Cooking and Bonding

            It's another beautiful day in sunny Arizona. My husband loves to cook, which is great because I don’t. This is normal nowadays where gender roles aren’t as “Leave it to Beaver” as everyone wanted you to believe back when we first got married. It’s not that I’m a bad cook, it’s just that my husband seems to enjoy coming up with more delicious new meals, and putting a new spin on some of our old favorites. I swear he could probably be on a cooking show; it’s not just me either. When my sons come over for a visit they often ask him to make their favorite meals from their childhood.  When he does it gets the house smelling like it did when I had four pairs of feet running around.  It gets me thinking about my kids. It is a vicious yet wonderful circle.

            I believe it rubbed off on my kids as well.  My sons know how to cook, and they seem to enjoy doing it.  Some of them have even brought a few recipes back from their overseas trips to add to the family recipe box. Paella from my son who was in the Navy, it’s his wife’s favorite dish.  He’s also pretty adept at most Hispanic foods. My son that was stationed in Germany has brought over a large collection of European cuisine that I had never heard of but enjoy trying.

            I bring this up because cooking, and sharing meals is a way to bring the family closer. Eating something your parents have cooked all your life is a small trip back in time, to days when you could be carefree, or to memories of the perfect date with your soon to be husband.

Regardless these meals we share are important, it creates a bond in the family that will last a lifetime.

As always if you’re looking for a place to cook your masterpieces contact Tim or Gayle Kendrick at 602-819-6300, look us up at www.AZWestre.com on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/AZHomes or stop by and see our blog at http://azwestre.blogspot.com/