SPRING! I love this time of year. The first blossoms are blooming, plants are pushing up through the soil, seeds are planted, sprouted, and nurtured in rich soil, and the brown grasses are becoming green again. And, as I watch the squirrels running and playing in my backyard, it serves as a reminder for each of us to get out and play!
With Spring comes the Easter season. As a little girl, we watched the seasons come and go through the large window in our kitchen. As the forsythia bushes bloomed outside our kitchen window, my mother would tell me the “For Cynthias” are blooming, and I believed they were blooming just for me! Spring arrived…!
Our kitchen was/and is where we gather – it is a celebration! And, as I reminisce, I see, hear, smell, and feel the sentiments. The Spring celebrations in our kitchens with my mother and grandmother were spent preparing our traditional lamb, ham, lasagna, artichokes, sweet breads, home-made chocolate Easter eggs, and of course, Noni’s Pizzelles. As we colored Easter eggs, we were reminded of new birth and beginnings that the season brings. Throughout Easter, there were many church visits, traditions, and teachings. On Easter Sunday, little girls were dressed in their white gloves, bonnets, and ruffles; little boys in their jackets and slick haircuts. And then, after our church service, it was all about spending time with family and friends. My grandfather would share his home-made wine, and there was a banquet – Mangia!
As I reflect on my journey in writing “MaMa Mia Cucina” ~ A Flavor of Good Food and Good Family, I am reminded that it was written in my heart, my soul, and in my mind years ago as I was growing up in my childhood kitchens. Today, as our home is filled with our children, family, and friends, our kitchen remains the HEART and SOUL of our HOME.
~ Each year, as I witness nature’s new births, I thank my mother for the “FOR CYNTHIAs…”
How do you want your kitchen to speak?
What seeds do you wish to plant and nurture?
What traditions do you celebrate?
And, what traditions do you want to pass along to future generations?
Blessings of the season to you and yours ~