Parenthood

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Have you ever taken a bite of food and then have a memory flash before you? We’ve all had these Proustian moments - those times when the taste of something conjures up vivid, distinct memories: vignettes of our lives that come flooding into our minds like finding an old, lost, leather-bound family picture album filled with faded, yellowing, long-forgotten childhood photos. For me, the taste of scallops invokes images of my father from my years as a teenage girl. Sometimes, I can almost relive some of those memories and experience anew the bonds of a father and daughter, the relationship between parent and child.

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The Road Not Taken

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This might sound like a strange bit of advice coming from a blog that is part of a website featuring food recipes: Don’t worry about following the recipe.

Recipes are merely roadmaps that guide us on our journey from a starting point to a destination. But like any and all paths that are marked out, you will find alternative ways to get to where you are going and many side routes that are worth exploring. If you’ve ever taken a road trip, I’m sure that you’ve traveled off the direct line to your destination. You might have discovered wonderful sights and experiences that made the trip all the more worthwhile than if you had just moved forward like a horse trotting with blinders on, oblivious to your surroundings.

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It's Complicated

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Food is like in-laws. More accurately, perhaps I should say our relationship with food is like our relationship with our in-laws. It’s a love-hate relationship.

You love your mother- and father-in-law, if for no other reason, because they gave birth to your significant other. What a wonderful human being they brought into this world! Look at those gorgeous eyes; hear that melodious voice; so well-mannered and kind-hearted. They must have brought up their child correctly!

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Here’s Looking at You

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Who are the unsung heroes of the food world?

Sure, you have celebrity chefs who grace the pages of tabloid magazines and the television screens of the Food Network and Cooking Channel. They’ve made a household name for themselves through culinary expertise, photogenic faces, and charismatic personalities (though, let's be honest and pick just one or two out of the three - no one’s perfect!).

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A Seat With a View

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I never thought of myself as a photographer. Sure, I take photos now and again when I’m away on vacation or during special occasions with my family or friends. I’m not living under a rock. I have a Facebook account and an Instagram account, but a quick perusal through them would reveal sparse photos of anything but my food dishes. Don’t get me wrong - there’s nothing wrong with social media. In fact, I think it’s great. I’ve been able to connect and keep up with old friends that way. I’ve also been able to meet and become acquainted with some great new people through FB and Instagram. I’m just not one to document my life through photographs.

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Niagara Falls and Shoelaces

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One of the joys of creating new recipes is in learning and experiencing new things, and few things are as exciting as trying new ingredients.

No matter how long you’ve been cooking, there are so many interesting components out there in the world that can make up a dish, you’d be hard-pressed to ever run out of new ingredients. Think about all the great cooking shows over the years that have explored culinary scenes from a variety of locations and cultures around the world.

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