What Makes the Perfect Meal?

A reflection on cooking and family

Is there such a thing as a perfect meal?

I think there are perfect recipes.

There are certainly favorite meals, meals of memory, and the storied snack.

Favorite meals are the ones you eat because they are delicious. My husband makes his signature spaghetti that is requested on birthdays and special events. A book club friend Jane always makes her food with so much love and care that we can taste it when she serves it. I have “stolen” several recipes from her including Birthday Pasta which is now a family favorite and frequent request. It is a relatively simple meal that is so decadent it is requested on birthdays…hence the name. It is made with butter, cream, mushrooms, spinach, garlic herb chicken, and parmesan cheese. Almost all Jane’s recipes have a story to go with them too.

Memory meals remind you of a specific event or remind you of someone or a certain time in your life. My brother dropped an entire plate full of spaghetti and sauce down the stairs in the house I grew up in which still makes me laugh to think about it. My mother in law makes smoked butt and rutabagas because it reminds her of her childhood. Cabbage soup, scrambled egg sandwiches, and crepes remind me of my Oma.