Say hello to fowlers from Hamilton Ohio!

Food interests: History, canning, and pleasing all who partake in my grub.

Hobbies: Collecting vintage cookbooks, my Grandma’s dishes, antiquing, scrapping, and cooking, of course..

Q. What are your favorite things to cook?
Depends on the day, time of the month, and who has inspired me that particular day. I love preparing new dishes and trying them out on my 9 year old. If it passes by him, I know I’m good.

I’m famous for a few items: Shuck Beans, Lasagna, Pork Adobo, Chicken and Dumplings, and Corn Bread

Q. How/when did you learn to cook?
My great-grandma, grandmas on both sides, and my mother. I’ve worked in a few local (decent) restaurants also, and the chefs gave me lots of insight and short-cuts.

Q. Tell us about some of your cooking triumphs.
My first turkey dinner. I was, I think, 20. My family was coming over. I had to impress “the clan” and I did. I had no leftovers, which kinda sucked because I was planning on eating them the rest of the week!

Q. What was your most memorable cooking tragedy?
Well, the food was a success, but I about killed my future husband-to-be. We had been dating about two months. I got up and made him a very traditional breakfast (from my realm of the world any way). We had biscuits and sausage gravy, over-easy eggs, bacon and ham, hash browns, and fresh OJ, coffee for me.

It was prepared and ready upon his arrival to the table. He ate two plates full, leaned back, and said how good it was. Within 20 minutes or so, he was yelling at me! I’d tried to kill him. He was soooo sick! I was terrified. He was bent over in the bathroom just, well just imagine your worst. I cried and cried.

Soooo, that being said, my food was fine. I had eaten the same grub without any problems, but the boy (at the time) had never had “REAL” food, his mother (to save her life) raised five kids on, to this day, the FUNKIEST food known to mankind. He had never had (he said) sausage gravy or over-easy eggs. How is this possible?? She made her gravy out of, get this, olive oil, and her eggs were fried.

Q. Describe your kitchen. Do you love it, hate it, and why?
My kitchen, well it’s small. How I prepare what I have in the past, when folks see it, they just shake their heads and say “how” lol. I have about three useable feet of counter space, my walls are painted a shade of green called Lettuce Alone and my ceiling is Sunshine Yellow. My cabinets, thanks to my brother-in-law.s dad, are the best thing ever. He cut the panels out of my doors and inserted glass and installed vintage lead crystal pull handles and knobs on all of them. The cabinets were built on site right in the back yard with wood on the property. It’s an old farmhouse, small, quaint, and creaky. I love my little kitchen, but it would not hurt my feelings if someone wanted to gut it and make it bigger for me. (Hint hint.)

Q. Is your pantry organized and are your kitchen drawers tidy? We need to know.
Yes, I’m anal retentive, I don’t like not being able to find something, and knowing what I’m in need of. I’m a mess other places in life. The kitchen has to be tidy.

Q. Do you have any favorite family cooking traditions?
Yes, depending on who you are, you get a special meal made just for you. Holidays, we feast! As how it should be. At Christmas, I spend days and days preparing candy, cookies and cakes. I LOVE Christmas.

Q. What is the one gadget (or ten) you couldn’t do without in your kitchen?
A sharp knife. My favorite is a filet knife that you get out of the hunting and fishing section at Walmart. I’ve bought two now in 30 years. It’s by Rapala.

Q. If you had to take one food to a deserted island, what would it be?
Butter. Everything taste better with butter! No, really it does!

Q. What is your go-to comfort food?
Cereal, I’m a sugar junky, but cereal is one of my weaknesses.

One of fowlers’ favorite recipes that’s been submitted to Farm Bell:

• Homemade Beef Vegetable Soup (for canning)

See all of fowlers’ recipes and/or blog posts!

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