Taking over Mom's

In our house the finest conversations are about food. That is especially true as we gather at my Mom's house. Holidays are more about the food than the event and we celebrate in fine style when we get together in the creation of food monuments. My mother has a small kitchen, very small, but recently it was  the scene of a grand strawberry rhubarb pie and some marvelous cinnamon buns courtesy of my sister. She is a great baker and has a blog where she has recipes of her efforts. You may want to look at that. I remember when I worked with her in East Hampton at a farmers market. People would line up and wait for her blueberry muffins to come out of the oven. Yes, they were that good.
Cooking in Mom's kitchen got me wondering when we made the transition to feel so comfortable taking over our mothers' kitchen when we would be reluctant to give over our own-except to our children and therein lies the key. Children cooking in the kitchen is a reward in itself. My mom sincerely doesn't seem to mind that we make baked salmon steaks with sweet chili sauce for dinner accompanied with a tossed salad with fresh baby artichokes followed with the strawberry rhubarb pie. Can imagine why.
We are inspired by food, the sense of community it creates and the opportunity to share what we make with those we love. What a payoff!

Yes Virginia, there really is an Ohiopyle

In the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania (which is shortly south of Pittsburg) is the Yough River and the Allegheny mountains. Several minutes from Ohiopyle PA is the Frank Lloyd Wright house named Falling Water. It is so named because Bear Run goes right underneath the house and is incorporated in the design.
This was the reason and the setting for a spring getaway, just the girls, to do as we would. What a nice trip. Hiking, biking(from Ohiopyle to Confluence 11 miles each way-painful. Molly was the champion),and shooting(imagine!) filled our time between the cultural enrichment and of course, the beautiful countryside. Too bad the food was less than stellar- but hey, we were off season and a lot of places were closed.
Want an indulgent getaway? Try Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Not where we stayed. We were at the Yough Plaza Hotel- yes, the Plaza, in Ohiopyle.
Enjoy the pics