My parents always made sure I never forgot where I came from and stayed true to my Midwestern roots. I was born in Ohio and truly it is "the heart of it all" it's where my heart is, with my amazing family that I had the joy of spending my summers with. My all time favorite food was not found in a five diamond restaurant, but a hundred year old farmhouse kitchen.
The sounds of good ol' country radio playing on a radio in the corner, George Jones or Willie Nelson. The sweet smell of lilacs and fresh cut grass in the breeze. My uncles blackened cigar smoke in the distance. It's hot and humid, the kind of sticky heat that only a Ohio summer can bring. My Aunt JoAnn stands at the counter in a cloud of flour. Telling me about their most recent adventures while cutting fresh juicy peaches into chunks and wrapping them in a dough of simply flour and milk.
The water bubbles and boils on the stove and jagged blobs of dumplings sink to the bottom of the pot. As they cook away the mixture of almost pasta like water with a ever so subtle smell of peaches perfumes the kitchen.my mouth waters and I eagerly watch as they are almost ready.
Out of the pot and into a bowl topped with bread crumbs and sugar and drizzled with salty melted butter. A self admitted strange combination but it is literally my heaven on earth! They are more about the company Of who I share them with than the dish alone. Every time I have them I'm brought back to those sweaty sweet summers with my Aunt.
She created those memories with her grandmother, and passed them along with me. I'm forever thankful and blessed for these moments in the kitchen. She was here visiting and surprised me with making them in my kitchen this past weekend. The sights and sounds were all very different and we had so much food already... but all I wanted was that moment with her and my dumplings. I hope that I can make and create those moments with my own nieces and goddaughters.
Thank You for these moments Aunt JoAnn! Love you Always!!!
