And that recording now one must not get one's knickers in a twist. I'm trying. These are the stories your granny never told and loved by everybody. I was raising the kinds of kids and I slipped up on some spilled ones on the road and my mom. Hello, everybody, it's Nikki, your host for stories your granny never told, it's a monthly podcast where I interview older folk about their unexpected life stories.

Man, I know not all the listeners are in America, but over here, it has been a long, long month. So I'm very glad that we're here now, even though we're just half way through November.

But this this episode is going to kind of help calm the nerves and feel better. And, yeah, I'm excited for you guys to hear about it.

This is actually a really special episode because Lynn has a YouTube channel. We're doing a bit of a CoLab, and we're going to post the the full recording of the episode on her YouTube channel. On my YouTube channel. Yes, I have a YouTube channel. And that's going to be the unedited version, which is a little bit longer than this. So if you want to see what I look like with terrible lighting and rushing in to an interview and no editing, of course you can go and see our interview on YouTube.

Maybe you'll get to see my face and stick a face to the voice. That's always nice. Speaking of sticking faces to voices, for every interview I do, I post pictures of the interviewees on the website and they're really fun to look at. So go check that out too. If you want any information at all about the podcast, go to stories your granny never told Dotcom. You can find there the merch. You can find all of our social media.

It stories your granny told on everything and you can buy me a coffee if you like this and you want to support me, you know, that's always nice. So anyways, today's guest, she is a 62 year old YouTube cook. And when you watch her videos, you feel like you're sitting next to her in her kitchen trying her chili and you're probably going to hear it. But as the episode goes on, I get hungrier and hungrier because we just keep talking about food.

And I don't know, it's just the perfect episode right before Thanksgiving. If you celebrate that, any other holiday meals, I mean, a bunch of bunch of countries also have huge holiday meals around October, November, December.

So here you go, guys. Just to start out, can you tell everyone your name and if you want, you can tell us your age as well? OK. My name is Lynnette Hamas. I'm 62 years old.

All right. Thanks.

So go ahead and start from where you grew up, where you were born. No, I was born in Toledo, Ohio. And so I was raised in a home that had beliefs of you being right and doing right. There was a stern hand there on both sides that it was a little easier and momma was the the one with the stiff and the stiffness. But I grew up with a houseful of siblings with seven girls and one boy. And I used to just shake my head because I feel sorry for you to see that everything.

And were you like in the middle are kind of like I'm like with the older sisters are. So we talk about. Fourth, a lot to keep track of high, right? Right. You know, and then it's my brother then his three other younger sibling girls. Yeah.

OK, so I found out about you because you have a cooking YouTube channel and we'll get into all of that later. But just like is cooking a really important part of your life growing up or was it.

Yeah, it was it really. I mean, even from the time when I was old enough to understand family, that was the core family come together with family and come together to have dinner and mom cooking all the time, all my life. That's, you know, she always cooked. Yeah. And that was just the core of my heart right there, because I saw how cooking brought family and friends together and the laughter and the conversations, you know, and just the warmth of it, you know, it was always pleasant to see people coming.

And my mom was a type she was like a homebody, sort of, but she just reached out to everybody like she was the neighborhood mama. Yeah.

She was already cooking for seven. So might as well bring everyone I know. All of our friends grew up with us. None of them can say that they when they were around us, they didn't miss a meal. Yeah, my mom had everybody was welcome to it. And so our our house was the neighborhood, I would say restaurant, but it was like a home restaurant where everybody could come and get filled up. And she always made sure there was plenty for everybody.

And I'm saying that. And so did she teach you how to cook? Yes, she did. So you would just like watch her while she was preparing these large meals when I was little, when I was really young. I love my mother so much like she she has so many kids. And I used to try to figure out how does she how does she keep the house clean and all of these things. So I was always curious. So, you know, sometimes she would begin to make like especially the holiday meals.

It was so many of what she would do, a lot of cooking and we would go to bed and stuff like that. Oh, wow. I would smell pie and I would be in the mail, you know, and I would get up off that bed. Yeah, go downstairs. And I would do a lot of investigating and picking and I would always catch her. And she she would be if she was a child or something she was mixing or something and or putting something in the oven to take it out of room.

So and she and I looked at my mom and I don't think my mom even realized what I would look at my mom. I just saw like a glow about her cooking and then she will hum along with it. Oh, I was like, she likes this and, you know, and be like, I would never sneak back upstairs and get back in the bed. And the next day, which is really a holiday day, I would be like, yes, you know, because I get to finally eat all of it that she spent all night making you talking about.

And then, you know, you know, you're waiting for the company to come, you know, and how I still don't understand how she could get eight kids ready in time for dinner. I stayed up all night long. The house is spotless. Yeah. And she's all of the people that would come. We would have people everywhere and they would just come in and I would look and see the enjoyment on everybody's face, you know, sitting around eating and talking and laughing.

And then I would still watch my mom and my dad and the joy that just that that glow in their smile that they would have on their face of contentment is good.

Yeah.

You know, so know, hearing about that, it sounds so cozy.

I just I want to be there right now.

I want to eat if I can get all of the relatives and even the friends that we have to come and be behind me, they would vouch they would be over. Yeah. Oh, I believe, you know, is there a specific food or meal that she made that was like your favorite?

Nope, I like that small thing, but I think the first the first real dish that I really made that I feel love, I love the spaghetti, I love spaghetti, spaghetti. But then as you get older, you know, there's so many favorite dishes that just call them all my favorite. Yeah.

So so you you learned when you were little and I guess you've been cooking ever since. Have you noticed things changing in the way of cooking, like there's new machines now and stuff like that. Because the way my mom had to do it was, well, you will see more horror, you know, because I mean, let's face it, like I was going like in the fifties, OK? So by the time I realized that mommy was doing it was like, you know, mid 60s or whatever, early 60s or whatever.

And I mean, coming from black culture, just facing black people didn't have all of the equipment that they needed. So, I mean, you would see them mixing things with their hands. So that's done with Tarasoff, but mixing and the love that went into that. And then, you know, as you get older, like now through the years and even even when I really like started my family and started growing and stuff, you had more better technology to come along and make the things that you were doing easier and then like look at the spices and the herbs and things that they have now.

