Our area has recently been hit by significant thunderstorms and rainfall amounts. My town received two inches of rain yesterday from 3:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon. The result? Flooding. Power outages, for the second day in a row. One whole street looks like it collapsed, with firemen having to evacuate people. It's reminding everyone of Hurricane Irene. What did I decide to do? Today, now that we have sun and power, I decided to cook. What was I itching to cook? My Great-aunt Irene's famous goulash. I couldn't figure out why. Ummmm.... Now that I've written this, I see the connection, in name only. I'm not saying she had the temperament of a hurricane. I swear! There's something to be said for cooking old family recipes during trying times.
As I was chopping onions, I wondered about all the times my aunt and other people in the family made her goulash. I imagine this dish was made in good times and bad. Maybe when there was too much rain or too little. Too little money. For family gatherings, eaten amid animated discussion and laughter. When someone was sick.... It's somewhat amazing to think about.
There's a certain amount of comfort in making and eating dishes you know others have made and eaten so many times. A connection is forged, even if those people are no longer with us. I stood there, deciding to make my Aunt Gloria's orange salad tonight. I'm taking both to my parents tomorrow for the Fourth of July. She always made that salad for July 4th. My cousins and I could count on a few things once a year, every Fourth. Our grandparents, a parade, candy in paper lunch bags, a BBQ with our grandfather working the grill, Aunt Gloria's orange salad, a game of croquet and, when we were really little, fireworks in our parents' sleeping bags. Neither of my aunts is still here, in body, but I'm fairly certain they were with me in my kitchen this morning.
And, ... I looked around my kitchen, surrounded by so many things. An ancient cupboard that my mother stripped, painted and decoupaged for me.
A mirror my father carved, with the reflection of a watercolor a former colleague painted. The curtains my mother made are waiting to be ironed and put back in place. "Spring" cleaning took place yesterday, a bit late ... interrupted by the power outage.
A quilt rack my grandfather made for me years ago, with a quilt made by my mother and a pillow/quilt made by one of my cousins. Surrounded by the past, what came before, the people who had a part in making me the woman I am today. Connected.
To honor the old and move on to the new. One of my coworkers asked me to attend a baking class with her today. I've never taken a baking class before, save "Home Economics" when I was in middle school. It was so much fun! These are from scratch. A citrus and berry tart ....
I can't believe I made the crust all by myself. From scratch! My grandmother gave me the little potholder. Aunt Mary Lawrence made it.
Chocolate Truffle Oatmeal Bars! Wondering if I can get my grandmother, who is only eating a few spoons of ice-cream here and there now, to eat a tiny piece of this tomorrow. She loves chocolate.
Thinking about the spiral of time.... All the women who have made such amazing things. I come from women who can cook and bake, by the way! Thinking about my mother, grandmothers, aunts .... Thinking about my new skills in the kitchen. Not working it to the point when the butter starts to melt. Chilling the dough. Not pressing forward when rolling, just pressing down. Running the rolling pin over the top of the dish to take off the excess, which works slick as anything. A class with a fairly new colleague. Meeting new people. Wondering what time will bring....
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