From Deseret News archives:
Reunited pair blend a love of cooking
It's the latest series of "test" recipes by cooking aficionados Donna Kelly and Anne Tegtmeier — a dynamic recipe-producing team that share a bond stronger than the love of food.
As birth mother and daughter, Kelly and Tegtmeier hadn't seen each other since 1972, when Tegtmeier was put up for adoption. Decades later, when the two finally met, they found the kitchen was the perfect place to rekindle a relationship.
Growing up in Colorado, Tegtmeier loved to cook but said her mother saw cooking as just another chore. Except for a few favorite recipes that would surface at Thanksgiving or special occasions, there wasn't much passion to pass on.
However, when Tegtmeier found Kelly in 1999 and began the process of developing the mother/daughter relationship, they discovered they shared the love of cooking.
"We're making up for lost time," Tegtmeier, 35, said with a smile as she pulled ingredients out of the refrigerator and sliced a piece of "Rebirth by Chocolate" — a chocolate cheesecake without an ounce of dairy, thanks to the hidden, well-blended tofu.
Kelly, a deputy Utah County attorney, has long welcomed cooking as a break from what she calls a stressful, adversarial job.
"It's kind of like my therapy," she says. "It's totally different from what I do in my 8 to 5 job. It's a positive, nourishing thing. And it's cheaper than therapy."
Kelly has published several cookbooks under the "101 Things to Do With" title, including one about tortillas and one using chicken.
So with Kelly's cookbook connections and a vegetarian daughter's passion for tofu, the newest book, "101 Things to Do with Tofu," was born.
"I've been a vegetarian most of my life, Donna's been a fabulous cook all her life, so we put our heads together," Tegtmeier said.
The team pitched the idea to Kelly's publishing company last December, and the book is hitting shelves this month. See www.101thingstodowithtofu.com for more information.
Tofu can be used in two ways — hide it or flaunt it, the women both say, as they flip through recipes they created together. "Tripleberry Tarts" calls for ingredients like firm tofu, lemon curd, sugar and frozen limeade concentrate. There are also recipes for healthy hollandaise sauce and their all-time favorite of "Tomato Onion Chowder."
Tegtmeier visits Utah several times a year from Connecticut where she works as a licensed massage therapist.
However, the cookbook frenzy has pushed her to consider more catering, personal cheffing and, yes, writing more cookbooks with Kelly, she said. They're considering a mother/daughter-themed series next.
