Cooking with Love

“Cooking is like love.  It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”

When I was a little girl, my mom would ask me to watch her prepare dinner.  I remember doing so reluctantly, since I would rather watch tv or play.  She repeatedly told me that it was for my own good and that when I had a family of my own, I would look back and be thankful that I learned how to cook.  My mom was very hands on when it came to our meals, from the way the vegetables were washed, how the meat was thawed to cooking the dish itself.  She didn’t like the idea of leaving it all up to a cook.  She said that more important than serving nutritious and delicious meals, food should be prepared out of love.  It makes a whole difference.

As I grew older, I started to gain interest in cooking.  I never wanted to take up culinary and make it a profession but I found that I enjoyed cooking for my family and friends.  I love how raw ingredients can be mixed together to create something delightful.  I developed an adventurous palate by trying new dishes and different recipes.  Looking back, I am so grateful that my mom involved me in the kitchen.  More than learning how to cook, I learned the heart behind it.  She shared a very priceless value to me, which is cooking with love.  When love is behind the reason in doing what you do, it goes beyond simply accomplishing something, there is a joy that results to it.

I’m so excited to pass on this value to my children in the future.  I believe that the kitchen is a valuable aspect in a home and lots of love flows through it.