Cooking with Grandma

The grandmas reading this post may be asking themselves how they made the title when they have not seen their grandsons in a couple months. Although they aren't here physically, grandmas have been part of our cooking and baking lately. Let me explain...

Baking bread together

Isaac has always loved helping in the kitchen whether it is washing the dishes or creating something. He still loves to help in the kitchen, but now that he is at school Caleb is getting his chance to partake in all parts of baking and washing rather than having to wait his turn. He absolutely loves it and is always quick to get the stool and stand it up by the counter where I am working!

With that little aside out of the way, here is where the grandmas come in to play. My mom made and gave the boys their own aprons last year for their birthdays. Unfortunately, they were not too sure about wearing them at first. It took a good half a year before they willingly put them on when I pulled them out of the cabinet. Now, they both run to grab their aprons and put them on whenever it is baking time. That is the presence of Gma B while working in our kitchen.

Caleb removing stickers from the apples

Caleb baked cookies with Paul's mom this summer, and she actually let him crack and break the egg into the bowl. Although he does not like getting the egg goo on his hands, he insists on cracking the egg himself just "like with Gma N"! And that is the presence of Gma N the last few weeks.

Since it is apple season and the stores are running sales on all apple varieties, we have been making and freezing applesauce. Every time I make (and eat) applesauce I think of my own grandmas. They always had homemade applesauce that we got to eat whenever we visited them. I remember that both grandmas always had the best applesauce in the world. While in college I asked Grandma Dekkers how to make it. I did not get a specific recipe, but she did give me her ricer which is something I still use today. And that is the presence of both my grandmas in my kitchen.

Isaac squishing the apples through the ricer

With the holidays coming, I know that we have Chex mix, Christmas cutout cookies, and homemade donuts in our baking future. And that is where Paul's grandmas will grace our kitchen with their presence.

I know that I love baking and cooking in the kitchen, and this post reminds me why that is. I not only get to spend quality time with my own boys but get to enjoy "time" with some of the women that I love most.