Sharing Food

Sharing.
One of my favorite things to do is to share what I create in my kitchen. While I enjoy cooking for myself, it's much more fun to cook for a friend or relative, to know that someone besides yourself is going to enjoy the food you've prepared. It could be possible that I enjoy the attention. Yes, that's highly likely. Honestly not trying to brag here, but very seldom do I get anything but positive reactions from the food I prepare. To me, following recipes just isn't that difficult. Of course, I don't choose those that are difficult to begin with. I enjoy the occasional challenge but for the most part, I cook comfort food. Simple food that is tasty and authentic tends to please my friends way more than a gourmet meal with dainty little sauces drizzled on the plate. You know the kind I'm talking about, from fancy big city restaurants. They bring you a plate that costs as much as your utility bill and you wonder where the rest of the serving is. Nope. I don't cook like that. I once thought of trying a recipe from Bon Appetite Magazine until I realized that I couldn't even find some of the ingredients in the small town I live in. No thanks. I will gladly stick with comfort food.
Luckily, I married a man that enjoys entertaining as much as I do. If we weren't so busy, and our friends had the free time to just come and hang out at our house, we would have gatherings several times a month! We've hosted family dinners for the holidays, potlucks for groups we've been involved in, simple back yard barbeques, and birthday parties. For my daughter's 16th birthday, I hosted a dessert party. My entire dining room table was filled with about 10 different desserts. I had a complete blast in the kitchen in the days leading up to that party. And even though quite a few people showed up to the party, we still managed to have enough left over that we could have had another party the following night! Never thought I'd get sick of eating sweets!
When I know that I'll be cooking for an event or a specific friend, I will start to get excited days in advance. Sort of silly I guess. I'll start looking through cookbooks to get ideas, and then come up with a menu, write out a grocery list and head to the store. Even putting away the groceries that are designated for a party or gathering is an exciting thing to do. Funny how different things will make all of us happy. I have some friends that would cringe at the thought of putting groceries away.
Now that we are "empty-nesters' and our daughter lives on her own, I'm having to struggle with cooking for just two. I've always cooked way too much food, even when she was home. I can't manage to cook just the right amount. You'd think I had a family of 10 kids or something. Lucky for me, we have friends that actually enjoy our leftovers. If I make a pot of soup or a stew, I'll drop off a portion to a couple of our friends for lunch the next day. Like my grandma, I really dislike wasting anything. Sharing just makes me happy. If I have enough, that's what I do. Sure, I could probably force myself to cook only two portions. But then I would miss out on the blessing of giving. I think I'll stick with giving. It's much more fun.