It smells amazing in here!

My brother and I used to sit on the counter and watch my mom cook.  I think we even pretended to be “fancy” drinking our juice out of the “only for company” cups.  My mom taught me so much about cooking and raising kids.  Teaching skills and then little by little letting us do it on our own.  Such is life…

Kitchens are really the heart of the home.  It’s where we gather to talk, cook and eat.  I tried for some time to encourage my guests to gather in the living room, but eventually everyone ends up in the kitchen cause that’s where all the yumminess is happening!!  Now I keep everyone close.  Appetizers are served in the kitchen, and friends are often asked to help stir a pot or take something out of the oven.  This is the place where connections are made over a glass wine and some delicious food.

When my kids were young, they would come home from school and often I would be  baking.  My oldest, in particular, would stop in his tracks just inside the front door…take a big smell…and say “I smell cookies” or whatever happened to be baking that day.  He still does the same thing when he’s home for a visit.  Last Christmas when he was home, I was baking cinnamon bread for french toast and he said, “it smells amazing in here Mom”…I guess it keeps him coming home.

One of our family traditions is Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning.  I’ve tried many iterations over the years, but this one is my favorite (so far).  This recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen Bread Illustrated.

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