Recipes
Blessings from the Kitchen
St. Mary parishioner foodie enjoys making family meals
Andrea McGovern
Hudson
Although Hudson's Jean Chojnacki is known for making some of the best food around,
she says she actually likes to eat even more than she likes cooking.
"I guess I had better enjoy it!" she says. All joking aside, Chojnacki does consider
herself to be a foodie, and says she can usually be found in the kitchen, either
watching the Food Network while cooking, or if she's eating alone, reading a
cookbook or food magazine.
Still, there's always a lot to learn. Her husband, Pete, recently informed her
of the best way to peel multiple garlic cloves--You smash the bulb of garlic
on the counter to separate the cloves, which you then place in a lidded pan and
shake vigorously.
"It works." She says she was amazed, particularly to have learned the trick
from Amy husband of all people. He rarely cooks." But apparently he keeps his
ear open for cooking factoids he thinks would interest his wife.
Chojnacki grew up in Canton. She and her family moved to Hudson 17 years ago
from Chicago, right after the birth of their first child.
"It was family that brought us back to the area, and Hudson is right in between
my husband's work and my family."
It was her own experience of family that gave Chojnacki her commitment to providing
the same benefits of family meals for her kids.
"My mother is a very good cook," she says. "I grew up having family dinners every
night and I wanted that for my family. That's how my interest began, but I found
I enjoyed experimenting and trying new things. As it turned out, my sister, who
is 12 years younger than I, actually went to cooking school, so it must be in
the family."
ANDREA MCGOVERNAfter a number of years as a stay-at-home mom, Chojnacki returned to the
workforce a year and a half ago, when her youngest was in school and the
older kids in high school. She works part time, to make sure she is home
for their after school activities.
"The kids barely know I work except for the fact that I run around like crazy
now," she says. Her cooking has not been seriously affected, although on work
days she prepares recipes that are a bit less time consuming.
Chojnacki says she has no picky eaters in her family, which makes it a joy to
go through her large collection of recipes each Sunday, as she plans out the
week's menu and grocery trip.
"Instead of trying new ideas, I just go through my file to see what looks good
this week," she says. Her husband does the main grocery run, and she fills in
as the week progresses. She says that after the week's trip to the store, their
spare refrigerator contains 6 gallons of milk!
"We've often joked that we should get a cow," she says.
"It's our family dinner that brings us all together every night," Chojnacki says.
"It's about good food, a glass of wine for the adults, sharing around the table.
We always start with a blessing. This is what we look forward to at the end of
the day. It's the time of the day the kids can count on our being together. Even
though obviously we can't all be there every night, whoever is home will sit
down and eat together."
Five or six years ago, the family remodeled and created this gourmet's dream
kitchen.
"We always entertained a lot, it's just a lot more fun now", she says. A
recent big event was dinner for twelve high school seniors before this year's
Homecoming dance.
"My son and his friends suggested it," she says. "They all know I like to
cook. Some of the other parents came and helped serve. I made the kids a fancy
dinner, and after they left for the dance, the parents all sat down and had
pizza. It was a real reversal but a lot of fun." On the page below find the
recipe for the meal she made, Beef Tenderloin Bourguignon.
In addition, Chojnacki provided our readers with three more of her favorite
recipes for entertaining. One or more of them might be a great idea for your
New Year's celebration.
The Chojnacki family worships and are all active members of St. Mary Parish
in Hudson.
McGovern is a freelance writer. To suggest a cook to feature contact her
at andrea.mcgovern@gmail.com.