Thoughts on Cooking

I have been thinking recently about my new family, as one tends to do in the days leading to their wedding. Not only am I gaining a husband but I'm gaining a whole new family as well. A new mother, a new father, a new brother, new grandparents. It's been an interesting endeavor simply because these new family members are different from the family members I've always known.

My soon-to-be mother-in-law is very different from me. Especially in the kitchen. She doesn't bake. She's a healthy person. Her freezer is stocked with vegetables and her counters sport fruit bowls. My cabinets are filled with flour and sugar and chocolate chips. My refrigerator is stocked with butter, all flavors and sizes. So that has gotten me thinking...how do we develop our culinary style?

I think my baking addition is inherited, pasted down in my genes starting with my Sweetheart all the way down through my mother. I come from a long line of bakers. But that can't be the only factor because my mother-in-law's mother loves to bake. So what else influences it? I suppose celebrity chefs do. I have a friend who recently posted a photo of a dinner she prepared with the statement "look at me being like Julia Child. Bon appetit!" There's a whole movie dedicated to Julia Child that I love!!! But I don't own a Julia Child cookbook. I own a Betty Crocker cookbook. I have a pinterest board entitled Just Like Betty Crocker for my cooking tips. I love Paula Deen! Her current (ridiculous) struggle does nothing to affect the deliciousness of her butter-filled dishes or the warmth of her love-made recipes. But what leads us to a certain chef? 

How do we develop the love for the crispness of a perfectly cooked asparagus over the creaminess of a fresh cheesecake? The sweetness of an apple versus the richness of chocolate lava cake? I think a study needs to be done on this subject, because I simply cannot comprehend the lack of desire to pull a tray of fresh baked cookies out of the oven on a cool fall evening. But perhaps, this new woman in my life can introduce me to a whole new side of culinary love. And maybe, just maybe, I can show her the comfort of a good slice of pie a la mode.