The girl and I made our first Peach Buckle of the season with stupendous local peaches from the farmer's market. It was so lovely to be in the kitchen with her, peeling, slicing, mixing...tasting. It's nice to take pause and see her learning to feel comfortable in the kitchen. She moves easily from table to countertop, and even to oven. I remember similar moments from my own childhood, when I started to learn the corners of the kitchen from my mama. What a gift she gave me the first time she put a tasting spoon to my mouth after a whirlwind of preparation for some dinner. For years my mother's cooking was magical, mysterious even. How could you take seemingly regular ingredients and put them together just so, and end up with something that tasted so incredible. Each simple layer that had been added was still representative of itself, and yet somehow became part of a complex whole that made my tastebuds come alive. I still remember the first time I made cookies by myself (Pistachio Sandies). The sense of amazement I had that I could make something like that all on my own made quite an impact on me. I remember being so proud when my papa came home and I handed him a plate of cookies. Even though I was alone in the kitchen I hadn't really made them all on my own....it was years of watching my mother, listening to her little hints and responding to her guidance. Even today when I'm dicing onions for a sauce I can hear her reminding me to dice them smaller...and maybe even a little smaller again or to roast the cumin seeds before I add them so they'll release their flavor and won't be chewy. I don't think I ever saw her use a measuring spoon, it was always just a little of this and a pinch of that. She taught me to trust by taste rather than measurement, a skill that I will be forever grateful for, and something that never would have come naturally to me. Generally speaking I'm a measure twice kind of gal.
There are precious few parenting moments where you really feel like, blessedly, things have slowed down around you. When the girl and I were making our buckle, the sweet summertime moments stretched out to a nice long afternoon baking together. I enjoyed her easy laughter in the kitchen, and her neverending stories as she stirred the batter. As I was watching my daughter's hands learn to deftly slice the peaches I could hear my mama's words coming right out of my mouth...You can stop slicing now honey, those peaches look 'just about right'. Thank you mama. <3