Simple Favorites

The simplest things are sometimes the best. At least in our memories. As a child, there were many things, of course, that seemed much more fantastic than I’d believe to be today. The size and steepness of the parking lot hill where bicycling and rollerblading took place. The great distance it was around the block. The enormous weight of fish on the end of my fishing line. And my mother’s cooking.

I’m not saying her cooking is any less than what I thought as a child – she’s still a wonderful cook. Nobody else’s food is like hers…especially her chicken and noodle casserole and apple pies. Oh, and her beef stew. And her zucchini bread. And her lasagna. And her cheesy potatoes. Actually…there’s a really long list of favorite meals. What’s interesting, though, is what I remember most as a kid.

I can recall many lunches of a particularly scrumptious pasta dish. It was so tender and buttery and oh, so good. Certainly another one of my favorites – still – even after I found out what my mom’s recipe was. She used any kind of pasta, though often small shells (I always loved that texture). She would cook it like any other, by using boiling water. Once cooked to the perfect tenderness, she would add butter and parsley. And that…was it. In my younger years, I had a dislike for most spices, which is probably why I loved this meal so much. But I have to admit, I was a little surprised to later find out its simplicity.

Another favorite meal was French toast. While the egg-dipped bread itself was always good, it was the syrup I was after. See, my mom made her own syrup. The unique thing was that it was clear – not brown like the typical maple syrup on the store shelves. It was also rather runny, but I didn’t care. It was sweet and it soaked into all the cracks and crevices of the French toast. I do remember my mom seeming to find my compliments amusing, but I didn’t know why until one day it finally registered. Her syrup only had two ingredients: water and sugar.

I have many more memories of delectable meals, but these two recipes are ones that I can still taste. My favorite flavors were the simplest – and often times still are.

I love summer rains. A cat’s purr. Warm sunshine. A crayon-colored picture from a child. A hug. A smile. All such simple things that mean so much.

Often in life, the simple things are overlooked or set aside. But sometimes the most important thing to do is stop and just take a moment to pay attention to the tiny blessings surrounding us every day. They’re there. Always. We just have to take time to see them.

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