Bacon grease. Homemade gravy. Fried potatoes.
When the cooking club gets together at Farmington Presbyterian Manor, it’s their chance to indulge a little.
Every month for the past seven years, the club has been meeting to make a meal together — usually something that’s not on the menu in the dining room. They take over the RCS kitchen and whip up enough to share with the residents and staff there.
Today, there are about six club regulars, said Stacy Comstock, the activity assistant who helps the club and gathers their ingredients. The group usually decides on the menu together; their favorites are comfort food and dishes they enjoyed cooking for their families.
“We cook in bacon grease like crazy,” Stacy said. “We make a whole, full meal each time, even dessert. We’ve made chili, chicken and dumplings — you name it, we’ve cooked it.”
The club grew out of an idea by the resident council several years ago, Stacy said, and it has remained consistently popular. Resident Rosemary Marler has been participating for about five years. Her favorite part is cooking dishes to their own tastes, which is a nice change of pace.
“I’ve always liked to cook,” Rosemary said. “I like to take a recipe, put something in it, and make it good.”
Often the group will share their leftovers with health care residents, Stacy said. The club usually meets on the last Monday of the month unless it conflicts with holidays or special events.
Rosemary said she’s enjoyed getting to make pork chops and chocolate sheet cake again. The tricky part about working with a group is making sure everyone knows what to do, and not to do. “They could add too much of something or not enough, and then you’ve got a mess,” Rosemary said.
But in this kitchen, there are never too many cooks.
Add a Comment