For The Love Of Zinnias

Along with being the rich recipient of a family of "good" cooks I also have a legacy of great gardeners!! I remember the flower border that outlined Mama's yard. It was filled with fragrant and beautiful flowers that glistened with dew each and every morning. A summer visit always meant returning home with a trunk full of plants to fill our own garden. These bright and beautiful flowers would always find themselves on the border of Big Mommy and Papa's garden. I can't help but think about her whenever I see these wonderful blooms. They really scream summer!! I'm thankful to have a husband who has continued the legacy of growing pretty things for me to enjoy. These gems are from a garden he designed and cares for.

Worth Remembering!!

Around 4 o'clock most afternoons I get a phone call from one of my three daughters in need of cooking instructions. I'm flattered that they want to know how to cook like me which in reality is really like my mother, the beloved Big Mommy. This year marks 15 years since she left us for higher ground and 15 years since any of us sat at her table. Her table was a simple maple table that now sits in my sister's kitchen but is was the yummy things you would find on her table that made it so special. My mother was not a "fancy cook" but a "good cook." Fancy cooks throw dinner parties but good cooks cook to the delight of their families. Almost every evening of her life you would find her in her kitchen cooking up "a little something." Cornbread was a weeknight staple along with fresh or preserved vegetables from the garden that PaPa grew every summer. This blog is my sincere attempt to pass along some of what she taught me not only about cooking but about living!! I wish I had paid better attention to all that she did in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I can't call her up for cooking instructions anymore but I'm glad to share what I did retain and am still learning. Stay tuned!!