When Brian and I got married, I only knew how to cook a few things. Fried eggs, hot dogs (can that really be considered cooking?) and mac and cheese out of the box. There might have been a few more things, but trust me when I tell you my range was limited. Looking back, I’m not really sure why. My Mom is a great cook and I watched her in the kitchen sometimes, but I guess I just didn’t have an interest in learning. I was usually off somewhere with a book, I guess. 

Baking was another story. I remember at a young age having a burning desire to bake. I would read my Mom’s 1977 Joy of Cooking cookbook and try to figure out what I could make with what I had on hand. It was always Cinnamon Quick Bread. Then came that fateful day when I got an Easy Bake Oven. *Sigh.* 

I can’t even tell you what it felt like to be baking my very own gourmet treats. Well… “gourmet” may be stretching it a bit. Even at that age, I could tell these brownies and cookies didn’t taste like they should, but I didn’t care! I was BAKING! I still remember so vividly opening a pouch labeled “VAN FUDGE.” 

I thought hmmm…van fudge. Interesting. Was the first batch made in a van? I can’t wait to taste it! I learned an important culinary lesson that day.

When you’re not familiar with a recipe, follow the directions. 

 After mixing in the amount of water called for on the package, the van fudge was very thick and pasty (you know, like fudge usually is) but I, experienced chef as I was, thought it needed more water. I baked it for hours under that Easy Bake light bulb, but unfortunately my fudge soup never set and had to be thrown in the garbage. My first kitchen heartbreak. The good news is it only took one little taste and the connection was finally made: Vanilla Fudge! 

Back to our early married life: I had a lot to live up to. Brian’s mom, Aileen, cooked delicious meals with side dishes and desserts pretty much every day. When Brian and I were dating, I ate at their house a lot and was always super impressed. One lifesaver for me once we were out on our own was a journal my Mom put together as a wedding present with recipes from her, Aileen, and other family and friends. That got me started, although I quickly realized some recipes are best left to the professionals. I still can’t make potato salad the way my Mom does. I had to develop my own very different recipe for me to be satisfied at all with it. 

Sometime early on, I bought Naomi Judd’s cookbook, Naomi’s Home Companion: A Treasury of Favorite Recipes, Food For Thought, and Country Wit and Wisdom. Now that’s a title I can get behind. None of this “SEO” nonsense. (I’m just kidding, I know it’s not nonsense. Thanks for your hard work, honey!) 

This is the best kind of cookbook- it reads more like a book. I started cooking my way through it, finding recipes I still treasure, failures I will remember forever, and stories that delighted me. I learned not to cook unusual recipes for people you don’t know that well when I looked over and a guest had picked all the chicken out of his Crunchy Chicken Casserole and had left a pile of celery and water chestnuts on his plate. He sheepishly said “I’m not a big fan of casseroles.” 

Don’t cook unusual recipes for people you don’t know well. 

It was also the first time I realized how differently we eat in different regions of the country. Uh, Congealed Salad? Nope, I’ll never get past the name. Chili Pie? I’m from Cincinnati…there’s only 1 way I eat chili- or should I say 5-Way? I won’t say which establishment I prefer, because I plan to avoid discussing the truly divisive topics of our day…

I’ll always love Naomi’s Home Companion because it’s how I came to love cooking, and how I found out what happens if you forget to check a cheesecake for doneness after the time listed in the recipe. That will forever be known as a Cheesecake Milkshake.

My top 3 favorite recipes from Naomi’s Home Companion are:

1. Best Brownies, Ever! 
2. Chicken Pot Pie
3. Coming Soon to a Table Near You…Fried Green Tomatoes 

Through the years, I’ve had favorite Food Network Shows, blogs, and Pinterest boards to find great recipes, but this year I’ve found 2 new “Naomi Level” cookbooks. That’s what we’re going to call cookbooks that are so fun to read, they’re more like memoirs with recipes than actual cookbooks. 

Actually, one of the two newcomers to my list is just that…and I’ve already mentioned it to you…in my first blog. *Face palm.* I’m so predictable. Yes, it’s Bread + Wine by Shauna Niequist, and I’m sorry! That book rocked my world! 

The second one is Reese Witherspoon’s Whiskey in a Teacup. I came across it in a Cracker Barrel somewhere in Tennesee in January 2020 and like I always do with books, I read a few pages. I didn’t have it in the budget to buy myself something, so I went into the notepad on my phone and added it to the list I’m always keeping of gift ideas. 

Serious life-hack right here, people. 

When you’re talking to the people you love through the year, pay attention to what they’re interested in or things they mention they’d like. When they aren’t looking, add those things to the list in your phone. Also, when you see something you might like, add it to the list so when people ask you what you want you have some ideas. 

Fast-forward to December 2020 and I was still thinking about that cookbook. So I bought it! And read it in 2 days. Here are the 3 recipes I’m going to try first: 

1. Pecan-Crusted Chicken Skewers
2. Kentucky Hot Brown Bites
3. Baked Brie

And 2 other things I’m inspired to do:

1. Try using hot rollers in my hair.
2. Throw a Kentucky Derby party. 

Do you have a favorite “Naomi Level” cookbook? Tell me about it and I’ll check it out! Thanks for reading my ramblings. Happy cooking!

~s