Carolyn's Hands

When I think of Carolyn I think a lot about her hands. I think my daughter has her hands. I spent many a time sitting at the counter in the kitchen watching her chop onions and soak them in water, pick cilantro leaves off the stem, pick through a bunch of lettuce selecting the best leaves for a salad and pinching Penzey's spices into the food. I used to wonder how she could spend so much time preparing food. Then I realized how much she enjoys cooking and I used to be a bit mesmorized watching her work. It is very relaxing.

Then I had the joy of tasting her food: asparagus broiled till just crispy with lemon, apple fritattas, potato salad with carrots and peas, broccoli bacon salad, brined pork tenderloin, chicken marinaded in soy sauce and orange juice, chocolate souffles, tirimisu, flank steak with cilantro/onion sauce, bean salads, rice and beans with onions and bacon fried in manioc flour and butter, ham and chicken pies, cakes made from almonds, crispy cucumber salad marinaded in rice vinegar, strawberries with real whipped cream.....hmmm. She gave food such a good name.

The really great thing is that if you go to the younger Swait's house (us) or the Cordova house you will see many of the same things on our menus. She taught us so much about cooking and food. I'm hoping to write down her recipes for our kids but she taught us too well. We don't know how to measure the ingredients because we learned by "a little of that" and "a pinch of these" and taste.