Come Into My Kitchen | Adventurous cook shares his passion with others

Kansas native Jim Vader travels the world, but when it comes to cooking, he believes there&#x2019;s no place like home. </p><p>Vader enjoys making meals for gatherings of family and friends. He has a three-ring binder where he keeps all of his recipes and adds meticulous notes after preparing each dish.</p><p>Vader&#x2019;s travel and culinary companion for 51 years has been his wife, Sandra. The couple have three grown children.</p><p> <span class="bold">Residence: </span>Mission Hills</p><p> <span class="bold">Occupation:</span> Insurance company owner and board member for Johnson County Water District No. 1 </p><p> <span class="bold">Special cooking interest: </span>Adventurous cook and eater</p><p> <span class="bold">Q. You cook with so much enthusiasm. </span></p><p> <span class="bold">A. </span>I have an appetite for life. I am healthy and 75 years young. </p><p>In college, I ran track for Kansas State University, and when I graduated, I stopped running. I gained weight, and my cholesterol went way up. Instead of going on medication, I made life changes and took up running again. </p><p>For the most part, I eat what I want, except for fried, battered foods. And at night, I enjoy a &#x201C;Vaderade,&#x201D; which is any cold beer.</p><p> <span class="bold">Is cooking for Sandra part of the secret to being married for more than half a century? </span>She says we spoil each other, but I also think that we give each other the space to pursue our own interests. </p><p>Weekday nights, we may be busy with other commitments, but on Sunday, we make a point of eating together. My favorite meal to make is the last one I just prepared, but she likes when I make fish or mulligatawny soup. I really enjoy the curry flavors and am not afraid to try something new. </p><p>Sandra and I enjoy traveling together, and for me that means more food and restaurants to try.</p><p> <span class="bold">Does part of your adventurous cookery come from your travels?</span> We&#x2019;ve traveled all over the United States and abroad to Italy, France, Spain, England, Portugal, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Mexico. While Sandra might buy knickknacks, I like to bring back cookbooks from our travels. </p><p>I think everyone who enjoys cooking dreams of having a restaurant. The closest I got to it was when I owned a Topsy&#x2019;s Popcorn in the mall and was a partner in a pizza restaurant. </p><p>One of our most memorable dining experiences is when we ate at the French Laundry in California. </p><p>All three of our children are also wonderful cooks, and that&#x2019;s very gratifying.</p><p> <span class="bold">Is this smoked lamb a family favorite? </span>This has been a family favorite since 1969, and I have the binder to prove it. It is filled with recipes that look good to me, and when I try them, I make notes such as the date it was made, what I would do differently and the reaction it got from others eating it. I always start with a recipe, but I may end up combining different aspects of other recipes for a finished product. </p><p>I also enjoy learning about different types of cooking, such as how to make a really good loaf of French bread by misting it while it&#x2019;s baking or how to use a German Schlemmertopf clay pot to make delicious roasts or fish that cook in their own juices.</p><p> This lamb is a great spring dish; it is so tender and delicious. I&#x2019;ve changed people&#x2019;s minds about eating lamb with this recipe. Hold the mint jelly &#x2014; the flavor of this dish stands on its own.

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