To Dad: Memories in the Kitchen

This is a post to my Dad. I can remember so many times being in the kitchen with him. He loves to cook, to experiment, and is never afraid to try something new. I got that from him. Every Sunday I still say, "so what are we going to bake today?" Sunday was always baking day. Often that meant that Dad would mix the cookies and I would stay in the kitchen for the next 3 hours to bake them, thanks Dad, but I loved it.

One time I decided to make a nice dinner for the family. We were going to have fish. Well, I'd never made fish myself and I probably should have watched someone cook it before I tried. I hate bones in fish, so I saved time by taking out the bones while cooking. That meant I had to chop it all up; the sea bass was served "mashed style." I can still remember the look on my Dad's face. He looked at the pan and kind-of squinted his eyes and had a smirk on his face that said, "oh, that's cute and looks really gross." Yes, not your typical fish meal. Out of courtesy of my making it for them, they did try it. I'm sure there were leftovers.

With my Dad, bigger is better. If you're going to make 3 dozen sweet rolls, you might as well make 6 while you're at it. I still have this mentality. I love it because it means I get to share with neighbors and friends. That's what cooking is about, sharing the love. My Dad was always good at that. No matter what we made, we were always taking something to someone.

I was always amazed at how many pots and pans and wisks and bowls and sheets my Dad could control at once. He is a kitchen multi-tasker. Men in general don't do well at multi-tasking. But when it comes to cooking, my Dad is a pro. I remember wondering if I'd ever be able to remember how to control the burn factor of so many things at once. It has been a fun learning process.

Whenever we talk on the phone, the first thing we usually say is "what did you make for dinner?" or "have you made anything fun?" We email and share recipes all the time and enjoy trying to get each other to make a new recipe 1st. The only downfall to these conversations is that I can't say, "can I borrow a cup of sugar?" because my Dad lives several states away.

His passion for experimenting in the kitchen has been passed to me. It's something I get giddy about. Having the kitchen piled high in dirty dishes with delicious food on the table and in the gut is the best night.

Dad, thanks for letting me do the dishes with you. Even though you made the rinse water scalding, I cherish that time in the kitchen.