My Mom was unlucky in having a Ma (Mother) who only made three dishes, one was goulash. My Mother was never allowed to cook. When my Mother was high school aged, she asked her Ma to make a cake. My Mom was allowed to get the ingredients from the pantry, and then stir the batter. That was all she was allowed to cook before she married my Father. Mom learned to cook when she had a hungry husband, a crying baby and no money. Therefore my Mother structured her life so all 7 of us "kids" learned to cook. If we ever asked to cook she made sure we we allowed to. Mom thinks the time to learn to cook is when you live at home and you can call across the room to get some cooking advice. You also have a lot more people around to eat any thing that does not turn out just right. Mom never made a fuss about the mess we made while we cooked. The first things we learned in the kitchen was how to make a Jiffy cake. Then we made pancakes, waffles, and brownies. She figured if you could make these basics, you could make some a little more advanced. For Christmas one year, I asked for a certain cookbook that I had seen advertised in a magazine. I was about 10 years old at the time. I still have the cookbook. It was a much better gift than another doll! I am so glad to have a Mother that helped us to learn to cook, when we were interested!

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