Derailed

Am I the only home cook whose passionate drives often get derailed by...well, life? While the holidays are usually marked by gluttony and overspending, ours were marked by sniffles, sneezes, and stomach flus.

Not exactly condusive to culinary genius.

Not that I am a culinary genius. Far from it, actually. I just love to cook. And I love sharing that passion with others, especially my daughter who went to bed tonight covered head to toe in a fine dusting of flour and well past her bedtime because we were baking bread and I know of no better reason to let the flour fly.

Cooking at home is a passion, because my family is a passion. I cook and bake and pile high dirty mixing bowls, measuring spoons, baking sheets, and skillets because at the end of the day, I want my family to eat well. But more than that, I want memories of family dinners to include tiny fingers zealously poking holes in pizza dough, teaspoons of garlic salt poured on the kitchen floor by unsteady little hands, my husband racing to open a nearby window because I burnt something...again, and sitting down together to eat a meal together that we prepared together.

Does it get any better than that?

I recently shared with someone that it was my desire to teach cooking classes, to which she responded, with great surprise, "You're good enough to teach classes?"

Considerably embarassed by this response, I stewed in a warm broth of self-doubt for several weeks. I contemplated abandoning the project, and tried convincing myself that no one in the South would want or need a cooking class. This is the stomping grounds of Paula Deen, afterall. Great cooking seems to be genetically programmed around here.

But you know what's missing? Passion. A desire to cook at home not just because it's healthier and economical, but because it's fun and messy and good. Really, really good. Especially when you do it with friends and family.

So no, I'm not good enough to teach classes. My technique is rough. My success rate is marginal. I'm far from neat, clean, and tidy when flour's involved. But I have a really good time in the kitchen and I firmly believe that you can, too.

Will you join me?