I didn't even think of that, that you would have less spices, even some pepper, and they would take the salt and pepper and a little bit of flour and, you know, some some onion or whatever. And they could they could just I don't know, they can magic meals come alive. Yeah. As we got older and my mom started allowing us in the kitchen and stuff, she, you know, she started developing the thing with spices.

She started adding things into her food that her mother didn't use innovation. It just made it better. It just so you grow with time and it just made it better.

And so she would just invite us. And as we got older and started having our own families, we went over and helped cook because everybody gathered at Mom's house. But she was still show us. And I was always is. What is this spice for? What did you do that what did you get that basically would tell me? And I would I would take it home and experiment with it, too. And I'm like, Mom, that was on point.

Yeah. Is really something to see, you know, the years of the progress on different things that you can use to to spice it up or keep it at a minimum. However, you know, and I think that's just the trick in cooking, just continuing to learn and grow, you know, as things come about, you know, in this world to just be able to experiment with it. If you like it, fine. If you don't have to use it, you know.

So that's a good way to just look at life in general.

Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

So you have recipes that you use that are like passed down from generation to generation, and then every generation adds their little spice, I guess, and it just gets better and better. What do you think is like the oldest recipe that you have on my mom's.

Oh man recipe I have from her. I love I love my mom's dressing like salad dressing. No dressing like stuffing. Oh yeah. And cornbread dressing.

And she she taught us how to make that.

And are you like the main cook in your family now out of all your siblings. You know, all my siblings, I'm the main I don't know because all of us cook OK. I have two younger sisters. They can bake like no one else. And now I have a daughter who can bake. She does designer cakes and things like that. And I'll do that. I like to cook. I'm not so much of a baker. There's only a few things that I will bake.

But if you want me to cook, I'll cook. But I have they some of us like we gravitated toward cooking and then some of us have gravitated toward baking. That's good.

Family reunion. You have a little bit of everything. When we first got out and we were grown, this stuff like a rumor mill was just it was so funny. And she loves baking. And so I remember a couple of times she'd be like, OK, if you make me this. She said, I need you to make this work. I said, OK, so if I make you this, then will you bake me this? Yes.

And you say, yeah. So I went that way. And also fun, like I remember my mom, you know, after we get a little bit older, she started working to help her out and we knew we wanted to be at our house. We will all the older girls would band together. And so we would still go over and do a lot of chopping and boiling and killing and putting things together to help her out so that she wouldn't be so tired.

They still had a party doing that. And my mom would come in, put her hands on it. She would just shake head your clown. And we're not we're doing it our way. But just let to get done, Mommy. So she will come in and take a step back and watch over there and come in. I need to push her too much farther. Yeah, but we still enjoy coming together as sisters cackling all in the. Oh yeah.

Laugh. And then she said, look here you guys come outside. You know what we did here, but we were having fun and doing what she taught us to do.

And when she's like tries your take on her recipes, is she OK with it or she like I like mine better than what I have to say that some of the things I have put for my mother, she has been quite pleased with them.

Good. OK, that's what I'm talking about. You listen. You listen. So that's why I did it. Yeah. You did a good job. Yeah. Yeah. And I saw in your videos you you don't like measuring too strictly. So I can imagine that's why baking is not know what this is.

The thing my mother never taught. My mother cooked and baked and even in baking my mother did not mention it was with the eyes. She watched her mother. She cook like her mother. So my mother didn't teach us how to use, you know, measuring spoons and things. She just got in there. We just learned from what she pinch of this pinch of that a little bit.

It is whatever. Tastes good. Yeah. And so, you know, but but even now there are some things where I go OK for the people, for some of you who do like a little measuring, um, measurement and, you know, just to make you happy and make you happy, I want everybody to be happy on this thing. But I explain when I first start up, I just I go by touch, taste and just a sense of how to cook that.

That's how my mother did. And I just think, you know, it just if you just put your love into it, because that's what's most important is and I'm not trying to sell anybody. You can cook, but there's a difference when you put that love into that, you can taste it somehow. And that's what my mother always said. And I think that's what I saw on my mother when I was little, snaking down, seeing and picking the different times.

It was the love she was putting in there because she would have a smile on her face. She would look like she would just enjoy. She was in her element. Yeah.

All the kids are leaving her alone and she finally gets some time to pick up the store. And so it was just nice. And I think that's what I saw. I saw the love of her cooking. And when you and so just see that and everybody could just feel it. Yeah. And so that's that's why I've done. I could do.

That's OK. That's how you doing things. But I'm trying to be honest with my viewers, the subscribers, that I'm just one of those old fashioned ones.

I just I think that's the charm in it. And we can get into this. So like you have a YouTube channel. It's called Lynn's Kitchen.

Right. Hash tag lines kitchen.

And saw that I was actually just watching an episode right before this.

And I was like drooling because I was like, oh, I really need to make chili now. Oh. What made you decide to start this now? Well, you know, actually, we didn't have cable. We moved from Ohio to Louisiana to Louisiana. And so about a year and a half in, you know, all of a sudden decides he wants to buy a home. But we decided, you know, cut down the cost of cable, you know, so the YouTube was there.

I had never, you know, and I was bored one day. And I start looking through my first YouTube that I can tell you about. I watched this lady named The Love and she's got me love and she's the MC banger. And that that's a key. And I was just like, you know, I was like, oh, my goodness, what is this? And so I got interested in it. So I said, well, let me just watch this for a while.

That's so funny.

You got like super deep into YouTube, weird transat, so honest about how you start to see someone tell you how I started out. And I don't want you to make the mistakes I make. I don't want you to be afraid of of of testing out your skills, your gifts. And then all of a sudden I went to her from her and I went to other I say, oh, there's other things on here.

And it was cleaning and there were bloggers. I had a vlogger was yeah. I was like, oh my goodness.

And then all of a sudden I started going into the cooking channel and I was like, wow, look at these ladies on your own, these cooking channels.

