Today was one of those days I will remember always. It wasn't monumental in the same way as other days have been but it was a little thing, an innocent comment, that made me stop and realize just how special life can be.
While my little guy napped, my daughter played with her (ohh soo little) dolls and I began slicing vadallia onions and prosciutto to make Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Quesadilla (see: http://meredithsfoodforlife.blogspot.com/2008/06/route-66-party-recipes.html)
As I sauteed the onions in oil, wine, and brown sugar, I agreed to play with my daughter in between mixing the onions. At one point, she turned to me and said, "what's that smell?" Off-handedly I noted I was "making something." My uber-smart daughter picked up her head, looked at me and paused while something computed in her mind. And then it clicked; she said, "you're making Pasta with Peas and Ham?" (see: http://meredithsfoodforlife.blogspot.com/2008/05/penne-with-peas-proscuitto-and-cream.html)
And at that moment it all clicked for me, too. Isn't it amazing a 4 year old can recognize, in a mere second, a smell that she hasn't encountered too many times in her short life, like my perfume or the smell of the soap in her bath? And isn't it wild that she knew exactly what the smell was - sauteed onion? This may be ridiculous to some but to me it was so special, so perfect, and so adorable. I was completely blown away and yet wholly satisfied. It felt like I had done my job well - I had made a connection with her that will last forever. And as corny as it may sound, she will always associate the smell of sauteed onions with her mother's house...and what made it all click so well for me was the realization that I, too, associate kitchen sounds, sites, and smells to my own mother.
Just like that, with nothing more than, "you're making pasta with peas and ham?" did I understand how special moments are created.
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