Blogs

[#1]

It was a simple email that came in from a friend.  Someone we both knew casually needed some help.  Her husband was fighting cancer and she was struggling to keep the family together, the kids thriving, and her world from collapsing.  The idea was to get a big group of people together and sign up for one or two night a week to deliver food to the family during the six months her husband would be going through treatment.  There is a program on line that helps organize and track who is delivering what meal when, it’s as simple as that.  What wasn’t simple for me was the actual cooking part.  Of course I wanted to help and I signed up right away but I have never been great in the kitchen, it’s my huband’s department. I was tempted to have food delivered on my assigned night but I knew it wouldn’t be special.  So, yes, I had my husband help do the cooking, but I was able to put my touch on the meal by what it went home in.

If you have ever watched a Temp-tations presentation you know how pretty the ceramic cookware is and you know that the beauty is highlighted by the fact that you can prep, cook, serve and store all in one. You can microwave, bake, and freeze in it. Its dishwasher safe and I like to add one more; it makes a simple dinner a memory.   The fact that the price for Temp-tations is so low, for so many pieces makes it possible to gift it. We (well hubby did most but I taste tested) prepared a lovely pasta with Turkey sauce dish and salad for the family and served it a gorgeous old world blue lasagna dish.  Because I paid around seven dollars per piece I had no problems writing a little note along with the meal that said “keep the dish.”  It looked like a 50 dollar ceramic piece of art and maybe it would mean something to a woman who was watching her husband suffer.

I often think about where that dish is now and how that family is doing.  I didn’t know them well and I haven’t seen them since.  But, every time I am baking brownies (my specialty) in the matching old world blue pieces I wonder where the missing piece is now.  Since my daughters turned three we have spent more time together in the kitchen.  They love to help pour the oil or stir the ingredients.  They flip on the oven light and put their prefect little faces up to the glass to see how their creation is coming together.  I always shied away from cooking, but I’ve found that having someone to teach, even if it’s just how to open a box and pour the ingredients, makes it more memorable.  Having the right pretty pieces to cook in is like icing on the cake - Or in my case brownies.   I’m thankful to Tara and the Temptations team for helping me see the beauty of baking and encouraging me to share the love with not only my family, but others.

I hope you will join me and the other hosts as we spend a whole day Cooking on the Q.  Please leave a reply here and tell me what your favorite dish is?  What you love about Temptations and how you have made memories. And join me and my family on facebook.

Have a blessed day.

Kerstin