as i woke this morning to the sun filtering through my bedroom windows the quiet of the morning reminded me of waking to a house filled with the warm smells of cinnamon and nutmeg from my moms cinnamon crunch muffins. so while everyone was asleep i headed to the kitchen to hunt through my mom's old recipe box for the recipe. most recipes she kept locked in her head, but the few she wrote down, i was able to keep when she passed. on mornings like this when the pangs of missing her hit me heavily, i look at these recipes and find comfort in the familiarity of her handwriting and the memories of her in the kitchen, which is where she always was when she wasn't working nights as a nurse. as i started to sift through the ingredients and put the recipe together i thought of my children upstairs sleeping and my heart filled with the thoughts of them, grown up with families of their own. i can only hope that they too will be filled with the same thoughts and memories, triggered by the smells and tastes of their childhood. i have been asked several times for recipes, which i to like my mom keep so many in my head, and people laugh that they are all handwritten and not on the computer. i laugh too, and say, the computer is not in the kitchen with me my paper and pen are. the truth is, although i have started to transfer some onto the computer, the words on the computer can not begin to express the warmth and familiarity of the person sharing the recipe. so i will continue to write with pen and paper and also to transfer to the computer as time goes by. i also make a quiet resolve to write down more recipes to pass to my children, so they too may find comfort, familiarity, warmth and fond memories in my written words to one day share with those they love and cherish.
last night, on his way out the door to take my son to baseball practice, my husband asked me "what are we having for dinner?" i looked at him, smiled and said " i don't know, i haven't decided yet." he left and I stood there realizing, i don't think i've been near a grocery store in at least a week, maybe two. so i stared into my mostly empty refrigerator and found a few odd vegetables, some carrots, a handful of spinach left from a salad and some asparagus that i didn't use when i had planned. what to do? what to do?this is where as luck would have it, i am usually good at keeping the pantry and freezer stocked with a few key items at all times. being raised italian, that of course means there is always some sort of macaroni (pasta for all of you) and chicken stock, along with a good spice rack and you are good to go. i rummage threw the freezer and find frozen prosciutto and pine nuts, again, normal for my heritage. i put everything on the counter, turn my water on for the macaroni and stare at my ingredients for a minute, the wheels slowly start to turn. what i came up with was a very simple, farm house meal as my mom would call it, i called it kitchen sink macaroni. here in lies the theory, good food does not have to be fancy, expensive or even planned.ok, so i know most of you might not have these exact ingredients in your refrigerators, freezers or pantries, but most of you have those things that you call your key ingredients. for example rice, tomatoes, frozen veggies, ect.the point is with a little imagination and the courage you may end up creating something really enjoyable, even a keeper for your recipe box. don't be afraid to put things together that you might not normally and let your imagination flow.so while i am not including a recipe for my dish, as is there is none, just a lot of throw it in the pan and saute and then add the macaroni, and of course cheese, cheese makes everything good. what i want you to take from this is.. the next time someone asks you or you ask yourself "what's for dinner?" have fun, be creative, and cook! don't worry if it's horrible, there is always pizza delivery!
