I saw the movie on Saturday…LOVED IT! As some of you know I love to cook. Baking especially, but that’s not the reason I loved the movie so much. I loved that both women found a passion, looked closely at that passion and went with it…I couldn’t help digging through my own love of cooking a bit. Why, I wondered, do I love it so much?
Cooking brings back some of the happiest memories of my past. One summer evening when I was about 7, I remember bounding through the kitchen door after a full day of riding my bike and playing at my friend’s house. There was this amazing smell. Meaty and a little spicy. There on the counter, all in a gorgeous row were bright green stuffed peppers hot out of the oven. I don’t remember what else we had but this overwhelming sense of well being filled every little inch of me.
As someone who has difficulty with roughly a million thoughts an hour, one reason I love baking is because I get completely lost in the order and rhythm. Sifting dry ingredients until they’re fine and powdery, creaming soft butter and sugar with a splash of gold-brown vanilla somehow effortlessly corrals all my scattered thoughts and I live precisely in that moment. And really, who wants to be anywhere else but in the moment when a nibble of a hot chocolate chip cookie is melting all across your tongue ?
And cooking brings me hopes for the future too. Could I perhaps pass along a love for cooking that may keep my family gathering around a table long after I’m gone. Could I instill a love for baking that would keep my girls mixing and frosting like crazy through the holidays and decorating sugar cookies with their own kids?
What about you, what do you love to do? Photography, exercise, reading, writing, teaching? Have you ever taken a moment to think about why you love to do what you do? Please tell!
I am with you. I LOVE to bake and then when it’s cold outside, I love to have a roast in the oven or a big pot of stew or soup on the stove. It just always warms my heart and makes me feel great all over. I havn’t seen the movie yet, but I really want to. Thanks for a great post. Hugs, Marty
.-= Marty´s last blog ..Met & Thrifty Monday – Pillows are Done =-.
I saw the movie this weekend, too, and loved it. Your post brought me back to my own childhood and my mom’s stuffed green peppers. She’s gone now, and I wish I could make those peppers exactly as she did. I have the recipe, but they never taste as good as hers…or maybe it’s just that I’m missing that sense of well being that came with sharing a meal with her. Thanks for a great post!
.-= Jean´s last blog ..For the Love of James =-.
I like this post. It is interesting to really think about WHY I love the things that I love. Apart from spending time w/ friends and family, the 2 things that I think I truly love the most are reading and planning/taking trips. I certainly enjoy reading in part for all of the obvious reasons. I love stories. Storytelling is probably the oldest from of human interaction and education. I want to escape and explore another world, and I want to learn something and/or think about things in an unfamiliar way… but the strange thing that I love about reading is language. I love words and I love that in the right hands, simple, everyday words can become a beautifully structured sentence. I find myself thinking about why a writer chose to place a word her instead of there. I even enjoy exploring how different writers use punctuation and grammar. I guess words are my favorite art form.
My husband and I love planning trips. We sit in bookstores and flip through
travel guides and look forward to escaping all things daily. I love that it gives us something to get excited about together. I love spending hours packing and trying get every possible need into our bags in perfectly organized form. I love airports. I love seeing new and beautiful places and basking in more pleasant climates 🙂 Thanks for making me think this morning!
I have been taking a look at what I love. I’ve only recently noticed its right under my nose and you covered most of them. Reading, writing, cooking, homemaking…. etc. Sometimes in the past I would think I needed to do more exciting and exotic things… but really its very simple for me. Good question about the why… its perhaps what I didn’t have in my childhood that I enjoy creating for my own family.
And I think cooking is part of living your legacy. I have so many favorite recipes that belonged to an Aunt or my Grandma, and while they are no longer here, their spirit lives on through the food.
Wonderful post Robin! Love to you!
.-= Vicky´s last blog ..Fargo Airsho =-.
Love this post! I always knew my mother was in a good mood the nights she fix ed homemade gingerbread and lemon sauce. 🙂 Just something special about those nights. I love the way certain foods evoke sweet memories.
Because of you, I cooked a really special supper when Jamie came over last night. Her favorite–grilled shrimp and crab legs.
I love to cook and I especially love to bake any and all kinds of sweets!!! I loved the movie Julie and Julia. Wasn’t it the best? I want to get Julia’s cookbook and try some of the recipes. Cooking is a real comfort to me. I love to cook and share things with other people. I see it as my ministry. I am constantly fixing desserts to take to share at Bible study, work, etc. I can’t imagine not cooking. It is such a big part of my life. Thanks for the great post. Love & blessings from NC!
I love to cook for people. I love having people in the kitchen with me. Cooking for me is a way to express love to the ones I love.
I also love to workout. I love getting in touch with my body and feeling myself move muscles and working them hard. I love sweating.
I can’t wait to see this movie. I, too, love baking. I love how creative you can be with simple, basic recipes. A plain cheesecake recipe can easily be adapted to a lemon cheesecake with blueberry topping or a chocolate cheesecake with raspberry or green tea matcha cheesecake. Nothing gets me more excited than trying something new in the kitchen.
.-= Brandy´s last blog ..My first daring bakers challenge! =-.