do your siblings cook?

[Connie]

I am the oldest of four children. After me is my brother, my sister (Jeanne G, also contributes to the board) and another sister. Our Mom cooked a lot when we were growing up. So I guess it's no surprise that Jeanne and I like to cook. However, we love to try new recipes, and our Mom is not that adventurous. A lot of the time, Jeanne and I check in with each other about what we made for dinner, and we also share what we make (she only lives about a mile away). There are some differences, though. She's the one with the garden and fresh produce, and has no qualms about using phyllo dough. Me, on the other hand, like to bake more than she does, and don't like to use phyllo. I could go on, but I'll stop there. Does anyone else have any siblings they share cooking with?

[Missi]

I only have one sibling, a sister, who lives several thousand miles away. Our mom cooked very well and almost every night, but it was mostly meat and potatoes. I have really branched out into interesting and different ingredients and trying some gourmet cooking, but my sister cooks like my mom-- meatloaf and mac and cheese. I am slowly trying to get her to branch out, buying interesting cooking gadgets for her as gifts and emailing her new recipes to try. Maybe there is still hope for her!

[Laura]

I am the youngest of 5 girls. My four older sisters are quite close in age and then a six year gap then me. When I was in high school, my sisters were in college or married and so I sort of took over cooking for my mom. She was a great cook but frankly got tired of it. My second oldest sister enjoys cooking (we have catered dinners together) but the other 3 really don't. They view it as a chore more than anything. I must admit that being the youngest I am used to being the center of attention. I really enjoy cooking a good meal for some one who will ooh and awe over my efforts.

[Beth]

I have a sister who bakes the Texas Sheet Cake, makes Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving and has been told to make Banana Bread to give away (she's allergic to bananas). My brother can probably make PB&J and may remember how to make a fried egg and/or bologna sandwhich. Beyond that, I doubt they do much more than frozen doo-dah's, as I call them. Brother and SIL may be trying to change that to help with a home purchase in the future. I don't get how 3 people can turn out so differently.

[MrsReber]

I am the youngest of three and for some odd reason, when Mom wasn't around, the other two looked to me for dinner and anything domestic. My parents were divorced so we all had to pitch in a little. My sister really does not cook at all aside from very easy or microwave things. No baking (her poor kids!!). My brother does know how to cook and has cooked some very good meals. I seem to be the only one with a true love for it, though. My mother and grandmother always cooked good food when I was much younger. I try to share recipes with my sister, but it's just not the same as sharing with my best friend, who also loves to cook and create.

[marys]

I have an older brother and sister. My sister isn't too into cooking (she lives in San Francisco and has a long commute, 2 kids and 2 dogs, so her days are pretty full), but my brother has really become a good cook over the last few years. He lives in Alaska and is into hunting and fishing. He makes all kinds of things with salmon, halibut, even black bear!

My mother and I have similar cooking styles, although I have a way to go before I have her baking skills!

[matt]

My sister is married to man whose girlfriend before my sister. was a gourmet chef. I have a brother that I could not tell you if he cooks or not. Last year for my little sister Lora I gave her the cooking light 5 star recipes. Every holiday such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter I make a different CL dessert. As a kid my mother nuked almost all meat. except during the holidays. That is when she cooks up a storm This is why today I don't buy a microwave.

[Zinnia]

I am the youngest of three; my sister is 4 y/o than me, brother is 3 y/o than me. I was a Deli manager for 9 yrs. & ironically, my sister & brother got jobs in the exact same field shortly after I started my "Deli career". My siblings LOVE to cook & so do I-
we grew up in the kitchen alongside my parents & relatives, helping them every chance we got. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Zinnia

[mightyh]

I'm kind of surprised at some of these answers... Thought most families would be like mine--where one child takes up cooking and the others see no need to do so. My sister will cook every once in a while, but generally eats frozen meals and my brother can grill himself a steak on the grill, but is clueless beyond that. For example, last year he heated a pyrex measuring cup on the stove to boil water... until it blew up and scattered shards of glass all over the kitchen.

[sneezles]

I have three sisters and two brothers, none of which give a lick about cooking (except for the brothers who think only men can b-b-q). Growing up, I was always the one who had to start dinner before my mom got home from work. When I bought my first cookbook I remember my dad saying he hoped I would really use it. My mom was a good cook but she too was mostly a meat & potatoes cook (she thought that is what my dad always wanted). Fortunately, I married a man who will try anything once and has "learned" to be very diplomatic with ones he'd rather I didn't repeat!

[This message has been edited by sneezles (edited 09-27-2000).]

[AndreaU]

mightyh- I'm with you. I only have 1 younger sister. Our mom has always been a fabulous cook/baker- we deem her our family's Martha because she always goes out of her way to put on a show-stopping meal. I have picked up on her love for cooking/baking, always trying new things and going above and beyond the basics (though I love those, too!). My sister on the other hand would be just fine with a microwave and/or toaster oven to reheat leftovers (that my mom makes, as she still lives at home). Maybe that's why I'm married & she's not... Oops! Did I just say that? Just kidding. Anyway, I'm glad I got mom's cooking genes!

