My Favorite Recipe

A few days after Christmas, I received a box in the mail from an old family friend in South Carolina. This friend is always sending me the best gifts, touching and unique. I ripped the box open to find a card and two pieces of yellow paper with a recipe written on them in cursive. On first inspection I realized it was an old recipe for gravy. After further inspection I saw it was a hand-written recipe from my grandmother, who has been passed for twenty years. I was overwhelmed with emotion as tears streamed from my bloodshot eyes.

My grandmother never wrote down any of her recipes, although she was and is still the best cook I have ever known. She is the reason I am who I am. Her passion for bringing smiles to people’s faces with her food is what fuels my passion everyday. She was simple in her ways, but she gave her heart on a plate in a way I will never forget. I will always be thankful for every meal, and for every minute, I shared with her.

It’s easy to get caught up in a complicated world, to let the best moments get lost in translation. Maybe we can slow down and appreciate that love that surrounds us daily, and hold on to what makes us happy.

As my grandmother always said,

Without love and a smile, your food will never be seasoned right.