And so I just turned into that. And I've been told in, you know, for about three years now. And so when my son decides, you know, he comes over a lot. And so one day he came over, like about. Last year, and he was laughing at me, says, Mom, every time I come here, you're watching do the roles are reversed.

Wait a minute now this is my house. But then it was funny. I said, no, you just catch me. Watch. I'll do it. Oh, they love when they're here. When I sit down. And I've done everything. And this is my relaxing relaxation times and this is what I do. And so he was laughing. And I don't know. I don't know what came over. But let me tell you about YouTube and I begin to tell him.

And then I said, you can't do it because I'm always pushing everybody else. I want see everybody else get ahead of it, you know? And I said, well, OK. And I pushed him out there to do his. He also has a channel. OK, great on it. And I'm. So what's he doing. Here's his channel is called Real Man.

Get it done. That's great. I don't get it that you know, I said you can do it. Why don't you try it. I said and you can call real man get it. That he took me up one and he's doing right now so and so. I was sitting up in October and I got hungry, you know, and I was telling people about this now says something. My husband said, don't say anything else to me because you could be on there doing it.

You could said they are going to go on the cooking channels is cooking. What can I add to the game? Because I said some of these ladies on here, they make me want to feel like, oh, maybe I need to go back and repeat some stuff or, you know, like Scott, that they are cooking themselves to death and he does anything else to me because you do that, too. So I had this craving. I hadn't had Salisbury steak in a long time.

And I could taste the Salisbury steak and I thought all Amadou's oh, I said, you know what? I'm going to do some Salisbury steak and do it in my own gravy as all I'm going to get any cabbage and put that with it and I'm going to cook with a cornbread. That was enough to allow me to do some homemade mashed potato. I just went off. They sounded just like my mom making it and that made him go to the store.

I have all those ingredients. I bought all ingredients to go into. So Salisbury steak is like hamburger. Steak?

Yes. And I said, I'm just going to do it. And so I came in and we went to the store and I washed up everything. I said everything out in the steak house that was going to cook it and everything. And he came and he just came as he looked. And I said what he said right now he's feeling right now you got everything laid out. He said me right now. So I said, just go get the camera that I was casting.

Oh, I was casting. I actually didn't think he was going to get the camera. It went and he got out and now you got to do it. I was stuck. He said, OK, so that's how I started being sarcastic. He put his hand to push me out, but I worked it work. I hope I'm doing pretty well with it, but I'm just enjoying doing what what I do. That's great for me to cook.

And you weren't like a cook before professionally or anything? No, no.

There's a younger sister was a coordinator for weddings and banquets and things like that. And so in my early years now, I used to do different catering vendors and stuff like that. And so it was so funny. It was like when she got old enough to do it. This is this was her job, too. She did this in Toledo for a long time. So we're just catering. And so a lot of times she would just grab our sisters, we would be waitresses or we would be in the kitchen chopping and cooking.

You know, my mom would be back there, you know, and we did it. We that's what we did. And it was so fun. It's like we're doing this as a business that she's doing this as a business. But it was fun. I said we're using our skills, you know, so it is not unfamiliar territory. Sure. But it's just I don't know. Like I said, I'm more like out of the back things and I'm in the background and I'm OK with being in the background.

And I do work better under pressure, though, for some reason you pushed me out there and I'm. Well, OK, let's do this challenge. All right. But I'm not just go step up. That's just not me. And and I think what's coming down when I when I did do the first one, I remember my pastor preaching a sermon is saying that that don't stay where you are. You can always go forward no matter what age you are.

Yeah, you put gifts and talents that God has given you share with what God has given you. And I'm sad and I've always wanted to be able to to to reach people, you know, now you can reach everyone, people, person. And I am a Christian, and I just wanted to take this message with God. What do you want me to do with it? And I just want to be you know what if if people want to feel like I'm their granny, then I'm a hold.

You like this. I have grandchildren. I love them. My grandchildren are always pushing me, my grandson and my grandson. His name is Katie. He always says he's going to tell for if he is grandma, please start a business. I will be your biggest supporter because you know I'll be there to eat. You know what they say. Start a business. That means I have to be there every day. And, you know, but he has been begging me, says people taste of food is so good.

And so I told him, I said, OK, your wishes come true. Now, when bread is out here, you know, showing people how to do it. And I think that's still helping somebody because now he's going to have to cook it on his own. He just watched the video just come over to grab, you know. But, yeah, we I've always been familiar with food, and so it's not new to me. And they're watching these other ladies.

I just give them all props. I thank God for them because, listen, I'm not I'm not too proud that. Yeah, I'm gonna let them know I'm might try some of the recipes. So because they look really good. That's what it's for. I want to try the recipes because I'm like, yes, these women are doing it. And I that's what I thought when he was telling me to do this, I was like, what can I do?

What can I offer? Because this woman on your already doing that.

Yeah, but you are your own personality, your own way of doing the recipes. And you can see it. And I was going to ask this next, like you could see it in the comments section. Everyone is saying, I just feel like I'm in my grandma's kitchen. Like I it looks so good I could smell it from my house and everyone's loving it. So you're going to be doing something right. I read those that are going to tear.

Oh, it just touched my heart. It's so sweet. I just want to say humbled and what I'm doing. And if that's touching somebody or cause or somebody have a better day or better outlook on who they are, then I'll keep doing it. And I'm asking God to keep me humble all my life. I've always wanted to be a help to somebody or just be an inspiration to somebody. And this is just the time that God has allowed me to do it.

He's opened that door. Yeah, I've got whatever talent that have you showed me how to use it. In a way you will have me to use it. And I thought, well, when I got all of that, those messages, comments got sent, you go and I said, OK, oh, it's a sweet packages hug everybody and loving everybody. I would. But in my heart, whatever you are and I, I was so blown away from the many subscribers and viewers that are out there.

Yeah. I got thank you for the USO subscribers and just let my family grow.

And it's so great because like, you know, with this reach, even if you had your own business, you wouldn't have like three thousand people sitting in your restaurant, you know, and you can reach so many people.

