Stir-Fry My Home

I'm pretty sure I have never made my sordid past a secret here. Just in case you need a refresher,  I am not-so-domestic diva, turned full-on domestic diva. The kitchen and I have not always been BFF's! When I got married, it was an accomplishment to make a lasagna, and that was usually accompanied by "See you later honey...I have an appointment...we'll be having lasagna ALL week!" Poor hubby. Thankfully, things have changed.

We eat and enjoy foods that are very different from what I remember growing up {sorry Mom...I am outing us}. Other than BBQ's, I remember a lot of chip beef on toast with spinach, meatloaf, spaghetti, and lots and lots of burritos - all shape and sizes and kinds. We seriously loved our tortillas...my family was onto this wrap thing way before the rest of the world. We, however, did not partake in some of the more usual family meals, like casseroles...and rice as a side dish - oh no - rice was fancy. My Japanese friends ate rice all the time and I thought they were so cool!

When I met my hubby, he cooked for me. He loved to cook. One of the first meals he made me was a stir fry - in a real wok! Oh my! With rice! How exotic...how fancy! No wonder I married him. We actually ate stir-fry a lot - not necessarily always traditional stir-fry, but a stir-fry nonetheless.

We eventually got married...the stir-fry tradition continued...flourished. Whatever combination of flavors  hubby was using, their aroma danced in the air - in and outside of our house - soy sauce, teriyaki, ginger, chicken, onion, broccoli, celery - limitless options, all served over steaming rice. Thankfully my kids are good, adventurous eaters, and the art of the stir-fry lives on. The eat it up {literally}. If you ask my son what he wants to eat, just after cinnamon rolls {they are #1}, is stir-fry {it comes in at #2}.

So, while some people will tell you the smell of freshly baked cookies or banana bread remind them of home....how the delicious scent of these things take them back to a time when all was right and good, a time when we could guiltlessly eat cookies and carbs. I, in my ever so unusual way of looking at things, pick stir-fry as my delicious scent, my scent of home. A scent that was there when hubby and I were young and dating, and creating our place in the world. A scent that followed us into our married years, as we built a home and future together. Last Sunday, I left hubby and the kiddos at home and went out for some mommy time. As I pulled back into the driveway, I caught the scent right away. It enticed me, grabbed me, and welcomed me home, and there he was, at the stove, hubby whipping up a stir-fry.

This is our current fave variation of Welcome Home Stir-fry.

{non traditional, but we don't care} 

{I am going to do my best to offer my tutorials

and recipes in PDF format...we'll see what happens.}

What scent reminds you of growing up?

What scent reminds you of home now?

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