I was in the midst of making a lentil salad a few days ago when my friend Jackie stopped by for an impromptu play date. She brought a small container of left-over chocolate chip cookie dough and suggested that she finish her baking at my house. Without hesitation, I pre-heated the oven in anticipation of an indulgent early afternoon snack. I continued dicing the red, yellow and orange peppers for my lentils and for 45 minutes, we baked, chopped, and tasted together on a day we didn’t have a cooking plan. Although this may seem somewhat unremarkable, Jackie and I were able to finish something together that each of us had begun alone.
The spontaneous time Jackie and I spent in my kitchen prepping and cooking side by side, is an example of the comfort and ease that can result from a mature cooking relationship. I sent Jackie home with a sampling of my lentil salad and a container of homemade dill pickles for her husband to taste test. In return, she left me with a happy, well-nourished toddler with chocolate smeared all over his face.