A family that cooks together seems to cook healthier dishes together, too

Is it a coincidence that our cook of the week, Donna Blake, from Winfield, is the mother of one of the four finalists for our Cook of the Year competition last November? Or that, in fact, all four of her children like to cook? Or is it more likely a case of 'the apples don't fall far from the tree?'

The Blake children grew up eating a wide variety of foods-cooked from scratch-and they were always encouraged to make use of the kitchen. Her kids are, for the most part, grown and out of the house, but the family still loves to gather on a Sunday to cook.

"I cooked every night. We didn't go out to dinner very often," admits Donna, who initially majored in nutrition in college. "I always tried to have a nutritious meal, and it's healthier when you eat at home. When you cook at home, you're eating less processed foods, and you can control what you put in your body. When a processed food at the store has a million ingredients, I won't buy it." As for organic foods, Donna pays attention to the dirty dozen (mostly berries) but otherwise watches for sales.

Donna learned how to cook from her mother and grandmother.

"My mother was a very imaginative cook. We ate many diverse foods for the times. I remember the first time she brought home an avocado. It wasn't something you saw often, like now," she laughs. "She had a lot of creativity." Donna's grandmother was the baker. "I don't bake as well as she did, but I do have an appreciation for home-baked goods," said Donna, who will often whip up a banana bread to take to someone's home when a baby is born, or someone is sick, or as a hostess gift.

Donna takes after her mother in the full range of foods she likes to experiment making.

"I'm like my mom, I don't make a lot of things consistently, so the kids don't have a particular favorite that I made over and over unless it is our old family recipes for Swedish meatballs and Swedish crepes. I go on ethnic food binges, Italian or Cajun, and of course, we like grilling in the summer-burgers, salmon and shrimp."

Donna cares about nutrition so much that four years ago, she decided to volunteer for the Northern Illinois Food Bank. She now works for the organization and is perhaps, ideally suited for her role.

"Part of my job is to sort and identify the fresh produce that is donated and to encourage our clients to take the fresh food." The pantry gets produce from 8 different retailers-some of it's surplus, some slightly bruised or simply not chosen that day. "It's a perfect match!" says Donna, who bags the produce and searches for recipes that people can use for the more unusual items, like Dragon fruit. "It's a beautiful, hot pink, jeweled fruit," Donna explains.

"I like to think that I am helping people and hopefully effecting how they eat in a positive way," Donna said. She has not shared a recipe that includes Dragon fruit with us today, but she has shared her family's treasured Swedish crepes and a recipe that might change how you feel about Brussels sprouts.

• To suggest someone to be profiled here, send the cook's name, address and phone number to food@dailyherald.com.