In Grandma's Kitchen
January 26, 2009
I have officially rounded the circle.
One of my favorite childhood memories is of working with my grandmother in her kitchen. What I remember: I am very small, and we are making pie. She gives me a bit of left-over crust, and shows me how to pat it into a small pan. I get to make my very own pie! I think what is so satisfying is the feeling of making something grown up, but in my own size.
Fast-forward many decades. I am in my kitchen with my almost-two-year-old granddaughter. We are making a potato pie (with rosemary and goat cheese.) I show her how to push the dough with the rolling pin. She is more interested in making the flour spray out as dust, but no matter. We are baking together.
At supper, I make a big fuss about how much help she was in making the pie. She likes the praise, and has no interest in eating the pie. I couldn't care less whether she eats it or not. I know she is hooked on making things together, just as I was so long ago.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
