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By Cora Crompton
My husband and I recently became the full-time caretakers for my 100-year-old mother-in-law. We were used to cooking for ourselves, but this new phase of life has us rethinking our usual meal routine and handling kitchen obstacles we never had before. Needless to say, the three of us have different food preferences and cravings, but Savory Magazine has made my assignment of planning dinner for the entire house so much easier.
My mother-in-law was used to living her empty-nester life and cooking for herself since the early ‘80s. She would turn to beef stew, chili, or hearty soups that could last in the fridge for days and keep her fed throughout the week. But, that’s a 180 difference from how we handle things in our home. We tend to cook meals meant for four to eight servings, eat some that night, and set aside a few leftovers for later in the week. Sometimes we would even freeze leftovers or portions for future meals. That way, we never get tired of eating lasagna, jambalaya, or whatever we cooked up.
But when we found ourselves in my mother-in-law’s home, kitchen, and life, we had to make changes that worked for everyone. Savory has greatly eased this transition for us all. The recipes use common ingredients—many that I find I already have on hand. Plus, Savory recipes are accompanied by beautiful pictures to get us all excited for dinner and encourage trying something new.
My mother-in-law really enjoys good food, but our ideas of what makes a great dinner are really very different. But Savory has helped fix this situation. I bring her a copy of the magazine and let her pick anything that looks good to her. The pictures help if something doesn’t sound familiar, because she can still see that it’ll be something delicious. And so, we quickly started expanding our meal choices.
A recent favorite is the ham tetrazzini, which we all just loved. It’s been such a win to have her rave about how good my dinners are! This caregiver loves how the variety of menus and recipes offered by Savory makes my cooking so much more enjoyable and delicious.
