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."