Prologue
For my Twitterive, I was going to focus on my grandparents house in Philadelphia and explore the connection I had with that place as a child and then focus on what the house means to me now that I am an adult and my grandparents have passed. As I worked on my writing, I began to see that I had much more of a connection with another special place - my home; specifically, our kitchen. My tweets began with a reminiscent tone, longing to embrace the people and events from my past but the more I tweeted, the more I began to realize how important the kitchen has become in my life.
My Inspiration for Changing my Place
Looking back on my Tweets, I noticed that I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen. In my house, it is like Grant Central Station. I am an only child and I live with my parents but everyone who enters the house settles in the kitchen. Friends and family are always over our house and my favorite place to spend time with the people I love is in the kitchen. It is where we have birthday parties, graduation celebrations and where we find comfort during rough times. After viewings and funerals, we often find ourselves heading home and gathering quietly in the kitchen, settling down with some Ben and Jerry's and recalling "the good times." But let's not focus on the bad times, the kitchen has become a place where I can try new recipes, uncover old favorites and treat my loved ones to their favorite meals!
Another reason I decided to change my place was because or my birthday this year, my friends got together and got me a bunch of great things for the kitchen. They picked up everything from a pink ice cream scooper to leopard oven mitts! I have been having so much fun trying out all my new gadgets and testing new recipes that I knew this was the place that I feel the most connection with.
Another reason I decided to change my place was because or my birthday this year, my friends got together and got me a bunch of great things for the kitchen. They picked up everything from a pink ice cream scooper to leopard oven mitts! I have been having so much fun trying out all my new gadgets and testing new recipes that I knew this was the place that I feel the most connection with.
1. Our Favorite Restaurant
When I do not have dinner prepared, my boyfriend, my family and I love to go to a special restaurant in Collingswood called "The Pop Shop." It is such an adorable little gem of a restaurant nestled between a travel agency and second hand store off of King's Highway. This was an inspiration because the Pop Shop has such creative ways of presenting foods, for example - they put a spin on regular grilled cheeses and use different types of cheeses or maybe a soft pretzel instead of bread. Because they are so creative, it inspired me to try cooking and baking new things!
2. Baking for Special Occasions
My friend Giana's birthday was in March and she is such a good friend to me that I wanted to do something special for her and make her cupcakes and her favorite dinner. As I have mentioned, my friends and family are very important to me. I love spending time with them and Giana's birthday was another opportunity to put a smile on my loved ones faces.
Guess the cupcakes turned out okay, they all went pretty quickly!
My Place: Our Kitchen
I have lived in Blackwood, New Jersey for my entire life. My parents bought our house here a few years after they got married. The house was built in the early 1980's and it looked like it was built in the early '80s! If you could look past the tiny blue tiles delicately placed and individually glued to the floor in the main bathroom, then surely you couldn't miss the burnt orange shag rug covering the entire downstairs. The pale yellow walls and linoleum floor of the kitchen were not only mild eye-sores but the intrusive, obnoxious flowers pasted all over the upstairs bathroom put my poor mother over the edge. Before the ink was even dry on the deed to the new house, my mom put my dad to work - beginning with the kitchen.
It has been my experience, both as a writer and a cook, that my learning process is very different from many other people. Not different in a good way like abandoning the traditional outline format when beginning a writing assignment, or switching out butter for margarine when baking - no, I prefer to thrust myself into a project with the naive thoughts that my writing will result in the next great American novel or my dish will win me a spot on "Iron Chef." Now, entering a project with ambition is not a bad thing, however, imagining that a piece of art can be created from start to finish in a matter of hours or even days is impractical and ultimately results in utter failure.
An extremely uplifting and inspiration beginning to my story, I know, but I must be honest. It all began with that stupid piece of salmon...
Pam Helps You Pull It Off
We've all seen this commercial, right?
The woman struggling to finish dinner and serve it to her family who is waiting politely in the dining room. Too bad she didn't use Pam! The frying pan and her family's dinner both go flying out the kitchen window, through the window of the car parked outside. Thankfully, it's just a dream, how perfect. In reality, she DID use Pam and it saved the day (and dinner!)
Don't you wish it was this simple? Spray a little Pam on your frying pan, season your meatloaf with a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash and bam, perfect meal, ready to be served. One of the first things I tried to cook for my family was salmon. It seemed simple enough at the time, my aunt had passed on a simple recipe to me and I was excited to try it! She explained all I needed was some butter, lemon juice, and a few seasonings. I should wrap the piece of fish in aluminum foil and place it in the oven until it was flaky. She recommended some veggies that would go well with my salmon and voila, dinner is served!
Well, it turned out, it's not all that easy.
Salvi: "Um, yeah baby, it's good.."
Me: After shooting him a dirty look - "SALVATORE ARENA. I know when you're lying to me. Just tell me you don't like it, throw it out and order a pizza. I am DONE with this cooking thing"
Salvi: Always being the reasonable one replied "it just needs a little more seasoning next time, you'll get the hang of it! Fish isn't easy to cook, it's going to take practice!" His smile always makes me melt.
Just then my dad walks in hearing the end of our talk and then right back out of the kitchen.
Me: "Daddy, can you show me how to make this better?"
Dad: "Yeah, next time you want to make it just.."
My dad showed me which seasonings would be better for baking salmon and showed me how to also cook it on the grill. The important lesson I learned from all this was that you cannot expect to be a master chef after one dish. It takes time and there is no right way or wrong way.
