Joy Rising

Some of my sweetest memories are of time spent with the boys in the kitchen.  Last night might just be among the best moments ever.

From the time Noah was eye level with the oven, he was not just interested but excited to be cooking.  Standing on a chair, he'd don his little red apron and work side by side Mom at the butcher's block, complete with own set of kitchen tools.

As he has grown older, that interest has turned into a passion.  And at this point, he is seriously considering the culinary field for his future.

That passion certainly helps a busy, working mom, with a willing party to start or fully prepare dinner many weeknights.  He has been so helpful the past few months that, when I learned of a local culinary class, I knew instantly this was the perfect way to thank him.

Picking Noah up from school, we set out for an old fashioned "Mom & Me" evening.  And a date out isn't complete without sushi, so we headed for our favorite spot.  Laughing over chopsticks and soy sauce, I soaked up the one on one time with my son.

After explaining part two of our night, I nearly lost my breath, from the massive squeeze he hugged me with.  Excitement gleamed in his eyes and there was an added spring in already energetic step, as we crossed the street to the restaurant for our bread making class.

Donning flour dusted aprons, we immediately set to work at our stations from the crowded kitchen in the back.

A warmth filled the room, not just from the ovens holding samples of pretzel buns, pizzas, and sweet rolls, but from Chef Bill.  He welcomed us and quickly set to giving us hands on lessons of making a basic bread dough.  And then showed us the world of possibilities with that simple recipe.

We learned that bread is very forgiving from the lack of rules or strict measurements, as Chef Bill just sprinkled and tossed ingredients our way and could tell by the texture when we were ready for the next step.

I loved watching Noah work and knead the dough, so in his element.  

He didn't hesitate in asking the Chef for tips or any questions he had through the night.    

Living a dream.

Both of us left with our dough, a starter, and memories we'll both treasure for years to come.  Noah's joy followed us home, as he relived the night with his dad, sharing with his favorite moments.

Tonight we get to continue the fun, using our dough for homemade pizzas and french loaves.  And I can't wait for our next time together in the kitchen, when we get to start from scratch with a new batch of bread.