Stretching, pulling and rolling 16 pieces of dough. Had I been alone in my kitchen, I probably wouldn’t have taken on this mundane task at all. However, since I was cooking with my friend Kathe, I actually enjoyed the process.
We got together yesterday to make homemade macaroni and cheese and personal pizzas for the upcoming CWFC “Kid Friendly Food” swap. When I first walked into Kathe’s house, I was greeted by the smell of garlic and herbs simmering in sauce — ah, the Cooking With Friends nose factor! Kathe was already busy at the stove melting butter and cheese. Since the pizza dough tools were already laid out neatly on her counter, it seemed futile for me to ask her to switch tasks. That’s how I humbly accepted the small kitchen challenge of working with pizza dough. With my fingertips pulling and stretching dough and with some forearm force, I got into a rhythm while rolling the dough thin.
Easy conversation with Kathe, like mellow music, kept my mind off this mechanical chore. Before I knew it, I had rolled out almost a dozen pieces. When she finished the macaroni and cheese, she positioned herself at the counter to add the fixings and sauce to my hard worked dough. I subtly asked if she’d like to roll out the last few.
I concluded our cooking date with a break for my fingers by spreading some sauce and sprinkling some cheese, while enjoying watching my friend Kathe use some muscle.