Enjoy the Delicious

I'm not even going to try to pretend. I, very, very rarely, cook on Fridays. On the alternate weekends that I have my boy, he is in heaven because we undoubtedly ingest the gastronomical delight that is only enjoyed by a 9 year old boy; and his 37 year old mother. I have a rule in my house - McDonald's twice a month. Fridays are all about Mickey D's. On these days I play all huff and puff with the boy, scolding him and schooling him on the virtues of good nutrition. All that nonsense before taking a walk through those beloved Golden Arches. Secretly though, I know that I love McDonald's Fridays more than he does. I yearn for these days when I can treat myself to the ultimate culinary sin, a crispy chicken sandwich with bacon and ranch dressing, the ultimate in perfectly golden fries and a soda of some sort. Sometimes, when persuaded, I will spring for milkshakes. Chocolate. Divine heaven.

The boy is with his dad this weekend so I am free to eat as I please. Don't tell but I treated myself to a 3rd day AND the milkshake. The utter satisfaction of this meal is fleeting though. I know at some point tonight I will have to sate myself with real nutrition.

It's Labor Day weekend and the social calendar is full. A farewell party for my friend Mariel who is leaving to teach in Spain for a year and a cookout and cocktails on my friend Ali's deck where we'll spend all our time petting her new kitten. This is my last hurrah. The last weekend of summer that allows any abandon. After this it's all down to business. All the moms are making contact with each other, the kids are bitching, complaining that school is no good because they won't be able to get in enough pool time but desperate to see all their friends again, the Parent's Board is in full swing again planning our first meetings of the school year. There's just something about September rolling around that yields to structure, a taming of your wild side.

My only culinary instruction today is to enjoy what you want, indulge your culinary whims and have fun. Enjoy the Delicious, caniculares dies, these last dog days of summer.

I got an email today from someone who read this blog. It was from someone I didn't know and that shocked me; I am surprised when people tell me they are reading but I am even more shocked by the fact that someone would randomly contact me. In this email, the sender was very sweet and told me she enjoyed my musings but questioned why, in my posts, I didn't provide a "recipe" with ingredient lists and clear cut instructions on how to make a dish.

I immediately went to my blog and read my posts - low and behold, she was right. I never even realized I was doing this. I sat for a couple of minutes and thought about it. When I cook I never really know exactly what I'm going to use until I check my fridge to see what's on hand but then it dawned on me. It was my mother. As a young girl, I did with my mother exactly what my son does with me. I sat in the kitchen watching as she created meals that have inspired my culinary adventures throughout the years. I diligently followed her instructions as she told me to feel if a batter was right or to smell if something would taste good. A few years ago during a visit to my mother she was cooking a curry in her kitchen. This was a dish that I never really mastered. I asked if she would write down the recipe so I could take it home. "What recipe?" she queried, "Just watch me." And I did. I watched as she sweated her onions, how she added her spices and tomatoes, how she seasoned and cooked her chicken, all without measuring, but smelling and tasting as each step progressed. It was then that I realized I had been given this great gift, this want to nourish those I love, from my mother.

My mother (above on the right) passed away a couple of years ago and I often think of her while I cook. I do regret that she never wrote down her recipes but as I try to recreate those dishes I use my own creative license. I haven't responded to the email yet but I'm going to tell that reader to use my blog as an outline for cooking, to add or subtract ingredients as she pleases, to be inspired by food and the joy it can bring. I am going to tell her to just feel what she wants to eat. That's what I do. I learned from the best.