Cooking in the Country

Oh I am deep in the joy of cooking! Having moved in with Ron, and no longer living alone - making those solitary meals - I take pleasure in cooking dinner for us every night. I am almost embarrassed to say that the thought, 'what am I making for dinner tonight?' is with me all throughout the day. I cannot wait to begin preparing the meal every evening. I cannot wait to smell the yummy aromas filling the kitchen. And I cannot wait to hear Ron say, 'this is good, babe.' Maybe it's the country setting in which I am now living that makes me want to cook and bake and create. Maybe it is being in a relationship. Maybe it is my settling in to my own house and beginning to take on the "wifey" role (though I am not a wife yet). Maybe it is just another creative outlet. I don't know, but cooking, right now, seems to spark all of my senses, and it makes me happy.

When I cook, I try new things, I experiment, I cook to please, I cook for health, I cook for creativity. I browse the grocery store for new ideas, I look online and in my meager supply of cookbooks for recipes I can try. I email my mother, sister, and friends for recipes they have made that I’ve enjoyed. I want to stock the kitchen with all the best pots and pans, bowls and gadgets, fresh herbs and spices, and the satisfying smell of something cooking.

And I want to hear stories about cooking. I want to hear about family cooking traditions, old pots and pans and cooking utensils left over from great-grandmother, how to bake bread, the smells that fill the kitchen on Sunday afternoons and so much more. I want to share recipes, stories and tips with family and friends over coffee at the kitchen table. And I want one of those great kitchen tables, with history and stories of its own to share.

I am in the country. I look around and see corn fields and farm houses. I can hear cows mooing from my bedroom window. I smell fried-chicken and fresh biscuits throughout town. And fall is here with its crisp air and falling leaves. All of this makes me think of hot apple pie, pumpkin bread, big bowls of steaming soup, fresh veggies from the farmer's market....cooking, baking, creating!