Community, baking and family keep Hoffman Estates cook grounded
When Patty Branham, our Cook of the Week from Hoffman Estates, got married, she only knew how to cook three things: lasagna, bread and brownies. Her mother hadn't liked having people (aka kids) underfoot in her kitchen. Flash forward a couple of decades - Patty knows her way around the kitchen, in fact, according to Patty, her kitchen is "her happy place."
"I love being in my kitchen," says Patty. "When I'm bored I come in here, find a recipe and make something." And Patty has a slew of recipes from which to choose. Her Hungarian grandmother and Spanish grandmother both shared their recipes, her husband has worked at Kraft foods for years, so she always has a new Kraft cookbook, and she loves searching for recipes in magazines and online, not to mention the Food Network.
The Branhams are a transplanted family - they ended up in Hoffman Estates via several states. So when they landed in Illinois with their three boys, Patty knew the drill. First, because they had no relatives who lived in town, holidays would be on Patty. She has become used to doing all the Thanksgiving and Christmas food preparation. Now that her boys are adults, and no slouches in the kitchen, she is looking forward to a more shared experience.
Second, Patty knew she needed to meet people and get to know the community. She taught French and English as a Second Language at Harper College and joined The American Association of University Women where she connected with six other women. They've been good friends for twenty years now, and have a unique tradition.
"Well, between us we have 21 kids. Every time one of them has become engaged, we throw them a couple's shower. My son's shower {the following weekend} will be the 18th. We have three more to go!" she laughs. The person whose child is getting married does nothing. In fact, all the
planning, including menu and theme, remain a secret to the Mother of the Bride/Groom. The friends do all the cooking, hosting and cleaning up.
"I'm really looking forward to it!" said the mother of the groom. Turns out, the shower had a Tahiti theme, as that is the honeymoon destination, complete with seafood, pineapple skewers and rum cake.
Another group that Patty belongs to is the "Casual Cooking" club, a spinoff from Welcome Wagon. The group meets once a month for lunch. Each month is assigned a theme, and the members take turns hosting, choosing the recipes and cooking.
"It's fun to try new things. I'm hosting the next one, which is actually a Kentucky Derby theme with southern recipes like sweet bourbon pulled-pork and mint juleps, of course."
Patty admits her style of cooking has changed dramatically over the years. When her boys were young, her meals were hearty and robust.
"I used to cook way more food: I made stews, meat and potatoes, chicken and dumplings, and biscuits or rolls with every meal. " Now, the Branhams are more concerned about healthy choices.
"We've had to really cut back. We try to keep our weight down and exercise."
However, some things haven't changed. Patty still plans all their meals before she shops and likes to find bargains - even if she must go to more than one store. And she still loves to bake. Patty shares several desserts with us today. Try the delicious, guilt-free key lime pie, or venture into decadence with her pecan pie muffins.
"I like to bake pies and desserts of all different kinds," Patty said. "At Christmas, I usually make 12 different kinds of cookies. I start at Thanksgiving. I love making a tray to give to someone as a gift - something they don't make at home. I arrange the cookie trays specially - I love the presentation. When I bake now, it goes right into the freezer, or I give things away to my neighbors. My friends are always asking me, 'what's in your freezer?' Usually, there is something in there," she says.
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