Serve it up Simple

By Robin Jovanovich

 

Karen Schulz has her passions, and family dinners are tops among them, especially when the kids are teenagers. “As a generation, we’re becoming too busy and family dinners are becoming extinct. Pulling them off isn’t easy, but I think the connections you make with your children at the kitchen counter, outside when you’re grilling, and at the dinner table are all-important,” said the mother of three.

 

She firmly believes that family meals — “which occasionally do go sideways!” — build confidence and socialization skills and shed light on issues that may have gone under the radar.

 

“The food is the excuse to be there,” she explained, “but it’s the being together that is the point. And if it’s not Thursday night supper, it can be Sunday breakfast. Find your time.”

 

She was pleased to share that she received a text from her son, who goes to the same college as his sister. He informed her that he was cooking dinner and had invited his sister over for salad and study time.

 

Karen can cook with the best of them and has been known to create many a feast with just a few pantry and freezer staples. She’s written about several of those repasts in “Dining In”, her monthly column in this newspaper, and has shown dozens of small groups how to assemble easy entertaining menus in K’s Kitchen classes she conducts in her home on weekday afternoons. In two hours, a group makes three recipes, everyone tastes everything, and they enjoy a sweet treat at the end.

 

Schulz, who is self-taught, describes herself as “a recipe tweaker. I’m just a hobby chef, but one who has fun sitting and laughing with friends around my kitchen island.” She added, “I’ve found that even the women who walk in saying ‘I hate cooking’ leave saying, ‘Oh, I can do that.’”

 

Next up for Schulz, who also works at Watson’s Catering two days a week, is a cooking show to air on RyeTV. “I love a challenge and I want to spread the word about the magic of food.”