Seniors Enjoy Cooking Vintage Recipes

Some of the seniors whom I have assisted have taught me how to cook recipes they've used since the 1920's. Home style cooking without using measuring spoons or written directions, but relying on experience, involves being creative in the kitchen. Once a 97 year old and I prepared Thanksgiving dinner for 25 people this way, including everything from sweet potatoe pie to cornbread stuffing.

We started preparations a week ahead of time. Several trips to the grocery store and a trunk and backseat full of ingredients got us started. Her relatives were coming from all over to meet at a granddaughter's, and my elderly friend had a cooking background that was a local legend.

Several refrigerators and freezers held the finished foods while we spent each day on several more dishes. It was some of the most fun I've ever had at Thanksgiving.

Many ingredients were measured by eye and nothing was made from mixes. For the stuffing we cooked cornbread from cornmeal, and for the apple pies we cut up our own tart apples. The kitchen looked like an old time photograph at harvest time.

Adding a little of this and that my 97 year old friend made each dish creative and unique. She taught me all the little tricks of properly using the kitchen utensils, adding unexpected spices or combinations, and putting it all together to look artistic.

The vintage recipes that many seniors remember from youthful days are a chance for caregivers and families to share a good time in the kitchen and some of the most delicious meals anywhere.

Home Style Cooking, Memories and Seniors

Agency caregivers, independent caregivers, or family caregivers can help to make a senior's day a better day in many ways, and one of these can be to use home style cooking for a special treat.

Remember when meals were cooked from fresh ingredients, before the days of instant meals? Many of the seniors grew up when people still baked their own bread or muffins, created cakes from scratch, made stews from fresh vegetables, and used fresh fruit instead of canned.

The smell of bread baking or vegetable stew simmering on the stove can evoke memories of happy times and help create a warm, cozy atmosphere. Chicken noodle soup made from scratch sends an appetizing aroma throughout the house and sometimes people who do not have an appetite suddenly feel like eating.

Some elders enjoy sharing the cooking with their caregiver, and if standing up for long periods of time is difficult they can sit at a counter or table while making food the old fashioned way.

Caregivers can get an education in cooking without the help of frozen foods and microwaves from seniors who often like to remember recipes and share special cooking tricks.

Many of my caregiver clients who have been in their 90's have given me some cooking lessons that I treasure. Just think, in 2007 that means they are teaching me family recipes from the 1920's or earlier.

Cooking recipes from decades ago also stirs up old memories for them. I have enjoyed the stories of what is was like to cook with a wood burning stove, or to pick your own home grown fruits and make fruit preserves to store in jars sealed with melted wax.