full circle

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be great at cooking like my mom was.  I was very welcome in her kitchen. I got to peel carrots and potatoes, grate orange peels (for delicious Swedish gingerbread cookies), and generally help out while mom did the important stuff.  Mom and I had many warm conversations while we cooked together.  Looking back, I see that while teaching me kitchen basics, Mom was actually planting seeds like telling me to finish a college degree (as she wished she had done) during those cozy visits.  Well, I did all that. As a grown up, I hardly ever have the time and energy left at the end of the day to really cook like she did almost every night.  Lately, my obsession with Pinterest and blogs has led me back to my mixer and oven.  On Christmas Eve, I actually rescued three very-ripe bananas and made them into banana bread.  I had treasured my mom's banana bread recipe ever since I hand copied it in the seventies (note the cool handwriting).  When did I stop baking it?  Anyway, it turned out delicious. I served it on Christmas morning along with our usual Christmas breakfast foods.  Mom enjoyed it and was surprised to learn that I used her recipe.  She told me that she had long ago lost track of that recipe.  I put it on the scanner and made her a copy to bring home. She was delighted.  Life is a cycle.