Putting It All Together

I love introducing good people to good food.  That is one reason I am cooking soup one Wednesday night a month for over 50 people.  Our weekly church suppers give me a chance for a favorite meet and greet.  This week we will have Mexican Chicken Stew, served with cheese quesadillas and greens tossed with apples, walnuts, and apple cider vinaigrette.  With help from loving family and good friends (many hands make light work), the large steaming pots of stew will warm a cold evening.  Even better, as we gather around tables to enjoy eating together, hearts are warmed, too.  As I  put on my favorite apron, and begin to chop and simmer, putting it all together - I stir with a spoon that belonged to my father who, with my mother, ran a small cafe in a bus station in East Texas. 

When the soup is ready, I will ladle it into bowls with a ladle that he also used in the cafe. He put delicious foods together, and had customers who came back time after time for his home style cooking.  My earliest memories include aprons and spoons and feeding people.  I enjoy new recipes, new kitchen tools, and new opportunities to cook for others, but I will always love using Daddy's old spoon and ladle.