And I never look at myself as being in the great or fabulous. And I will never do that because my mom and dad always taught us, just be who you are. You can't be anybody else but you. So you don't have to imitate anybody else or want to try to be like anybody else, because you can only be you he made you to be.

And that's what makes it special. People could see your personality shining through. And if everyone was editing over the top and being exactly the same, then they'd all kind of runs together.

So so but I really I just want them to know from my heart I can't get to I'm like, how am I supposed to get to all this? Because I want them all to know how they have touched my heart. And it even makes me more humbling to what I'm doing. And I you know, everybody has advice and I know I can get it all, but I'm required guy to do what I need to do.

I mean, already from the like, what, five videos you have there, it gets better and better. Every time I saw there's a new one yesterday, there's like a little theme song now.

I love it.

Yeah. You know, I just feel so blessed.

And you're enjoying yourself too. And it's also not like a business where you have to be there and eventually you have to wake up. And I just do whatever you want, wi fi.

That's why I told my grandson if I did it as a business, I don't think I would like it as much. I said it has to be something where grandma can vibin it. Yeah. Yeah, you're totally vibing. Yeah. So, you know, I just I know that his eyes are open right now and he. A lot of think is going to school. Yeah, it's grandmas YouTube STADA, so he loves the videos and your food.

How is the rest of your family receive? What's going on with you being on YouTube?

My sisters are just just like sisters. They are like, I'm so proud of you.

And I'm like, oh, you know, I said, I don't know what I'm doing.

I'm getting in the kitchen, I'm cooking. But you know that you know how to do that. I've got people from Toledo. They recognize one of the interviews I had and they caught hold to it and they were like, this is one of, oh, Toledo. That's a little it's our home girl. And it made me feel so good that it's my home town. You know, it. Yeah. It's so good to reach. You can get from the.

And I was like, wow, I have to thank my grandbaby for that because she she pushes me Brianna. Oh that's my age. And she, she is a super granny whatever. She's right there behind me. And even in that I was talking to her on the phone about this and she was talking all of this as a baby. You know, when you know all this techno Disney tech stuff, I have to ease into it. I say, yeah, it's hard for me.

And she was explaining all of this stuff. And I was like, OK, you got to talk to your dad and my husband about that because you guys know this stuff. I said I was as well in conversation that she was keeping me company, but she actually got off the phone and got to work. And I was like, you know, when they grow up with the news, I thought something happened at home because I was get up, get up.

And I'm thinking, well, what's going on? And I couldn't see I was somebody wake you up like that because I go shaking. Yeah, I jumped up and I couldn't see. My husband is like, look at this. Look at this. I'm like a worm with glass is not put those ointment. I'm still trying to see all the glasses, you know, and then things got cleared up. He said, look at these numbers and I'm looking and I'm thinking, well, what is this?

And granddaughter and my son and my daughter were on the other end and they're like, Mom, you're blowing up. And I'm like, blowing up what? And I looked at the numbers and I said, Don't play with me, don't play with me. And they start laughing because I was just out there and I was like looking and I thought, my I don't play, don't call them. They do play. Sometimes they'll be as good at reading stuff.

And because they like to see my expression is hysterical. And I just thought they were playing with me and it was like, no, mom said no, really. Look, look here. And I just I said no like this. I said and I started crying and they're like, Oh, I said, you don't like me. And so when I said things at my heart, I was like, Oh my goodness. And then I got up and I walked around that whole morning.

I couldn't even take my blood pressure because I knew it was a part of being joyful for the first three days. I did not take a look at it. I just I could not believe it.

You know, what caused that, like, spike in numbers?

It's just when you went live, everyone was looking at when I look at my my last video the night before I went to sleep, when I looked at the video and I want to look, that was a Salisbury steak one. All I know is I had sixty four subscribers and I had one hundred and seventy seven views on something. You know those numbers pretty well.

And I remember those numbers because I looked at what I went to bed and I said, Lord. I'm just going to do this because I enjoy doing it now, so I was doing it, I said, but whatever happens, I give it all to you. That's that's it. I give it all to you and I'm going to be it. I thought that was already a bed sleep. I had taken my shower earlier and I just I said, thank you, Lord.

And when I got when I got up, they woke me up like that the next morning. The next day. Well, next day, I don't know. I could have made a new hole in my wall because I wanted to run a so I just out like I wanted the wall through the wall to say, that is not me. Come on. I got joking.

You know, just to prove that, like, just, you know, you doing you in your kitchen, it just makes people feel at home.

I think I. I only wish that I could eat the food at the end because it just looks so good and my mother always taught us that she seems us all thrown up and together she says you if you're going to represent the food that you cook represented all the way, she says, do not leave anything out. That's not going to look tasty. See how they eat it afterwards and what they got. That's different. But when you lay it out, you make it inviting.

It tastes good. It's got to look good. That's what she always told part of it. Don't do anything halfway. If you're going to do it, do it all the way. And that was her mother's motto. Don't don't do it. You know, put your heart into what you do because that represents you. You can tell that's your integrity and that that's how that's how we were raised, you know?

And so your husband takes care of all of the sort of editing and video stuff. Yes.

Because, you know, if it was me, that would be like, no, we can't do this. Yeah, he's my backbone is doing a great job. Oh, thank you. I'm so proud of him.

So what what do you have in store? Can you talk about like what are your plans?

Not I you know, I'm just going to go with the flow day by day by day, whatever is, you know, the dishes that I'm doing right now, you know, I realize that the holidays are coming up. So I'm just doing some dishes, you know, and I want people to understand, you know, I'm kind of get to like people that to me, to that maybe like cooking all of this stuff on the holiday. I'm trying to show them you can prepare your holidays way ahead of time because freeze most of the things like if you're doing great things, if you're doing dressing, you know, even if you're doing certain things, you can wash it before his roommates and you can put your seasonings and things on your meat, get you those freezer back, you know, and put your meat in that.

And if you have to double do it, do it. Zippel and and and the thing that's so good about that, the soup, it's a cooking like that or preparing is that, you know, your greens, you get washed and cut and clean. You can put them in freezer bags, even your cabbage. You put that in through the bags or you can choose to cook your greens and cool them down, put them in freezer bags and guess what?

