Welcome to Sundays in the Kitchen. How did I come up with this name for my blog? As a child of Italian heritage, for me, Sundays were all about food. For breakfast we had buns and sweet rolls – a wonderful departure from the cereal and toast that was our usual weekday breakfast fare. Then, after breakfast, my mother would set the “gravy” (aka “red sauce”) to simmering as the family got ready for late morning mass. Sometimes a chicken or a roast was left roasting in the oven while we were at church. When we returned, we sat down as a family to a big Sunday dinner at an hour of the day when most non-Italian families were having lunch.
But that’s not all. After we finished eating at our house, we usually went to our grandparents’ house. The grownups caught up with all that had happened since they saw each other the previous week while the cousins ran around outside until it was time to eat again. Around six o’clock, my grandmother put out cold cuts and bread. Those who were really hungry could fill up with a sandwich. (Our Sunday meals were reversed. We had dinner at lunch time and lunch food for dinner). Those who could go for just “a little something” had cake and Stella Doro Italian cookies with a cup of coffee.
Fast-forward forty years. My parents are the grandparents now, and while I don’t make it to their house every week, I try to visit them on Sundays as often as I can. Before I visit, I spend a few hours in my own kitchen, usually baking, and I bring whatever I’ve concocted with me. Then, just like in the old days, we put the coffee pot on around 6 p.m. and have a cup of coffee and whatever it is I’ve baked for the week.
Like most people, I seem to be traveling in several different directions at once. I’m a college professor, a freelance writer and a reading and writing tutor. There’s hardly ever a minute to spare. But if I plan carefully, I usually can carve out an hour or two on Sunday afternoon to spend in the kitchen. This time in the kitchen is a different type of down time. As I chop, mix, and stir, I think about how I can best help my students. As I crack eggs, sauté vegetables, and modify recipes to my standards, I test sentences in my head for whatever writing project I happen to be working on at the time. My Sundays in the kitchen make me more creative in the other areas of my life. And the other areas – teaching and writing, especially writing about food, help me realize my creativity in the kitchen.
I hope you will follow my posts as I blog about my Sundays in the Kitchen experiences. I’ll write about food in general and its many relationships – to health, to family, to holidays, and much more. I’ll share recipes and post photos. I’ll write about restaurant experiences. And I hope that what I write will inspire you to spend your Sundays (or any day!) in the kitchen.
But that’s not all. After we finished eating at our house, we usually went to our grandparents’ house. The grownups caught up with all that had happened since they saw each other the previous week while the cousins ran around outside until it was time to eat again. Around six o’clock, my grandmother put out cold cuts and bread. Those who were really hungry could fill up with a sandwich. (Our Sunday meals were reversed. We had dinner at lunch time and lunch food for dinner). Those who could go for just “a little something” had cake and Stella Doro Italian cookies with a cup of coffee.
Fast-forward forty years. My parents are the grandparents now, and while I don’t make it to their house every week, I try to visit them on Sundays as often as I can. Before I visit, I spend a few hours in my own kitchen, usually baking, and I bring whatever I’ve concocted with me. Then, just like in the old days, we put the coffee pot on around 6 p.m. and have a cup of coffee and whatever it is I’ve baked for the week.
Like most people, I seem to be traveling in several different directions at once. I’m a college professor, a freelance writer and a reading and writing tutor. There’s hardly ever a minute to spare. But if I plan carefully, I usually can carve out an hour or two on Sunday afternoon to spend in the kitchen. This time in the kitchen is a different type of down time. As I chop, mix, and stir, I think about how I can best help my students. As I crack eggs, sauté vegetables, and modify recipes to my standards, I test sentences in my head for whatever writing project I happen to be working on at the time. My Sundays in the kitchen make me more creative in the other areas of my life. And the other areas – teaching and writing, especially writing about food, help me realize my creativity in the kitchen.
I hope you will follow my posts as I blog about my Sundays in the Kitchen experiences. I’ll write about food in general and its many relationships – to health, to family, to holidays, and much more. I’ll share recipes and post photos. I’ll write about restaurant experiences. And I hope that what I write will inspire you to spend your Sundays (or any day!) in the kitchen.
RSS Feed