When it comes to cooking, Karen Hayman of Andover has only one rule: Keep it simple.
"You don't have to get fancy to put out a nice meal," said Hayman. "Everybody thinks you have to be Martha Stewart."
Hayman was nominated for Cook of the Month by friends and family. Her son Andrew wrote: "My mom is the best cook around. She has been an amazing mother and deserves to be acknowledged. When her friends need a recipe or they're having a party, my mom's the go-to person."
Hayman, a single mother of three, cooks four to five times a week for her family.
"They are my biggest fans," said Hayman, who finds family dinner time a great way to catch up with her kids, ages 15, 22 and 34, even though they don't all live at home.
Her most popular dishes are Karen's Crispy Chicken, baked chicken breasts, covered in Romano cheese, spices and breadcrumbs; Broccoli Casserole, a side dish made from broccoli, Velveeta, butter and Ritz crackers; and Mum's Macaroni and Cheese, which uses American cheese and ziti for the classic.
Hayman learned to cook mostly from her mother. She also taught herself a few tricks by trial and error.
"I am Italian. My grandmother cooked, my mother cooked - I come from people who cook," said Hayman, a special needs teacher in Andover.
Hayman rarely uses a recipe or a measuring cup. She tends to eyeball the amount of ingredients that go into a dish and builds whatever she's serving based on taste. Of course, she wasn't always this skilled - her first attempt at Mum's Macaroni and Cheese didn't go well.
"It tasted like wallpaper paste," she said, laughing.
One skill she said she hasn't acquired is how to make something from "nothing" - cooking a meal from whatever happens to be on hand in her cupboards.
"My mother can put together a five-course meal with nothing," said Hayman, who believes she lacks the same sort of creative flair when putting together such a meal herself.
Her 15-year-old son Jeremy loves Hayman's cooking and has learned how to re-create some of her culinary feats in the kitchen, like the Crispy Chicken and Macaroni and Cheese. However, his favorite dish is his mom's stuffed artichokes.
Jeremy says he can't point out one specific characteristic about the dish - in which artichokes are filled with cheese and breadcrumbs and then baked - that makes it his favorite.
"You don't have to get fancy to put out a nice meal," said Hayman. "Everybody thinks you have to be Martha Stewart."
Hayman was nominated for Cook of the Month by friends and family. Her son Andrew wrote: "My mom is the best cook around. She has been an amazing mother and deserves to be acknowledged. When her friends need a recipe or they're having a party, my mom's the go-to person."
Hayman, a single mother of three, cooks four to five times a week for her family.
"They are my biggest fans," said Hayman, who finds family dinner time a great way to catch up with her kids, ages 15, 22 and 34, even though they don't all live at home.
Her most popular dishes are Karen's Crispy Chicken, baked chicken breasts, covered in Romano cheese, spices and breadcrumbs; Broccoli Casserole, a side dish made from broccoli, Velveeta, butter and Ritz crackers; and Mum's Macaroni and Cheese, which uses American cheese and ziti for the classic.
Hayman learned to cook mostly from her mother. She also taught herself a few tricks by trial and error.
"I am Italian. My grandmother cooked, my mother cooked - I come from people who cook," said Hayman, a special needs teacher in Andover.
Hayman rarely uses a recipe or a measuring cup. She tends to eyeball the amount of ingredients that go into a dish and builds whatever she's serving based on taste. Of course, she wasn't always this skilled - her first attempt at Mum's Macaroni and Cheese didn't go well.
"It tasted like wallpaper paste," she said, laughing.
One skill she said she hasn't acquired is how to make something from "nothing" - cooking a meal from whatever happens to be on hand in her cupboards.
"My mother can put together a five-course meal with nothing," said Hayman, who believes she lacks the same sort of creative flair when putting together such a meal herself.
Her 15-year-old son Jeremy loves Hayman's cooking and has learned how to re-create some of her culinary feats in the kitchen, like the Crispy Chicken and Macaroni and Cheese. However, his favorite dish is his mom's stuffed artichokes.
Jeremy says he can't point out one specific characteristic about the dish - in which artichokes are filled with cheese and breadcrumbs and then baked - that makes it his favorite.
"I just like everything about it."
Hayman grows and freezes her own herbs for use year-round. She also insists on fresh garlic but doesn't mind processed cheese or canned tomatoes. One thing she can't live without in the kitchen is her set of Henckels knives. Their sharpness is important because it makes food preparation faster.
"It gives me a wack-attack if the kids use the knives for things they are not supposed to use them for," she said. "You know, one time they used a knife as a screwdriver."
Luckily, that doesn't happen often.
Karen Hayman's favorite tools and ingredients:
Her olive oil can, which resembles a watering can with a spout and makes pouring olive oil easy.
Garlic
Romano cheese
Circulon 2-quart nonstick pot, which she says is good for cooking everything with less oil
Set of Henckels knives
Basil
Canned tomatoes for sauce, paste and chopped
Mum's Macaroni and Cheese
1 pound of any macaroni
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 pound American cheese, broken into little pieces.
A sprinkling of breadcrumbs, to taste
Cook macaroni according to directions on package.
Combine margarine, pepper and flour. Add milk and mix on medium heat. Add cheese and stir until creamy.
In a large casserole dish (21/2 quarts), combine pasta and sauce. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Karen's Crispy Chicken
1 stick butter, melted
2 packages of boneless chicken breast, sliced in half
11/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup Romano cheese
3 tablespoons parsley
Dip chicken in butter. Then roll in breadcrumbs and cheese mixture until covered, and put in a large (21/2-quart) casserole dish. Drizzle any extra butter over top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Broccoli Casserole
1 package of frozen broccoli, cooked according to directions on package and drained.
8 ounces Velveeta cheese, chopped into cubes
1/2 stick margarine
1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
Combine butter and crackers.
Combine broccoli and cheese in small (1-quart) casserole dish.
Top with cracker mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
