Well, I survived the holidays! With all the parties I cooked for, plus my regular customers, I didn’t have a moment to rest. It was wonderful! Thank you to all the people who invited me into their homes to cook for them and their guests. It was such a blessing.

Now that things have slowed back down to normal speed, I’m going to try to add entries here again, although it’s been awhile since my last entry. I did have a great experience that I wanted to share. A loving Daughter from out-of-state, engaged me to give a cooking lesson to her beloved Mother as a gift

Mother didn’t cook regularly, but wanted to eat healthier. So, Daughter thought that I might be of assistance. Through conversation, and my preferences form, I decided that teaching some techniques and basics, rather than specific dishes, would be helpful. I kept thinking of that old saying about giving someone a fish vs. teaching someone to fish. So, on the appointed day, Mother and I went to the store and discussed what I was buying and why; how I pick the best produce and how one should stay around the edge of a grocery store and avoid the middle, because that’s where all the !@#$%^&* is. The edges (of the store) have all the real food: produce, dairy, meat, etc.

Then, we went to Mother’s kitchen. We chatted and talked about food and nutrition and rice-cookers, pots and pans and anything else that popped into our heads. I tried to impart some of the wisdom I’ve gleaned over the years and give her a good solid foundation on which to build a healthy cooking tradition.

It was such a fun afternoon. I’m looking forward to meeting with Mother again, and I’d love to do that again, with someone else. It was a mutually rewarding experience. Win/Win.