"Is Mom there?"

Even though they live 400 miles away, I know for a fact that two of my girls cooked today. All three girls are good cooks. They are not afraid to try new things and like learning new techniques. I know that their families will always be well-fed and someday when their children leave home, it will be Mom's cooking that brings back fond memories. If they are as lucky as I am they will be paid the highest compliment of all-their children trying to replicate Mom's best dishes.

I know they cooked because at this early stage in learning to cook for a family they invaribly choose some of their favorites from their days at home. But when they lived at home they were eating it and not preparing it. Meals appeared magically at the same time everyday. Desserts were a given. As homeschoolers, they did their lessons with the whirl of the Kitchenaide in the background. I hope this is as happy a memory for them as it is for me. In fact, it is one of my favorite memories. So from time to time they find themselves in a quandary. If their dad answers the phone, there is a bit of small talk but soon the all-important question, "Is Mom there?" I take the phone and the puzzled cook cuts to the chase, "Is evaporated milk the same as sweetened condensed milk?" Today's second important question was "Can I make the pastry for your blackberry cobbler in the food processor?" "Yes, you can."

Maybe these questions don't seem so important as "Is global warming real?" or "Is there life on Mars?" but when you look at the big picture it's the details that grab your attention. Just like your own life, when you look back at it all, it's those samll things like Mom's cobbler or chocolate cake that grab your attention when you need to relive just a small detail.