Don't you wish it was this simple? Spray a little Pam on your frying pan, season your meatloaf with a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash and bam, perfect meal, ready to be served. One of the first things I tried to cook for my family was salmon. It seemed simple enough at the time, my aunt had passed on a simple recipe to me and I was excited to try it! She explained all I needed was some butter, lemon juice, and a few seasonings. I should wrap the piece of fish in aluminum foil and place it in the oven until it was flaky. She recommended some veggies that would go well with my salmon and voila, dinner is served!
Well, it turned out, it's not all that easy.
Salvi: "Um, yeah baby, it's good.."
Me: After shooting him a dirty look - "SALVATORE ARENA. I know when you're lying to me. Just tell me you don't like it, throw it out and order a pizza. I am DONE with this cooking thing"
Salvi: Always being the reasonable one replied "it just needs a little more seasoning next time, you'll get the hang of it! Fish isn't easy to cook, it's going to take practice!" His smile always makes me melt.
Just then my dad walks in hearing the end of our talk and then right back out of the kitchen.
Me: "Daddy, can you show me how to make this better?"
Dad: "Yeah, next time you want to make it just.."
My dad showed me which seasonings would be better for baking salmon and showed me how to also cook it on the grill. The important lesson I learned from all this was that you cannot expect to be a master chef after one dish. It takes time and there is no right way or wrong way.
My Unique "Creative Process"
I like to think of myself as a mostly level-headed, reasonable person..
...until something goes wrong when I'm cooking, then all bets are off!
This is probably my favorite part of the movie "Julie and Julia!" The movie chronicles a young woman's culinary journey from amateur chef to renowned blogger when she cooks her way through the Julia Childs' cookbook and blogs about her experiences. This scene occurs after one of her dishes is a complete failure and she is extremely disappointed.
I am a relatively patient person, until something goes wrong when I am cooking. My family and especially friends (since they don't have to put up with me) are understanding and supportive when I experience failure or question my abilties.
Reservations
My dad always says, "never let fear hold you back"
We never know what we are capable of until we are in a situation that pushes us to our limits.
My dad is the kind of guy who will offer you his opinion whether you want it or not. If you ask him anything, you better have a couple hours to kill because he will hold you hostage in conversation and there are not many things he is willing to compromise on. Among these concrete ideas of "how things should be," is the fact that macaroni must be served with gravy. Not severed cold in a salad nor in any other manner. Another is the necessary two days in advance request for occupation of the kitchen. If you don't tell my dad two days ahead of time that you are planning on cooking, don't count on it happening.
"Dad, I was thinking about making dinner on Thursday so don't pick anything up to cook, I got it covered." I said smiling.
"Alright, Dad. But what are you making?" He asked inquisitively.
"Something I'm sure you won't eat, I'm sure." I said before I turned back to my cookbook.
"Well why don't you just make some macaroni and throw some garlic bread in? That's all, why you gotta try all this crazy shit with the pepper and tomatoes, you don't need all that. Make macaroni or some broccolirabe, that's all!"
"Okay, dad, that sounds good. I'll make you some brocollirabe for lunch but I'm trying something new for dinner."
"BAY!" he called out to my mom in the other room. "Hun, what would you rather have for dinner, macaroni and some nice fresh, broccolirabe or some crazy shit the baby wants to cook up from the cookbook she got?"
My mom glanced up from her Psychology Today magazine and tilted her head, sympathizing with me because she knows there's no compromising with him.
"Munch, you try whatever you want - if you want to put red pepper, feta cheese and olive oil in your macaroni, you go right ahead, I will try it."
"I know you will, mom. I appriciate it since someone around here is too scared to try anything new." That one struck a nerve.
"I NEVER SAID I WAS SCARED." my dad bellowed. "I just know what's good and it ain't that garbage!"
"Oh, okay, Dad. I'll be sure to have Chef Boy R De warmed up for you on Thursday since that's the only thing I can make that you will eat. You know, for someone who's so concerend about how mommy makes her gravy, you sure settle for garbage when you eat that canned stuff."
"Dad, that's all we had to eat when I was a kid, you don't forget where you came from."
"I understand that, I just wish you would try something new, that's all."
Family Time
Being the only child means having to be everything a parent could want from a child. There's only one of me so I have to be it all - good student, respectful, creative, ambitious, you name it!
The past few years, my mother and I have become closer than ever. She is my biggest supporter in any journey I set out on and I love her more every day. However, she is not very helpful when it comes to cooking. She taught me how to make the family staples: rice pudding, gravy and meatballs, Christmas cookies and our family's "Six Egg Cake" (yes, it actually calls for SIX eggs in one cake that is baked in a bundt pan). She is like my Executive Assistant. She pulls my sleeves up when I dirty my hand the same way she picks me up when I fall into uncertainty. She chops my onions when they make me cry just like she wipes my tears since I was born. My taste tester and my inspiration for putting everything I have into everything I do.
The past few years, my mother and I have become closer than ever. She is my biggest supporter in any journey I set out on and I love her more every day. However, she is not very helpful when it comes to cooking. She taught me how to make the family staples: rice pudding, gravy and meatballs, Christmas cookies and our family's "Six Egg Cake" (yes, it actually calls for SIX eggs in one cake that is baked in a bundt pan). She is like my Executive Assistant. She pulls my sleeves up when I dirty my hand the same way she picks me up when I fall into uncertainty. She chops my onions when they make me cry just like she wipes my tears since I was born. My taste tester and my inspiration for putting everything I have into everything I do.
Afterward
Writing these anecdotes for my Twitterive has allowed me to become more aware of my writing process and how cooking has become a therapeutic activity for me. Whatever is going on in the world, our kitchen is a safe place. We gather to laugh, cry, celebrate and mourn - all the while we are surrounded by good food!