Equal Parts

by Jess, a home cook

I’m Jess. I cook at home. Cooking, together with writing, is my favorite activity. I used to think in a perfect world I would spend my days in the kitchen and my nights at a desk -- until I realized that if my life fit in such a box, I would have no one to cook for and absolutely nothing to say. I spend most of my days at work, my evenings engaged in some sort of physical activity, and weekends trying to be social. I make time for my hobbies around that schedule and hope for balance.

I love crusty sourdough, carrots in any form of preparation, fresh strawberries, fresh strawberries with a biscuit and cream, warm strawberries, warm strawberries with oats and butter, mustard, vinegar-y vinaigrettes, wood-fired pizza, olive oil tastings, late August Michigan tomatoes with nothing but salt, cute little cookies (and some of the ugly ones), and the concept of an everyday cake. On my birthday I like a peppery filet, a hunk of blue cheese with a crusty baguette, a classic steakhouse salad dressed in ranch, and a deep Cabernet. And for dessert, a New York-style cheesecake with graham cracker crust and berry coulis, and a glass of northern Michigan ice wine.

I also love new furniture and old rugs, yoga and running, the colors blue and burgundy, supply and demand, a free afternoon and an engaging novel, gin rummy and my sister, boat rides and my parents, ladies nights and my best friends, and Sundays on the sofa with strong coffee, Barefoot Contessa (or the Golf Channel), my husband Jeff and our imaginary (for now) dog named Waffles.

I believe when I write about food, I’m writing about all of the above. When I play cards with my sister, it’s often with a plate of chicken kabobs as well. When I’m at the lake with my parents, my dad is grillmaster and my mom prepares farmers market vegetables. I infamously bring experimental brownies to every ladies night. And on Sunday mornings with Jeff, there’s also breakfast -- often it’s just a banana and a granola bar, but sometimes it’s creamy scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and avocado on multigrain toast.

We are what we eat, in that food sustains us physically, and equally in that it harbors our experiences and memories. Here I write about what I ate and what I remembered.