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Saturday, August 17, 2013

with a family meal- now and in the past.

With our busy schedules I regret not cooking for my family as often as I think I should be...I like to cook.  It is one of the ways I share love.  It is a way I honor my past- the wonderful cooks who developed my palate and gave me confidence in the kitchen.  Tonight on Newark-Granville Road we mixed a number of dishes to bring our family together and my life in the kitchen makes me happy.

Chicken Salad-chicken cooked, taken off the bone...and bone turned into broth.....simple ingredients- onion, celery, boiled eggs (I practiced peeling them for non crater deviled eggs needed in the future- did well).  I like a chicken salad with grapes or other additions....but summer takes me back to many a meal my mother and Ga-Ga made with this combination.  We serve it on a bib like lettuce with all sorts of goodies to garnish and accompaniments- farmers market tomatoes, pickles, black olives, I picked up hearts of palm, a red pepper Sally selected from the FM.  In Maryland often we had homemade Mac n Cheese, rolls...sometimes green beans.  Tonight we added DELICIOUS sweet corn (enough to add to the chicken broth to make chicken corn chowder instead of noodle soup and Joe's beloved Barefoot Contessa Corn Salad!)  Ann Leithauser gave me her Swiss chard so I sauteed that as additional green for the plate tonight- yummy yummy.  To make it complete we ate outside and savored summer and the bounty provided- much to say Grace with and for tonight.

Of course it isn't perfect as it sounds... the broth boiled down creating a terrible odor, the kids didn't love the chicken salad.....and we're all pretty tired from a fantastic full day...Peter and his friend win the summer activity award- biking to see other friends, playing baseball and covering as much ground as possible...we had to call him home- love it!  My parents use to ring a bell and we'd come from every direction to sit at the table. We're happy and can see the silver lining... luckily I had lots of boxed broth to make the soup I want for the week and Joe and I get chicken salad sandwiches for Concert on the Green tomorrow! I had plenty of food so no one went hungry and the kids ate most of the mac n cheese I made.

The evening wrapped up with Sally asking for the dessert she chose at the Farmer's Market today at GoCat Bakery...a lemon basil verbena cake. When I added to the orange farmers market bag I didn't realize the significance it would play.  One taste and I was taken back in time....Gaga's house on View Street....soooo often she made a lemon cake.  They tasted so similar and yummy...life on Newark-Granville Road is all summer and all family tonight- amen.

1 comment:

Mary Helen-Art Saves Lives said...

Yes this is a beautiful day in the kitchen...we went to Go Cat Bakery too...came home and ken worked on my gardening bench and I began my painting background for the Fur Cat Auction in September! Peace be with you, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart