I have loved to cook since I was a little girl….. This has to be as boring as “It was a dark and stormy night.” The truth is that I loved the appreciation from my mom’s friends when I would make anything. Especially if they had daughters who hated the sight of a kitchen spatula. Yes, I did enjoy the act of cooking because I would see my mom cooking and how much she enjoyed it. She was a Speedy Gonzales in the kitchen and could put a soup-to-pudding meal on the table in about 20 minutes. Even today, I am nowhere close to her in speed.

When I became a mom, I wanted to feed my baby homecooked food that was free of preservatives and was seasonal and healthy. I don’t think I was any different from every new mom. I started churning my own butter and mashing it with freshly boiled potatoes for his lunch. He slurped it all up till the day my dad gave him a teeny-tiny bit of fish and his eyes brightened. After that he would not have my delicious vegetables for love or money. So I became a creative cook, learning to adjust the healthy meals to his palate.

As time went on, life got in the way and I would cook, but sporadically and then not at all. Till recently, after the pandemic changed all our lives. With eating out having become almost extinct, I started cooking at home more and more. And rediscovered my love for cooking.

My inspiration

The best comfort food will always be greens, cornbread, and fried chicken.

Maya Angelou

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.

Dr. Seuss