The seasonings will run through that. And, boy, all you have to do is thaw them. And boy, when you cook them, the seasons begin. They're almost even better. Oh, yes, better. And this is the easier way if you if you still want to participate in making your family to go for the holidays, because I know the people nowadays, both parents have to get out and work. It's a working situation now where you kind do not like it was my mother.

My mother could stay at home and prepare meals because things were cheaper. Now things cost more. So you have to get out there in order to live a lifestyle that you need to live with just to be able to keep a roof over your head of food. It takes two people now, and I understand. Yeah, but even in that, sometimes you're too tired to work. It's not interested in trying to do holiday meals. You just have to go out to eat.

But look, you can still do them because I was I used to work too. And I know I work full time and I had to find an easier way of doing my holiday cooking or if if if I had a lot on my plate, setting food aside and doing, like I said, preparing it early, getting it ready. And then when I had to get ready, all I have to do was take it out the night before. It's already seasoned and clean.

All I've got to do is put it in the oven.

Yeah, that was actually going to be one of my questions. Like, what's your favorite meal for when you're kind of lazy and don't feel like cooking something really extravagant. But that's still comforting.

You know what? I like to cook like my chili.

I like Tuscan soup and then you just like, freeze it and thought for when you leave, I'm like, OK, we're not cooking what I got in here.

Oh, I got some cabbage in here. And I got I got me some some some beans.

There you go. You could think your previous for doing that.

And that's what you can do. You can you can free do your stuff for the holidays or whenever. So, so it makes it your nest egg in your face all night long and all day long because that's what I used to do. I used a lot of work. Yes, my mom did it and I watched her do it. And I have so much respect for my mom because I didn't know how she did it. And then like when I had my family and I was working everything and as my kids got older and they love the tradition and all of that and, you know, I love inviting family over and everything, I would get off from work after working and I'm washing the turkey, I see the turkey, and then I'm, you know, cutting up all the stuff for the dressing.

And then I got my grandma got to do this too much better than the macaroni, you know. And then the next day when it's time, by that time, everybody would get there too tired. I was too tired to eat. Matter of fact, sometimes they would catch me in the car and I'm sleeping. Yeah, there's no good. And I'm sleeping and I'm like, it's got to be a better way. And so that's what I stop thinking.

Wait a minute. You can freeze greens, OK? I don't think I mean, I had a time this season and back that and that's that. That's been my motto ever since.

So is that like your number one cooking tip or what are a few other little ones you have? I'm doing to the holiday, but I am going to as a holiday season is up, I'm going to go into cooking meals that you could do, you know, that you could do like after work because we do Salmen and you can roast asparagus, you know, or you can even do that. Like I say, the slow cooking process is if you don't want to put everything in a slow cooker.

Yeah, close it. Walk away and walk away. You know, looking forward to those those videos.

There's different ways of cooking and still enjoying it. I know some of my viewers were saying I'm not much of a cook, but the way you explain this, I think I can do that then. Yeah, it feels so good. And we're trying to as much as five. I'm trying to show the ingredients that I use, I'm trying to show that like down on the side is very clear and I want to make this very plain. I'm showing you what I grew up on and how I have taken up some of my recipes that my mom showed me.

But I want people to understand that I understand they like because I've got people like from New Zealand and Australia, places like that. They may not have the ingredients that I use. My thing is, if you just build it from the foundation, you know what I'm showing you. You may not have onion powder and garlic powder. Just your first garlic in there just isn't going to modify it. But as you taste it, do it. Take a taste test, you know, a taste test.

What it really is. This is your taste buds. Yeah. Do what works for you. My favorite so far has been the addition of grape jelly into the chili. If you like that, I'm going to try that. I was like, I'm going to make some chili that looks really good. And I knew when I did, I looked like the jelly. I very me hope was jelly. But I'll tell you what it does is it it helps solidify some of that acid, you know that, you know, because I'm put in a lot of gradients in there.

Yeah. It just help. And it's a big part too. Yes.

Well, I'm actually I had actually for me and I had to make chili for my family here in this town because they love stuff like that. So that's why I did it. And it took me years to learn how not to make big portions because we were big family. Yeah. And our family's always freezes. And that's why I try to tell them, hey, don't blow it up. Anything I'm doing, you will hear me say keep this, save it frozen because you may need it for something else.

I'll never throw out. I don't throw bacon grease if I, if I make grains and I have the juice on the greens, let the Greens. Guess what, I'm saving that. But you know why that has it still has the flavor in it. And so the next time I'm going by my greens, guess what I can use, I can use my grape juice left off from what I cooked before. So, you know, referred to just stop.

Don't just throw it out. You say I'm tired to save your money to the. Yes, I'm saying if one person is fine, if it's two or three, if you find it, you have made more great those portions down. Freeze those leftovers. Because my mother always said I would rather have more than to have less. That's why she always made more so that if there were leftovers she could eat the next day.

Yeah, no, it was for there's always food, right? It was always food. And my mother made it fun. I mean, we had we had the milk that she used to make. And I asked my dad when I was a daddy, what kind of milk is this cost. He said, poor man and poor man's meal, but nobody was making fun, so I started laughing. You know, you kids, you don't know how you and but my mom made those meals for I can remember times when she would make oatmeal pancakes.

Oh. I think that this was great. I know pancakes and she would make up the salmon patties to go with them.

Oh girl, that meal had just been sitting up there kicking my little feet and I get so excited. Those were four men. Milk we didn't know. But it doesn't matter. It probably tastes amazing. But like I said, as a kid, I didn't know.

I always rich. We always say, that's really great. That's such a great thing.

She's passed down to you. Oh, I love my mommy. And yeah, that's my girl.

I actually had a question that may be a little bit of a challenge. I don't know. But I was watching a few of your videos and and I think I really want to make, like, cornbread and chili now. I'm a vegetarian, OK?

So I know, like, a lot of the good flavoring comes from, like, the beef, you know, the sauce and the on duty and the sausage and everything. What would you recommend? How can I still, like, get a good flavor without those things in the base? OK, so you don't have to have it. You do the kidney beans, right. Or you don't have to put the meat in it at all. You do not have to use the meat.

