Kitchen Vibes

Chicken Marsala

I now have a dedicated recipe page on the Chill Life website. As you may have already guessed, I very much enjoy cooking. My love for cooking started when I began cooking for my kids and in-laws. Scott’s mom had developed a form of dementia some 20 years ago, so I took on the responsibility of cooking for them. Our home was also THE hangout for our children's friends which means I was always cooking lunches and dinners for hungry kids.

Hungry football boys

As my son, Garrett, moved into middle and high school athletics, I often found myself cooking for he and his friends. Wow, high school boys can sure put down the food, especially after football and baseball practices!

Kayla making cupcakes

My daughter, Kayla, took a liking to baking desserts. She was so incredibly creative and was soon decorating cupcakes, pies, and layered cakes like a pro and desserts became her specialty. Scott was never very interested in helping much in the kitchen. (He did enjoy sampling everything though.) After having been given a potential fatal diagnosis everything changed for him and his priorities shifted some. He now has a desire to spend as much time with me as possible and that included time in the kitchen. Scott wanted to learn to cook. In just a short time he had advanced from someone who pretty much only made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, to someone who can now make THE BEST Chicken Marsala that I have ever eaten in my life. His skills in the kitchen have surprised me and his progress is actually quite impressive.

While the kids were growing up we attempted to eat together several nights a week. Teenagers are not always excited about family time, but if they get a good home cooked meal then they are more likely to attend without pushback. My father in-law, Gary, who most of our town affectionately called "Grandpa", always liked to help me in the kitchen. At a minimum, he was a professional sampler. His imitation of Julia Childs was hysterical as we cooked together and prepared dinners. His favorite Julia quote was, "I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food I'm cooking." He would mimic her in that silly high pitched Julia voice. Many dinners included our kids friends who loved both the food and grandpa's stories. I treasure these times around the table where good food was the theme and the real prize were the relationships cultivated.

Scott in the kitchen

Grandpa and grandma have passed and the kids are out on their own. Yes, we are now empty nesters. I have returned to work after some time off to help manage Scott's treatments. After a long day at work it's nice to have someone else thinking about dinner. I sometimes get a text in the middle of the day that reads, "what are you in the mood to have for dinner and I'll pull something out of the freezer." It's fun to know that Scott can prepare, or at least help prepare a delicious meal when I've been working all day. He loves to greet me at the door with a glass of wine, we toast, choose our Spotify playlist and I'll talk to him about my day while he is cooking. It's so nice to be spoiled like that, but I absolutely love when we get an opportunity to cook together. He and I enjoy working together as a team in the kitchen and assisting each other to make meals that are new and delicious. The vibe is fun, playful and sometimes even romantic. We both understand the importance of being present for one another and spending time in the kitchen together does just that. To invite friends to dinner, to fellowship and share a great meal with them is extremely rewarding and is really the icing of this life.

Friends over for dinner

I'm proud to boast that Scott has become a great assistant, and an even better head chef at our home. I have taught him that to be successful when following recipes, you must be prepared by making sure that you have all your ingredients laid out and ready to use, your knives should be sharp and that a recipe is only a guideline. Taste frequently along the way and make sure you add what is needed to make it is delicious.

I hope you enjoy my Chill Life recipe page, Bon Appétit!