Today is the 10 year anniversary of starting my blog, Amy’s Food Revolution. That ten years went by really quickly. My kitchen is ten years older. My cookbooks are ten years older. Jamie Oliver is 10 years older. My little babies are ten years older. I am definitely ten years older. While my blog has been a bit dormant the last 3 years, my enthusiasm for cooking and talking about cooking hasn’t been as quiet. I still get questions from friends and neighbors about my blog and I still tell the story of how it started and what I learned along the way.
“The Kid,” as I called her ten years ago, is in the midst of selecting a college and she’ll be leaving home this summer. I’m so proud of her for so many things. She works hard in school, has found her passion and knows what she wants to do in life. She also knows her way around the kitchen and she definitely knows how important it is to feed yourself good food. She is also still a bit of a food snob. And I absolutely love that about her. During the last ten years, she has become an amazing sous chef. Her chief responsibilities in our kitchen are sauces, dressings and aioli. She is also 3 inches taller than me and is super handy at reaching the things on the high shelves. When it is time to make dinner she’s the first one there to help. She tells her brother, “you know, when I’m gone, you’re going to need to know how to help mom in the kitchen.” She’s vowed to teach him her secrets before she leaves. “The Baby” is now in middle school. He’s still my pickiest eater and I still get a great sense of accomplishment when he discovers a new (or old) food that he now likes. Keeping him on task to consume enough fruits and vegetables is still a weekly conversation. But, he tries and he is educated about why eating well is important and I take that as a huge win. We make one meal, no special requests, and there is no complaining. I know he loves being at the dinner table and the conversations we have. He is always the first to share details about his day. The family dinner experience has made us a stronger and closer family and no one appreciates it more than this loving, sweet guy. This winter he did a cotillion class and loved learning about table manners, what all of the forks are for and when and how to place your napkin. I know all of these skills and priorities will serve him well his whole life. I know that he will be the type of parent that knows how important it is to sit down with your children and spouse every day to connect. That means just as much to me as the food on the table.
As for me, I still challenge myself in the kitchen. I love to find new books or recipes. I love checking out the latest trends in kitchen gadgets. (Instant Pot anyone?) And my heart is full every time we sit down to a family meal and my dear, sweet husband tells me how good it is. The struggle is real but we manage to sit down together most nights. My Jamie Oliver Food Revolution cookbook is tattered and frayed and falling apart. The pages of my favorite recipes have stains and the spine of the book is barely hanging on. Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Ambassador program has since been disbanded but I still keep tabs on all of my friends that I met through the program that live around the world. Honestly, the idea of blogging again is always on my mind. Learning how to cook turned out to be so much more than cooking. The experience has definitely been something I have been processing and thinking about for the last ten years. I’m not sure what’s to come but I think we’ll start by revisiting some of my favorite posts and maybe even cooking the recipes again along the way.
Happy Cooking and Happy Blog anniversary!
XOXO,
Amy
No comments:
Post a Comment