Dames that Don’t Cook Dinner

Photo by Jing a Ling

My daughter is coming back from college tomorrow, and I can’t wait to have her back home. However, with her return comes the guilt that I am not that mom that provides home-cooked meals.

I stood at a company dinner the other night, listening to women talk about how their kids come home just for their cooking. Well, unless the smell of Kraft’s Macaroni and Cheese drives you crazy, my house doesn’t offer the aromas of home.

In fact, when my daughter was four years-old we visited my sister who, by the way, is an amazing cook. She’s put me to shame for years, and my children often wished she lived closer so they could go to her house for dinner.

On this occasion my daughter and son stood on stools watching her cook, mesmerized that the stove worked. They didn’t realize the electric burners actually turned red when turned on, because I always had burner-covers that were pretty and never removed. The microwave got all of our action.

As my sister strained the macaroni and poured it back into the pot, my daughter and son continued to watch as if she were splitting atoms. Linda then added shredded cheese to the noodles. At that moment my daughter looked at the shredded cheese and asked, What’s that?

My sister glared in my direction and said, Well, honey, that’s cheese. Samantha looked surprised since she was sure shredded cheese was an orange powder.

All I can say is thank God for Yankee Candles that have scents like cookie dough and apple pie. I’d like to request a new Roast Beef Dinner Candle, or perhaps a Macaroni with Real Cheese Candle. Then I could at least create the scent my kids could remember for years to come.

Until then, I’m just a Dame who doesn’t cook dinner. And I need to learn to be okay with that.