[lorilei]

It is surprising to hear how many of your siblings share your hobby.

I've been contemplating this for a while, partially because it's hard for me to qualify what constitutes "cooking". My mother raised all of us to be self-sufficient. Even my brother can cook fairly well. So, it isn't as if any of us really fall into the "can't cook" category. However... I tend to make qualifications.

My younger sister cooks. She can follow a recipe like a madwoman. She scrapes meals up every night for her and her husband in between work and school. But she doesn't enjoy cooking -- at least not to any extent. She certainly wouldn't give up a night at the movies to stay home and bake a cheesecake... which I would do at any given moment.

So, is this a matter of cooking -- or cooking? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Jeanne G]

Connie,

(My Sibling http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif ) What at neat topic and it's fun to read everyone's responses!! NOW I know what you were talking about last night!!!! But in your post you make it sound like all you do is bake, AS IF. You cook tons of stuff! Yummy. Looking forward to reading what others share.

You sis, Jeanne

[venus]

My brother is almost as much of a cooking nut as I am. We have long conversations about good olive oil, and wander around gourmet stores together. I'm not sure why it is. My mother made everything from scratch, and my father *tried* to :P. But my mother didn't use alot of spices, exotic cheeses and meat in her cooking. My dad was also allergic to eggs, so those never came in the house. I think my brother and I are very caught up in learning to cook all sorts of new fun things--I know I am, and luckily, my husband eats it. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[valeriek]

I'm sandwiched in between an older sister and a younger brother. My older sister and I used to have a somewhat strained relationship, but we both love to cook and we discovered a few years ago that since we shared that love, we could share so much more. We are now very close (even though she lives thousands of miles away!) and we swap recipe's and talk about what pots and pans work best for what (we both have a love for decorated ceramic bakeware). I'm so grateful that we can share these things.

As for my brother, he knows one thing about the kitchen - where the phone number is for Dominoes.

[This message has been edited by valeriek (edited 09-27-2000).]

[lorilei]

Originally posted by Connie:
Lorilei,
I meant the cooking you had bolded, but can't figure out how to make something bold in here.

HOW TO MAKE THINGS BOLD...
You'll need to use a bit of HTML. In HTML, a "B" surrounded by square brackets indicates "BOLD". An "I" surrounded by square brackets indicates "ITALIC". "/B" means "STOP BOLD". In turn "/I" means "STOP ITALIC".

Type the word you want to emphasize:

DOG

Surround the word with your commands in square brackets (I'll use regular ones to illustrate):

(B)DOG(/B)

Your results should look like this:

DOG

Have fun!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[lorilei]

BUMP UP for Connie

[Connie]

THANKS!!

[andreajackson]

My sister also likes to cook, however she is not as big of a baker like me. She is more into the main courses and things like that. I on the other hand love to bake and that is mostly what I do when it comes to cooking. I'm not sure where I got that from because my mom doesn't like to bake. So who knows?

[Jeanne G]

(B) COOL !!!:d (B)

[Jeanne G]

Let's see if this one works:

cool

if it doesn't oh my!

[This message has been edited by Jeanne G (edited 09-28-2000).]

[Connie]

Lorilei,
I meant the cooking you had bolded, but can't figure out how to make something bold in here. I would also forgo a night at the movies to stay home and be in my element in my kitchen!

Jeanne G,
I didn't mean to make it sound like all I do is bake. I also love to cook!

[Beth]

Jeanne, notice the slashes next to the letters.

Okay, I tried it, and blew it too. Never mind.
[This message has been edited by Beth (edited 09-28-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Beth (edited 09-28-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Beth (edited 09-28-2000).]

[lorilei]

Remember to "close" your command as well with a / forward slash. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 09-28-2000).]

[Wendy w]

I am the youngest of 3 girls and my 2 sisters are like night and day with the issue of cooking. One of them is one of those put "Martha to shame" types-multitalented with cooking, entertaining, crafts, decorating. She throws wonderful parties. She lives in the midwest and we see each other about once a year.

The "culinary challenged" one likes to look at recipes and attempts to cook but nothing comes out right. She has a lot of frustration when she cooks because she has a husband who hates anything that is not from McDonalds and a son who is adopting his father's eating habits.

About once or twice a month, I feel sorry for her and we have a "let them eat elsewhere if they don't like it" night and prepare something that WE want. I do most of my prep work at home because it is hard to navigate around in her kitchen as the counters are cluttered.

Last year, she wanted to prepare Thanksgiving on her own and just wanted me to bring a couple of side dishes. At one point, she became flustered and intimidated and my boyfriend and I had to finish preparing the meal. This year, we may go out http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif. However, my sister is a very talented 1st grade teacher. It is amazing to watch her in the classroom http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif-I couldn't do that!

Wendy