Learning from Teaching

My daughter-in-law is not much of a cook. However, she is willing to learn. An endearing quality on which we can find common ground. She always comes to me with her culinary questions. If for some reason I do not know the answer, I strive to find it. She also assists me at all family functions where I am required to cook. I try to instruct her as we go along with the things I have learned at school. The last time we were together, she wanted a dish that would be easy to make, but seem as if she invested a lot of time in it. I went back through my cookbooks and found a perfect dish for this Italian girl. Angel hair puttanesca topped with a garlic-seared chicken breast. I gave her the grocery list, the wife and I went over to their house for lessons and a dinner. Our time was well spent, dinner was great and I got to spend quality time in the kitchen teaching what I have learned. What I take from these experiences is the joy that I see on her face, the knowledge that she took these seemingly random items and created something wonderful from them.