RPCookin
Executive Chef
Discussion in the meatloaf thread set my mind to thinking back to my childhood, and getting my first introduction to the kitchen during an era when men (at least the men in my family) didn't usually set foot in the kitchen to do anything constructive. This is my initial thought on the subject:
I think that anyone who first learned the basics of cooking in their mother's kitchen, even if all they did was add the milk and butter to the Kraft Mac 'n Cheese, has a lifetime emotional connection, even after the parent has physically departed. I still think of Mom when I make meatloaf, when I make chili - even though I've slightly modified her recipes, the inspiration and the beginnings were there.
But it's most especially when I make a chocolate cake. Licking the beaters and using the spatula to squeegee out the last drop of batter from the mixing bowl - and sometimes having to mock fight with her over the privilege. Ending up with a chocolate smile smeared from ear to ear. Boy that was a long time ago, but I can still see it like it was yesterday. I can see the kitchen in my mind, even though we only lived there for about 3 years - it was an important 3 years in my childhood.
I think that anyone who first learned the basics of cooking in their mother's kitchen, even if all they did was add the milk and butter to the Kraft Mac 'n Cheese, has a lifetime emotional connection, even after the parent has physically departed. I still think of Mom when I make meatloaf, when I make chili - even though I've slightly modified her recipes, the inspiration and the beginnings were there.
But it's most especially when I make a chocolate cake. Licking the beaters and using the spatula to squeegee out the last drop of batter from the mixing bowl - and sometimes having to mock fight with her over the privilege. Ending up with a chocolate smile smeared from ear to ear. Boy that was a long time ago, but I can still see it like it was yesterday. I can see the kitchen in my mind, even though we only lived there for about 3 years - it was an important 3 years in my childhood.
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