My favorite thing......recipes....NOT!!!!!

A Dollar’s Worth

By Alisa Dollar

There are many ways to get a meal on the table. Some use recipes. Others have long used recipes in their head and many creatively cook.

I’m a use the recipe type. If the recipe says I should jump up and down three times, turn around and do a little tap dance then stir; I do it.

It takes all kinds.

Daughter is a creative cook. It amazes me at some of the recipes she comes up with that are really good. I’d never have the nerve to try.

In Turkey, daughter-in-law uses yogurt for a lot of dishes; I never would have thought of that either.

Friend Kay is a Paula Deen fanatic. Her boxed macaroni and cheese is really good, but Kay actually uses recipes and cooks elaborate meals. I’d be jealous but she reads cookbooks. You heard me. She reads cookbooks. You have to love a person like that.

Bree is a tweener. She seems to bounce between recipes mixed with old favorites that are embedded in her very organized and clean mind….and kitchen. My kitchen is a mess before and after; she should be a TV show. I mean really, if I didn’t love her I’d be disgusted.

Prof and Mr. Prof are fun to watch. They cook together and are never in each other’s way while they are doing it. Husband always is right where I need to be and doesn’t seem to notice.

Little Debbie is the funniest cook. When she makes candy everything is laid out or nothing goes right and if you try to move something around she panics.

Watching people work their magic in the kitchen is fun. I’ve actually forgotten key ingredients even though I was following a recipe to a tee. I’ve also put sugar instead of salt and vice versa. I’ve cooked too long and not long enough. I’ve also nearly burned down the kitchen.

Needless to say I’m not the one to come to when quick and easy meal is needed.

Over the years I’ve found instead of making dumplings, strips of flour tortillas make wonderful dumplings and there’s no mess.

Already cooked bacon is easy to do in the microwave and there’s no chance of a pan fire because you forgot the pan of grease was heating. Maybe I should say overheating.

Everyone has a method.

Mine gets easier and easier every year.