Emma Cooks

Emma (daughter #2) has come home for a weeks' holiday.

Thursday night she cooked.

Emma has been competent at roast chicken dinners since she was 13yrs old. In fact chicken dishes have always been her favourite and I smile every time I remember her at the local chicken shop discussing with the ladies what she was planning that week. Once when she was about 10 her reply was "Moroccan Chicken". When asked by the shopkeeper "oh and how do you make that Emma?" she proceeded to list all thirteen spices for the marinade....they were sorry they asked! It still remains her popular signature dish. She has tried to teach her sister but it's not really about measurements but a "feel" for the spice quantities and Tegan can't quite grasp that, she needs to cook with clear direction.

Well Emma taught me a thing or two the other night. She stuffs her chicken full of lemon wedges and garlic cloves and sprinkles simply with salt and pepper. She starts it off at 200 degrees and then turns it down to 180 after about half an hour. She makes the gravy in the roasting pan from the juices and it has a lovely lemony flavour.

The potatoes I thought doomed to fail were amazing. She cut them into thick rounds sort of and then par-boiled them. She drained them and left them in the hot pot so they dried off a bit through evaporation. Then she tossed them in a little olive oil and placed them on their own tray in the oven. The best I have had and I sooo thought they were going to be...well...not really up to the mark for a roast dinner.

I love her more and more and treasure this new stage of our relationship. Even though I excitedly anticipate grandchildren one day, visits like this make me glad I don't have to share her yet with little ones. It also makes me think I owe a little more devoted time to my Mum and maybe I should be paying closer attention to the phase our relationship is in now too.

Precious moments.

You know what I'm talking about.