Something's cooking in the kitchen with Stacy

Activity Assistant Stacy Comstock loves to coordinate cooking activities with the Assisted Living residents at Farmington Presbyterian Manor. Each month Stacy and a group of residents gather to prepare home-cooked meals and invite friends to enjoy the delicious fruits (or veggies) of their labor.

Recently, residents from the Memory Care neighborhood joined in on the fun and helped out by stringing garden-fresh green beans. These residents’ participation was especially appropriate given the role food plays in our individual memories.

“I miss my Nana's vegetable beef stew. She's long since passed, but the smell and taste of her stew is firmly implanted in my memory,” said Keely Jameson, sales and marketing director. “No matter how hard I try I've never been able to recreate it. Recipes aren't just formulas for making good food. They are living history of the loving hands that worked to nourish our bodies…and our souls."

In the belief that recipes are meant to be passed on so that they can be preserved, resident Mary Carron’s recipe for coleslaw is included below. Give it a try at your next family gathering.

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cabbage, cut thin

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup oil

1 tsp dried mustard

Directions:

Make the sauce by combining sugar, cider vinegar, oil and dried mustard in a small pan over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Pour sauce over cabbage & green pepper in a bowl and mix.

As a bonus, this recipe can be used for potato salad as well.