All my life, when asked "what's your favorite childhood memory?", I answered "sitting on the vent in Aunt Betsy's kitchen." Until just a while ago, I thought I liked the memory of the warm air on cold Pittsburgh days. It occurs to me now that I really liked just being in the kitchen. That's where my grandma's cookie recipes hung on the wall. That's where my mom came to pick me up after work in her business suits. And she'd sit and chat about her day, and I'd listen and not know anyone she was talking about and Aunt Betsy would have delicious things cooking. And these things she cooked were never overly fancy, but they were fulfilling and comforting and...home.
I'm a mom myself, now. My greatest joy is still being in the kitchen. I'm cultivating my own culinary point-of-view while attempting to cultivate two little palates. My style of cooking is more adventurous that what happened in that little Pittsburgh kitchen. There are probably a lot more train wrecks. Things like stew and roasts, that were such staples when I was young, are outlawed in my Texas home, thanks to a husband who is picky about his meat. But, I've mastered chicken biryiani and kibbeh. And we drink more wine.
What's changed the most is how I share this passion. Instead of recipes hanging on the wall, they are pinned to my Pinterest board. It's a global cookbook of which I'm excited to be a part. The latest get-together I attended required everyone bring a appetizer or dessert. No little index cards with recipes to hand out here. We all know where we can find each other's creations now. The other social media platform that has really changed things for me is Instagram. I admit I'm late to this party, but I came in gangbusters. I think food is gorgeous, especially with the right filter. I'm never going to be an artist and I don't craft (ever), so this is it. This is what I can share with friends and strangers to make the world more lovely.
It's exciting to think about my son and daughter growing up in the kitchen, becoming better cooks than I could dream of being. It's exciting to think about the opportunities they'll have to share their meals via social media. Of course, I hope they'll remember as fondly as I do sitting in the kitchen,with family, and knowing it's where they belong.
Roasted chicken thighs with mustard thyme sauce (and Korbel Rose).
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