cook pot stories

I recently wrote about how I am slowly developing a different relationship with cooking since Kevin died. Part of the challenge for me (and for many widowed people) has been giving myself permission to enjoy food and cooking since my spouse's death. I associate complex cooking with Kevin, so learning to relish it again is a whole new ballgame. This past weekend I decided to make lasagna. This was never a big favorite of Kevin's, but my new sweetheart, C, loves it. I wanted to make it as a love letter for him yet the idea of cooking something complex and with passion felt a bit daunting. It felt like more than I could easily manage, that I'd get lost in the details and memories. It felt like I was cheating on Kevin.  I know that's not true, that loving C doesn't mean I love Kevin any less. C understands this and accepts Kevin as part of the package; if he's involved with me then Kevin is part of our relationship. I often feel as though C has a better han...

As you know, I love cooking. A blindingly obvious statement, since this is a cooking blog, but it's worth reminding myself of this sometimes. Cooking is therapy, it's meditative, it's a chance to experiment, and it's a way I communicate my affection and esteem. I'm sure you cook for many of the same reasons. In the 2+ years since Kevin died, I've not been cooking much. When I do cook it's usually something simple, not the elaborate meals I made before he got sick. You can analyze this in many ways; his cancer took away his joy in food; it reminds me of what I've lost; I'm just too damned tired most days to deal with it; and so on. Certainly this is a part of how I'm experiencing grief. Analysis aside, I'm aware that I miss it, but I don't yet know how cooking fits into the after life. I've come to think of my life since Kevin's death, especially as more time passes, as living in the Twilight Zone, as the after life. I have a r...

Yesterday my sweetheart and I decided to have an adventure. We wandered around town, exploring ethnic markets and seeing parts of the city new to us both. It was lovely. As lunchtime approached I found a listing for Cajun Deli . It had good reviews and we both like this kind of cuisine; on top of that, it gave us a chance to reminisce about a trip we took to New Orleans earlier this year. The restaurant was in the corner of a typical city strip mall. There is a dollar store on one side and a hair salon on the other. Inside it was fairly austere, just a counter where you order and assorted seating. The menu, posted on the wall, told us we could get fried catfish or shrimp, or boiled crawfish, shrimp, mussels or crab legs. It smelled wonderful. The place was packed. We ordered at the counter, found seating, then settled in for lunch and people watching. On one wall was a poster with an acacia tree and a giraffe, on the other a generic shot of a bridge over a rushing stream. It'...