removable piece of wood that was a spacer between the wall and the wardrobe.

After I was married I often cooked, especially when I worked the afternoon shift. I made food for my lunch and my family had the leftovers for supper. Often I'd clean out the refrigerator, stir fry whatever I found, then serve it over rice. My daughter Anna loved it, dubbing the dish “Daddy's Revenge” while my son Andrew hated it and asked that I not make it so often. I can't remember my older daughter Amanda commenting. Another recipe I would occasionally make was potato soup. It was my wife Cindy's favorite. When I made the soup, I liked to give it a smoky flavor. Once when I decided to make potato soup, I couldn't find ham, bacon, ham hocks...nothing. As I searched I found several slices of hard salami in the lunch meat drawer. I decided to Julienne them and toss them in. The soup was one of the best I've made. The salami completely disappeared and the spices in the meat was just right.

Since my wife passed away, I now cook for myself. My cat Willow is much too short to reach the stove. She doesn't want to wash the dishes either. The recipes I like are quick, easy, and delicious. One pot meals are great. The crock-pot is a wonderful invention.

I do most of the editing for the Chestnut Ridge Historical Society's newsletter. I Get to peruse books for older recipes. It's added under the title, “Hey Grandpa. What's cooking?”