Street tacos. Photo by Han Nguyen Dinner is served at our house every night at 5:30 and everyone is welcome. I cook for an army.
I came from a big family and our table was always loaded. No one need worry about going hungry at my house. Everyone in my family has a hand in helping with meal preparation and cleanup.
I have two grown children, four grandchildren who are in their mid-20s and sundry of their friends who regularly come by to eat and socialize. All my family members are excellent cooks and bakers, and my husband, Marshall, is my reliable sous chef. While we eat, if there is no guest, we wax rhapsodically over the food being served – and what is on the menu for the next night.
Dinner isn’t just dinner. After we eat, we clean up the kitchen and then catch up with each other in the living room for about half an hour. The oven, a big electric skillet and the outdoor grill are the mainstays of my meal preparation.
I prepare meals to reflect the seasons. Come June, rhubarb will be made into pies and sauce. I have old cooking utensils, some of which came from my mother’s kitchen.
The handle on one of the spoons is loosening, but I won’t give it up until the handle literally falls off. Whisks serve a purpose because I like sauces and soups to be smooth. Last year, I became obsessed with creating the perfect sauerbraten roast.
All in all, it’s a four-day project, and I made it multiple times over the course of the winter and fall. I won’t be able to make sauerbra.