I am over-the-top excited to be invited to bring food experiences and recipes to The Kewanee Voice. I am a 40-something mom of two that takes cooking and baking for my family very seriously.

Spending time in the kitchen is my favorite hobby, and I’m always excited to learn something new. If you’ve heard of “love languages,” I can confidently say that my love language is cooking and baking for those I love – my friends and family. This stems from my childhood and the time spent in the kitchen with my mom and grandmother.

With my mom, I was allowed to be involved with making bread, cookies, and nightly dinner from a very young age. At my grandmother’s house, every day with her included a new lesson on how to make her perfected recipes for countless meals and treats.

My grandmother has passed away now, and her recipe box that I was not able to locate for years, was found tucked away in my grandparent’s home. I found it after my grandfather passed away and brought the box home with me where it belonged. I consider this an incredible treasure, as much as I do the memories attached to that box, and I can’t wait to start working through her recipes.

I have always loved to try new things and so, when this recipe column was offered to me, I jumped at the chance. But this is where the readers come in: I’d love to receive your best recipe along with your story behind the recipe. Was it a family recipe passed down through generations? Was it your own invention or something your mom made every holiday or for Sunday dinner? Did you pass it down to your children?

I want to learn all about the recipe and I will try them out and share them and your stories in this column over time. Recipes can be emailed to: kewaneevoicerecipes@gmail.com. Make sure to include your name and hometown as well as the name of the dish and how you found it so I can include it in the column.

In addition to trying your recipes, I also plan to try some recipes that are trending online, and I will also share some of my own.

Speaking of my own, I thought I’d better include a recipe to start things off. I’ve done some deep thinking about a recipe that people often request. This recipe is quite simple, but it is one that I’ve made hundreds of times in my life. These are the best soft and delicious cookies and are perfect for weekend baking fun with the family.

Please let me know if you try out this recipe. From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter, melted
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 small package of instant vanilla pudding
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 – 1 bag of chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar, add remaining ingredients in order listed. Scoop or roll into 1 1/2” balls and place on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 11 minutes. Makes approximately 42 cookies.