You can still use, like, you know, the garlic and the green onion. You can still use fresh tomatoes in there if you don't use the broth. Then I would suggest just cooking things up, use whole garlic in there. But to your taste, but you can still taste to get that flavor that you want because it's up to you. You don't have to do it with the dhuey in there or anything like that, OK? You don't even have to do with the bacon grease.

But if you have you I know it's better, though. I'm sure if you're a vegan and you just don't go for all of that, which I understand, then yeah, I cook my beans without me. I cook without meat in a minute. I mean, no matter I can admit for me, I've come away from trying to use like pork in my food. So that's why you see a one more turkey, in my view, because it is healthier.

Yeah. You know, when you get that right taste, maybe it would be like, you know.

Yeah.

I mean, I guess you you're just like, take it. You're like, hi guys, this is so good. And I'm like, oh, I want to try it. It looks so good. Yeah. You know, like it's like sometimes I get this thing like, OK, I'm fed up with eating. This is a little weird. I feel like that. I know it's time for me like to take a little flesh like you know, you don't get nuts and when you're like in your car you don't have to put buttermilk in it.

Yeah. And I saw in your cornbread it's hot water and the hot water cornbread. You can do that hot water, cornbread, any kind of way you want to. Some people might add milk, but they said the oldest way to do it, you get the cornmeal and you can put a little baking powder in there and you can add what a little like a little bit of salt. And you don't want to put the sugar near the plant, make sure that the water is boiling hot on the stove because you want to do it hot and pour the water in there and make your patties, you know, a little bit maybe thinner than ideal milk, but make your head put it put them in the grease so what have you and let them do what they do.

It looks so you like I'd say most of the meals. I'm trying to let people know you can modify the way that. But I want to give you the foundation. That's what I'm here mainly for the Gates Foundation.

Yeah. And also it's nice to see, like you want watching you do it. And kind of for people who don't know how to cook, I think just watching someone go through the motions, it's really helpful. Or like. Yeah, rather than just reading a recipe off of a off of a table with my grandkids over this, like why would you put it in that's look shape there to the point if they're here and I'm cooking in the kitchen, especially when I took off.

Yeah. I don't see go sugar cabinet and get out. You know, we're going to use you know, they will come and this is what you're going to do something. And like I'm saying, I realize that in some countries they don't have some of the products that that are here now, me moving from Ohio to Louisiana, we Louisiana don't have all the products that I use in Ohio. So I have you know, you have to have a different mindset.

I have. And I'm trying out different things like seasonings that they use and then that that they've got good thing. And so I think I'm gonna be down here because Louisiana has good food to back and forth to Toledo to get everything I need. Yeah, well, I'll have to modify my dishes, but my dishes are still good because, like, again, I'm, I'm, I'm tasting as I'm going. Yeah. You got learn, you know, is this a flavor I want?

And then sometimes it brings it up another notch. It's OK if you take a lot of pie. I'm not I'm not honest. I would dispute that using this what you should use and go with it. I'm not going to do that because everybody has a way of of of cooking the way they need to cook. Yeah, I just you know, I'm just building the foundation showing you this is what Mom used to do or this what I knew to do or I'm going to try this like I've never tried.

So I'll be doing dishes like that. I'm going to try this. Shall we go see if this will work out? It's great. Do it as honest as I can.

Yeah. Cool. Do you have any any fun stories that go around cooking or with your family? Maybe.

I'll tell you the first time I think I set out to do a cake. I'm like, this cake can be just like my mom's cake and I'm and I'm like, not. I do know with baking now sometimes baking my mother's ass. But like I said, I like to cook and I do like baking because I will eat that. You do have to have it specifically a certain way sometimes in order for it to come out the way. So if you want to do that, that makes the recipe, you better do it the way the Boxey do it, because if I don't do it any other way, yeah, I'd love that.

And so I went one day camping. OK, I'm going to try this cake and it's going to be just as good as Mama. So I go in there and I, I'm going to try to do Miss Apple without the Miss Apple. Oh, no, to the limit on my arm. And up next, this mix that this is really going to be not good if this is a net after the cake in the oven and I'm thinking this is a good year, but I'm going back to that thing.

And it was up to that cake out. That cake was flat as a I was so embarrassed and I was in the house by myself.

So I was like, oh, no, I didn't come out last year. Yeah, it's it's high expectation. I was out of there and it was so flat. It had no clouds in there. I was so and nobody was home. But I was I was just gone. So that's that's all. I'm so embarrassed. I want you to see this.

Don't look. And I looked at this thing and I thought I did this and I used what made my mom I love that.

And I and I was going to call my mom, but I said, no, no, no, no. That that's the type of cake that turned out for me. I was so family militated. I don't have control of it. I got the box right and I read all the ingredients. And I learned from then I was like, okay, there are some things in life. You have to follow instructions on you. You have to follow the complete instructions or it will fail.

That taught me a lesson, I was like, you, baby, maybe you do cakes because you can't cook. That's a good life lesson. Yeah, listen, I tell you what, the next the only cake I know that I can do, I will tackle. I love Lemon, OK, but like these other kids, my mom used to cook like lemon cake and the chocolate with the yellow in it. The chocolate cake. Yeah. Yellow cake.

Pineapple. She used to do jelly cakes and calm. OK. Oh my my mom get in there and I'll be like I cannot stand you if I can't. And there are cases. Oh my goodness. You know, and and they just melt in your mouth and I'm like, you got me on that one at least.

Yes. She can still beat you with that. I tell you what. But what I did learn now if I'm going to bake anything, my best thing to bake and those pies I do to make my sweet potato pie, because I was right there watching the apple girl do that one. And I loved her, you know, and my dad to all who used to make us somewhere because a minute she would take one out of my day was like a sneaky person.

So she would leave out the kitchen, she'd come back. A slice is gone. And she would say, well, you and he would he would be so quiet, she said, would you hear me? I know you hear me. You do. He said, What did I do? She said, nobody took this slice of pie, but you couldn't wait to get pulled up. He's like, No, I like them hot. And she went anyway, and that would be so fun.

