My Mom and My Galley.

When I was growing up,summer was a time to relax and take in the fun.  The kids stayed outdoors until the sun went down, my dad worked , and my worked for a while and then cooked her warm weather meals for the crew.  She had an incredible way or blending filling food with the seasonal foods that we all love and still cherish to this day.  She had her secrets on how to keep it tasting good even in the heat of Texas summers.  I still use her secrets today and as I make the dishes I smile thinking of her telling me to add more of that and less of this. 
There was a moment in my childhood that I realized my mom had become an artist of sorts. We were in the kitchen of my childhood home; a kitchen that by the way would make any chef cringe.  It was a very small galley that has since been expanded.  There she was, preparing and talking me through a recipe that had been handed down to her when she looked at me and said, "if you leave the peas frozen while you make the dish it will thaw just in time to serve the salad while allowing the rest of the salad to stay cold without any further chilling."  She was the most brilliant person I knew at that moment.  She had taken a simple recipe and adapted to her environment.  I realize this seems trivial, but let me tell you........it is not.  Adapting to the your weather, environment, and ingredients available can be a feat to overcome.  It takes real life experience to understand that this adaptation is the work of a chef worth their salt and worthy of using salt :)
So I found myself in my large galley (yes, my kitchen is a galley) making the same recipes she taught me to make over 20 years ago plus a couple more that my sons requested.  I still love to make them all.  It's like second nature.  So much so that I go into a zone.  My mind drifts to a time when I had to stand on a chair to reach the counter tops and my mom saying, "mix this in and leave the peas frozen."

The Vacuum and Void.

Recently we lost our family dog, Macie. It was a heartbreaking experience that left a void in our lives. She was so much a part of our family. I miss so many things about her. She brought love and warmth to our house. All the memories overwhelm me sometimes, there are so many to choose from. The time of day I miss her the most is dinner time. As I made my way to the kitchen, she followed and took her spot on the tile so she could see the whole room as I drifted around. She loved to smell supper cooking and was my personal vacuum when anything dropped. I used to laugh about it; that she was my sweet furry vacuum. So it's so odd now that what is left after she has passed are the memories and a void like a vacuum.