Comfort in Food
Today, I started to shop for cooking ingredients to accommodate the upcoming holidays. Since childhood, I have been in love with the kitchen and all of the familiar aromas. Even when I feel a little tired or stressed I can always cook up a storm in the kitchen. I owe this purely to the anticipation of how good it will taste when I have finished. This week, as I picked up a little of this and that, I needed a few fresh spices to add to a special recipe. I was giving it a practice run in the kitchen when my oldest son pointed out how it smelled just like grandmother’s kitchen. His response to the aroma was to ask if we were having company. I had cooked up a little roasted hen and some trial-run dressing and rolls; all made from scratch. As I tasted the meal, I was suddenly overcome with joy. I felt so happy that I began to look for old holiday music. During supper, I realized that my family was growing up fast. The children seemed so mature, although I noticed that they were giggling at the same old music that we had listened to every holiday season, for years. At least, that is what I thought that they were laughing at… upon further investigation I found out that they were really laughing at the old centerpiece on the table. I had gone all-out with my holiday trial-run; I had even decorated the dining table. When I had first set the centerpiece on the table, I did not have time to take in the fact that it was the one I had made for my mother when I was twelve. I had crafted it as a special home coming for my oldest brother. He had been on his honeymoon and was bringing his new wife to our home for the very first time. During his furlough in