What’s the one item in your kitchen you can’t possibly cook without? A spice, your grandma’s measuring cup, instant ramen — what’s your magic ingredient, and why?
Photographers, artists, poets: show us KITCHEN.
A little dash of this and a tablespoon of that and ta-da! Something tasty is waiting to be eaten.
My Great Grandparents made big pots of potato soup, and goulash. It was always wonderful. The potatoes were cut to the perfect size and seasoned just right. Same with the goulash, everything tasted wonderful and like Christmas morning. They didn’t care what you added to it either. It probably didn’t need it but crackers or ketchup were always handy adding another layer of flavor. They also made pecan pies. They made their own crust and the filling was never runny. Everything they made tasted perfect, even scrambled eggs!
I wish I could cook like that. I think on most days that I am a good cook. Hickory’s plate is usually what he calls a happy plate when he is done eating. A happy plate is a clean plate. I know I have really done good when he goes back for seconds.
My Great Grandparents seemed to have one common thing when they were cooking. They cooked with LOVE. The big pots of soup were made with consideration that visitors would be by and they would be bringing their company and appetite. Together they would cook. Great Granddad cutting the potatoes and Great Grandma stirring the pot. Great Grandma would have her soaps on in the living room and Great Grandpa would be whistling a tune. Somebody may be sitting in the dining room and petting one of Great Grandma’s cats that had wandered in from the sunroom in the back. Plants hanging in the bay window. One of the Grandkids would be playing in the front yard. Conversation was always entertaining and there was never a lull in it. It was all filled with LOVE. The cooking, the baking, the conversations, and the rooms were all filled with LOVE.
My Great Grandparents passed away a few years ago, so all that remains are the fond memories I have. The house had become a hollow cave. The front yard looks like something Boo Radley would claim. It hurts to look upon it.
When I married, my husband, I gained a new Grandmother-In-Law. She is a sweet lady who likes to make things from scratch just like my Great Grandparents and reminds me of them. When we first got married, I asked her to teach me to make Hickory’s favorite pie, coconut cream. The experience took me back. I learned how to make my own crust and with it, I could feel my Great Grandparents smiling down at me to be learning something that they loved to make also.
My one ingredient that I love to make anything with is LOVE. It’s the most powerful ingredient. It doesn’t matter how simple or complex the dish is, it is always made with love. I think of my Great Grandparents and I can feel them approving of my main ingredient. Hickory will help me sometimes and he will whistle for a couple of seconds and I can’t help but smile thinking that my Great Granddad is whistling with him.
~Kalamity
Other main ingredients you may be interested in cooking with:
Simple Dublin Coddle | Exploratorius
The Shotgun Girls 