Making it From Scratch

By Keith Fisher

Everywhere I go, people ask me where I get my recipes. I always give them a blank stare and tell them, "In my head." Judging by the looks I get, some of them think I’m being curt and don’t wish to give out my secrets.

It’s true, I’m planning to publish a cookbook, but it’s also true that I cook by feel, it does come from my head. I once had a person watching me, writing down what I do and what I add to a recipe, and when I finished, I couldn’t believe I’d done what the instructions said I did.

I call it, by the seat of your pants cooking, and everyone does it. Many cooks tweak a recipe, they add something they think will make the recipe better. It usually works, because as eaters we know what we like, and we trust our taste buds.

The problem with this kind of cooking, however, is forgetting what you planned. I often forget to add something important, but the food is still good. Many people like my sweet and sassy chicken recipe. I’ve cooked it so many times, it’s like second nature to me. This summer, however, I cooked it for large groups twice and I forgot to add the mushrooms. My recipe calls for whole mushrooms added at the last minute. They soak up the sauce for a mouth-watering treat and I forgot to add them.

My friend, Dannie Phillips started combining ingredients from his head and came up with a pretty good sauce. The pictures demonstrate him making it for his little smokies and Kielbasa. Enjoy the pictures and I’ll see if I can get permission to give you the recipe.

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