And then if I don't even try it, they get away with it. But you that. But I loved my mom until the day. That was one of the things that I really did done because I really love that pie. And you can tell that apart any time of the year. I love the potato pie. And so that one I got that will cause I want I want to see that video. I'm going to make it to the holiday.

I'm going to do a potato pie and put that out there and stuff, you know, but I enjoy doing that. And I will I can make a pie and I can make it. I make myself, if anybody, stop me from that. But most of the cooking and I do want to learn how to be honest with people. As far as like making up those arrests, I want to I'm going to be in my test kitchen doing stuff like that because I really want to learn how to make dough for, like, my own pies.

And I will learn how to make biscuits, homemade biscuits and things. And I will tell you, I'm getting so hungry. I'm not an all around cook like that, but I cook what I cook what I know. But actually, I said, you know. Yeah, not only are you, like, showing off your skills, but you know what? I get this thing right. And so I'm going to step out and I'm going I'm going to start showing how to do the dough.

And I know there's some people is going to be with me. They don't know how. And so they want to you know what? I decide it every day and my pasta produces a lot. And it's not just him after 30 years as I've grown up every day that you have. You ought to be able to be productive in something. Whether it's productive in. Helping the knee of somebody else that's a knee or productive in encouraging somebody or productive in improving who you are.

If you are blessed to wake up each day, then you should take that day and do something special with that day. That's going to represent who you are. Mm hmm. And. I cannot tell you that I have always felt that way. There's always days where it's hard, don't have a perfect day every day. We all know everybody go through something every day. If you walk around here, you don't go through some of the time. I'm scared of what's going on because in all, go through something, whether it's big or small, something crashes in on our day sometime.

And I used to take those crashes and I used to loan. I used to let those things keep me at a state where I think I was good enough. Because of things that happen through your life or people that do certain things. I used to I used to feel that I was not good enough. No matter what I did, I can do good things for other people, but I always felt like. I was a the. No matter what I did, I had that because I was made to feel that way.

Now, what made you switch? As I as I grew. I started looking at things around me that I think. My attitudes are changing. And it took it it took time. I had a stroke in 1999. And it was severe, I was. Bed from the bed to the wheelchair and as well in a wheelchair almost a whole year. Wow, that's a huge impact, a huge impact and through that. I can do anything to the point where my son.

Is in high school, he had the baby's mom. You can't move because I had to learn what. Yeah, your whole brain needs to get rewired, so they couldn't do surgery or anything? Well, a lot was taken from me, like even in my memory, there is times to you will see in my video like a stop. And I'm trying to think. My brain is trying to reconnect me on the side where I had my stroke, it did a lot of damage.

So from what I understand is that the devastated deer. I will be able to function, but my brain will have to just like a electrico, like when they put an electrical back, they have to rewrite it in another way to go around a little detour. There are times when I will pause. I know what I'm thinking, but by the time I'm ready to say it, it may come out backwards. Mm hmm. Wow. That's that deflection that I'm getting.

And I do have some impairments every now and then. I have to listen to my body, even though it happened in nineteen ninety nine. You never quite the same as you've had a really, you know, I have to go through a lot of therapy. You know, a lot of medications, all medications I can imagine, so I couldn't for four years, it took me years through therapy and people rallying around me. And encourages me because I want to give up.

I was like, if I've got to be in a wheelchair, I don't live because I was always a hard worker. I was always open to everybody else. And now I sat down. I could yeah, you have to change your whole way of life and cook.

I can bathe myself. I could somebody had told me was the first of three months I had to eat. They had to help me set up because I couldn't sit up on my own. I mean, everything you name it, the norm was no norm anymore. And I you know, I was I didn't want to be here. And I you know, but I did ask God to know. I just had to put it in his hands. I say that.

So I've got to trust you. And I can tell you during those times, even in trying to trust God, I was I was angry. I was angry. Yeah, I couldn't do. And everybody was doing it for me and they weren't doing it like I wanted them done. Yeah. Because I had never sat down like that before. I was always helping everybody else that everybody else had to pitch in and help me make you take a step back.

I have to admit, I got I said, why did you do to me? Why me? I'm serving you. How come you couldn't nobody else, you know? And I was angry with him. But, you know, my God is so good. He understands. He already knew. After I had my stroke and even when I was a little girl, I always wanted to make everybody around me happy. I always want everybody to, you know, be all right and stuff that you get knocked down sometimes.

Sometimes people don't want to be, you know. But I always try to keep a smile on your face. And people really don't know that. A lot of times that I smile. I was so sad on the inside. I cried a lot on the inside. Or if I was by myself, I cried. And this is from a little girl. And but the thing I think that made me the happiest is when I when I was cooking and then that was taken, I was like, you know what?

I can no longer be a mom and I can't be the wife I want to be. And what am I going to do ever going to be like this to say like this? But God always has something in the plan. But what he showed me in it is that your life is not over. I still felt. But I'm good enough because I was always look at what this person was doing. That person was doing that they had more skills, that they were better, you know, and I guess I in my spirit and stuff back took me while I can drive.

I can do any of that. All of that was gone.

But then as the years went on and I got my strength back little by little, it kind of taught you like patience and how to see life a little bit differently, I guess, because I was the type of person who every everything had to be done, you know, but he slow me down enough for me to think for myself, enough for me to see who I was, because I just thought, like I said, I think I was good enough, you know, I thought everybody else was better than me.

And they had it going on and I didn't have the mind or I wasn't equipped enough. But let me tell you, that's the life I want. That's why I want to express to people, you know, we go through things in life, but don't let that lie keep that lie on you, because the things that you go through, I mean, I don't care if you're a prostitute out there. I don't care if you if you've been to prison and you're what?

That does not identify who you are. Those are things that happen. But that's not your identity. I just started crying and saying, I don't see it yet, but apparently there's a purpose for that and there's a good work in me. And we listen to people sometimes we listen to the wrong things that they tell us, you know, and I'll allow people to say things to me. And I took it in. I'm almost lost who I was and I had to find out.

