Guest Blogger: Eric!

Hello friends, in his blogging debut, here is my husband, Eric. I am so glad to have him visit with us today sharing his story of cooking and family— as you can see his love of the kitchen is deep rooted and gift of practicing hospitality is so evident...

 
Food...eating, making, enjoying. Food is such an integral part of our lives. For me, I don't necessarily remember the food or the tastes, I remember the people the food was shared with.

As a child we would go to my Abuelita's (grandma's) house on Sunday afternoon for lunch. My dad and tios would sit at her table and eat salsa and chiles until they were sweating and hiccupping uncontrollably.
 
When I would wake up in the middle of the night after a nightmare my dad walk me to the kitchen where he would pull a pot (always the same one) out of the cupboard, pour milk in and warm it for me. I don't remember ever drinking the milk, but I remember the time he would take to make it just right. 

While on vacation with family in Florida I remember going to a seafood restaurant and seeing my first live lobster. More importantly I learned one of my favorite food phrases. After the meal my aunt taught me in her southern drawl, "That was good I ENJOYED it!"

My mom didn't bake a lot, but for some reason one year she decided to try cheesecake. She would follow the recipe in a cookbook-- I would later inherit and they would turn out delicious. They would crack inevitably, but they were always so lovingly made.

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Food for me is less about the tastes or smells, though they peek my interest and excite me, I am more likely to remember the shared experience of the meal. The experience of picking out the ingredients, thinking about the process they have already gone through to arrive in my local grocery to be picked by me and later prepared into something magnificent. I enjoy the early preparation tasks of chopping and reading the recipe. Making sure everything is just right and then to begin the process of making. Whether I'm baking a cake for a party or just for fun or making eggs and potatoes for breakfast. And then after the preparation and making, however long it takes, sitting together with friends and family and enjoying the meal.

I love making and sharing food. It's part of my gift set and it comes naturally.  I love our weekends as a family. We take it easy, enjoy time together, eat well and just share family time. We have recently started having lunch on Sundays with friends and this has provided a new venue for my creativity and baking prowess. Having the time to create on Sundays is so relaxing for me and sharing food, conversation makes the sweets taste sweeter.