Mainely Martha

2017 has started like most new years…the gym is full of new faces,  journals are flying off the shelves in the bookstore, vision boards are created, meditation apps are downloaded and resolutions have been made.  And while I, like so many, am hopefully for this new year and this clean slate to create a great year full of happiness and new memories, I take pause as to what has and will what will bring more joy.

Julia Childs was not only a pioneer as a cook, author and television host, she was so far ahead of the happiness curve. The Joy of Cooking…such insight. Cooking and baking can be taxing and painful for some, but can be a delight to others. And one of the greatest elements of joy that cooking affords is sharing the food with friends and loved ones.

With winter upon us, I made a batch of onion soup this past weekend. As the aroma began to fill the house, the boys one by one would inquire as to what smelled so good. Yet, as they peered into the dutch oven on the stove and initially saw the pot full of onions and then red wine and then brown soup…well, you can imagine the reactions. But as I explained that this would be put into bowls with sliced baguette on top of the soup and cheese melted over it, the visual in their heads married with the smell regained their interest. When the soup was done and the bowls constructed and placed in the oven under the broiler, the curiosity began to build. They watched as it came out of the oven and the melted cheese over the bread that sat in the soup was definitely worth trying. Each sat at the counter and guardedly pierced the cheese to taste the soup. It was a hit…well for 2 of them anyways. Although my youngest tried to share in his bother’s enthusiasm for the soup, he divulged that he couldn’t eat it, “this tastes like a paper bag.” You can decide if you dare try the recipe after this review by a 7 year old.

In the end,  I am thankful that he gave it a try. And while you can’t please everyone, two out of three isn’t half bad. The warmth of the soup and sharing it with the boys was great and makes the effort put into it beyond worth while.