And so by the time I got down here to Louisiana. And we got to where we are. Matter of fact, I won't shut my church out of community church Pastor and Pastor Phillip, these two pastors, they teach. He started teaching about, you know, you're not a failure. You might fall down here, OK? You fail, but get back up.

Yeah, it's almost like the way that you are living through these difficulties.

You know, that's what helps you get better these past couple of years before I think. Fifty eight we would that be a year. And we are going to start preaching like little things like. You are wealthy, you are good no matter who you are. When he may make. He saw what that it was good for if he made man put in it. Yeah. And and that and I have been telling my husband, I said something is coming up in me and I begin to tell myself, it's fifty eight.

It's not too late for me. I love that. And then I tell myself, you do matter. You are somebody because God put it to you. You may not be everything to everybody, but you're everything to God and to yourself. You're not just here because you know you're here because you are meant to be here whatever state you're in. Some of us in the worst states we can be. Because when you come out and you come through, you share that.

You can tell that other person is going through what you went through. How you came over on the other side. Yes. And so. I begin to feel like somebody at eight, like people that have hurt me or discourage me or made me feel like I was and I had to forgive them. Yeah. You know what else I had to do? Even though I asked God to forgive me, I had to forgive myself. So because I understand that I played a role in some of that by allowing.

People to make me feel that way. Yeah, that trick of the devil, a longer allow people to make me feel like I'm not worthy. Yeah, I am. The gift that you have right now, you share with everybody. That's your purpose and you use it, the media. And all this time I didn't I gave them Solidere of it and God gave myself I don't forget the things that are allowed to happen to me. And I am 62 years old.

And let me tell you, you can start from anywhere you left through. There are women on this channel that are much older than you are and look at them. Why would you not think that you can not have something to share with somebody? There's always something to share. That's such an important message that my mom said is the best at what you're going to do. Give it your all you know.

Yeah, I love that message. You know, for people to say, you know, I figured it out when I was fifty eight. This is not just stopping at whatever age. And it's also not just older people are not just sitting there waiting there. You can still have a full life and help everyone and enjoy everything as long as as you can. You can't. I'm just grateful that that is not too late. Yeah. Keep going forward.

You know, listening to people who are in need, do something. Just don't sit there, do nothing when you have a lot to give. Yeah, that's horrible. And I don't want to be a hoarder. I want to clean this place. So, yeah. Give what you know, let people receive what you know. And so and I hope that people join in and that's what they will feel if it's nothing about wanting to feel part of the family.

Yeah, I think that's a big part of the part of my family, not just because I can be a subscriber, but I'm so sincere. You can be a part of my family because you and get emotional. I found out that when you love people. That's the freedom that God gives you, you are free when you can love people. I don't necessarily have been right here, but I love you from afar.

And these people that have come on, that's what God prove to me, that you are loved. And that's what I feel with this audience. I know I know a lot of people, but I don't know this many people. Yeah. And for them to come on and be a part of my my channel, they just don't know. I can say thank you. I can say I love you. But there's a word out there that I can't even express because it's not in the dictionary.

That means more to me than they'll ever know. That's so great. They just don't know. I'm so grateful, you know, please don't make me cry.

OK, OK, that's that's a perfect note to end on. And usually before we end, I always ask one question is what would be your advice for the people from my generation for just life or cooking or whatever you want?

You know what? I know that this generation has so much to deal with. There's so much technology and there's new ideas out there. But even for this generation, I still want you to take time, the slow. Slow up and really evaluate who you are. Evaluate what you want to be, but I really want this generation to love. And see the need to love others, you know, put put down the prideful thing, because we don't have time for that.

There are so many people out there that are hurting. There's so many people that don't know what love is. I'm not saying my sexual part. I'm talking about I don't know you. I love you. Yeah. I want to encourage and let you know that that's what the bottom of my heart. We stop being sincere with one another instead of putting one another. We love one another because. Every day that we live, you know, we don't know what's going to come up, we don't know who's going to have to help us, but we should be willing if we just are loving and forgiving one another and forgive yourself, don't punish yourself for everything that happens in your life.

So because life was too short, it took me sixty two years to understand that. But it ain't over. But you can start right where you are trying to understand, you know, don't don't let all of the hatred around you, the things that are going on around you, cause you to be like that too. You got a choice in life. And I'm hoping that the young people will choose to do what's right and safe for them to be encouraged.

And you know what is OK to listen to older people? Yeah, that's that's why we're here. The times might have changed, but it still is the same.

Plus, you've accumulated 60 years of experience that you can just give us to have a quick start and an X. No, just to write a book maybe. Sure. That you should be on my bucket list right there. Yep. I left some things, too. You know, I love people. It's just it's OK to stop and listen because somebody can always tell you something and that because I'm older, I listen to my grandkids because they know what's going on in today.

And I don't think that I'm that old. That's if you want to grow, you have to listen, learn to hear what's going on, OK? They'll just be all over the place. It's OK to stop and listen, you know. All right, we you the kitchen and just know to to come on back, you know, and would be a part of the family. I don't mind having a bunch of grandchildren. Just come on.

That's great. Thank you so much. And this has been this has been awesome. And I think your your listeners are going to be really happy to have another aspect of you and the whole getting to know you better. I'm sure you'll have an even bigger family after this comes out. Yeah, I'm going to have a bigger family. I'm like, oh, I'm thinking it's a wonderful but it is good to know that love, you know. Right.

And I hate it.

So that was Lynnette Hammond, everyone. I mean, obviously, you have to go to her YouTube channel, Lynn's Kitchen, like subscribe become part of her family because look at how much it means to her. It's oh, it's great. And on an unfortunate note, Lynette's mom, who we talked about all across the episode, Ethel Bennett, unfortunately, passed away the day after we recorded. So this episode is dedicated to her and we're very thankful for her inspiring her daughter to be such a great cook.

And through her, all of us on the Internet. Otherwise, I hope that you all enjoyed this. And if you want to hear more, hit us up on social media stories. Your granny never told checkout stories. Your granny never told that. Come and have a great month. I will see you in December. Speaking of spaces to vote.