RemembeRED: Special Recipe

Share with me a special recipe, but don’t just list out ingredients.


It was a day for family. The three of us had gathered in the kitchen, Zane and his father leaned over the bright orange pumpkin that had been specially chosen to be the very first family Halloween Jack-O-Lantern. While Zane supervised his father with the sharp and pointy knives, I cleaned up slippery pumpkin seeds for roasting. I had made up my own recipe. Butter, honey, ginger, sugar, and cinnamon mixed together with the seeds, then spread onto a cookie sheet. The kitchen began to smell like cinnamon, and that is a smell I associate with my family. I contentedly listened as my son sang a song about the color 'orange' and my husband painstakingly carved out the face of our Jack-O-Lantern. I began to think about what I could make for Thanksgiving, and how we could all gather again in the kitchen to decorate cookies for Christmas.

"Um, what are you burning?" Larry suddenly interrupted my happy reverie.

"I'm not burning anything!" I frowned at him. Then I looked at the oven, only to see a curl of smoke emanating from the back burner*. Zane sternly lectured me about being careful as I pulled out the smoking cookie sheet, laughing. My husband, also laughing, opened the kitchen windows and turned on the fan. About half of the seeds were burnt, when I was able to survey the damage. The rest were encased in a candy coating very similar to buttered toffee. Delicious. Not exactly what my completely made up recipe intended, but recipes are just a guideline anyway. For me, the day was all about family.

*For the record, this is only the tenth time that I have set my kitchen on fire. Never on purpose, of course! I am just that good.

Social Skills Tip of the Day!

When a rather rotund woman walks by you wearing a pumpkin-orange jumper, try not to say the first thought that pops into your head. Keep that thought inside your head where it belongs. And that includes the giggling!

(Yes, I know that I am a terrible role model.)