In the main feature of this week’s Spotlight, we share some recipes from old cookbooks at the Mower County Historical Society.

Now a year ago, I never thought I’d sit here at the end of 2016 writing about how I’ve come to actually enjoy cooking and baking — but to be honest, there’s a lot about 2016 I never saw coming.

It finally hit me over Thanksgiving weekend. My girlfriend and I spent the holiday with my family and wound up making a decent slice of the meal (Why yes, that lame cooking pun was intentional).

We made mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, green been casserole and sweet potato casserole.

She deserves all the credit as a very talented baker and cook who happens to be patient with my baking and cooking naiveté.

Now I know what you’re thinking: You just enjoy baking and cooking with your girlfriend. Well, yes: guilty as charged. And yes, part of the joy is that I’m just the sous-chef — or a French term for the No. 2 cook. Essentially, this equates to me being the grunt worker who does as he’s told: cut potatoes, mix flour with a fancy scoop and scrape method, mix things, etc.

But I even found myself mixing up my own cooking attempts using Thanksgiving leftovers. By some miracle, I nailed sweet potato casserole pancakes. (This isn’t being cocky when I’m celebrating my lone victory).

The best part of this for me, aside from the company, is how baking and cooking is a great mind cleanser. When you’re mixing ingredients and making a treat or dish, most of life’s stresses disappear.

That’s why I jumped at the idea to share holiday recipes in this week’s Spotlight. The holidays get crazy pretty quickly, but it should be the time to slow down and enjoy friends and family.

So if you need to spend more time with the people close to you and less time on life’s stresses, take to the kitchen and mix up some ingredients.

As a bonus, you get to eat some goodies at the end of the day.