Anne Wolfe Postic

The Pillsbury Bake-Off, at least in my mind, has always espoused certain values: good taste and convenience in the kitchen. This year, the Bake-Off rewarded something else: story-telling. Every recipe has a story, and those stories have inspired a now-familiar blog format. Readers are treated to a glimpse into the author’s life, followed by a recipe that ties it all together. It’s a format we love, because who doesn’t want to know what people eat?

Several years ago, we spent time with friends in their Italian country house. (Yes, this was easily the best summer ever.) My friends are generous and lovely people, so there was always a full house, and we did a lot of cooking, which required a lot of food. The house was isolated, and my family learned to be even more mindful of food waste and extra trash. The grocery store was quite a drive and excess trash resulted in fines for our gracious hosts.

“What pan do I use to make the soup?” he called from the kitchen — and I lost it. First of all, the soup was already made, so it needed to be heated, not “made.” Semantics aside, the question was ridiculous. What pan? The one that fits the soup, obviously. My husband, the one who’s been using the same pans I have for the last 20 years, needed my help to heat soup.

“What pan do I use to make the soup?” he called from the kitchen — and I lost it. First of all, the soup was already made, so it needed to be heated, not “made.” Semantics aside, the question was ridiculous. What pan? The one that fits the soup, obviously. My husband, the one who’s been using the same pans I have for the last 20 years, needed my help to heat soup.

These things are frustrating to an adult, so why do we expect children to be calm in the face of such adversity?

This week in California, fires have devastated the northern part of the state, including wine country. As of Tuesday night, 15 deaths were reported, and the two biggest blazes have burned nearly 115,000 acres of land. At least 1,500 homes, businesses, wineries, resorts, and other structures have been destroyed and almost 20,000 people have had to evacuate, leaving behind homes, schools, land, and belongings. Most of the fatalities come from Sonoma County.

I grew up in the ’80s, when a lot of our mothers were dieting and some of them — in spite of their best intentions — were passing their feelings about weight down to their children. I thought my mother was overweight. Reader, she was not, but she said she was so I believed her. In retrospect we can all acknowledge that as a size 6-petite she was rather small. But she worried about her weight and wanted to make sure we were all healthy. (We were.

Do you remember the first lunch you made for your child? Maybe it was bittersweet. You pictured them eating the sandwich you lovingly prepared, and reading the sweet note you wrote, and you smiled. But you knew that eating away from home meant they were growing up, and the opportunities to do things for them would be fewer and farther between. Independence was around the corner, and you wanted to hang on for a few more minutes. But after a few months of lunches? You were over it.

Of course it’s wrong. Why would you even ask that? Lemonade stands are always worth a stop, even if you don’t particularly like lemonade. The opportunity to talk with young entrepreneurs is irresistible, and the price is usually just right.

About once a year, if you open my freezer for something normal, like ice, you’ll find a big tub of Cool Whip — and that’s never going to change. I indulge when I’m making my grandmother’s family famous coconut cake because there’s no substitution for the sweet and creamy goodness that is Cool Whip. It brings back great memories for me. It means a special occasion, a surprise dessert, and family fun. I love fresh, hand-whisked whipped cream.

The dishes from Thanksgiving aren’t even dry. The leftover turkey sandwiches haven’t been assembled. And you’re already thinking about the shopping you’ll do on Black Friday. Maybe you looked into deals ahead of time and you have your attack all planned out. You may even be heading out at midnight to get the real bargains. Sound familiar? For a lot of families, shopping together on the big day is as much of a tradition as turkey and stuffing.