Yaya’s taste better

My son hates chicken, but loves Yaya’s (his grandmother) roasted chicken legs, isn’t a big fan of potatoes, but loves her roasted lemon potatoes and devours the rice in her stuffed peppers, even though he won’t eat rice anywhere else.  What is it about Yaya’s cooking that makes such a difference?  I mean, I have been eating Yaya’s cooking (minus the chicken) for my entire life.  As an adult, I’ve come to realize the secret is in her seasonings.  She always adds a squirt of fresh lemon to her potatoes, chops dill into her stuffed peppers, and includes a splash of extra virgin olive oil to her salads.  

Seasonings are the accessories to food that so many of us forget. And it is evidently clear to me in when I hear the very hard to earn praise my son provides lavishes on my mother’s cooking.  

And I’ll admit my son has a point here.  My husband is the king of bland.  His rice is steamed, veggies boiled, nothing added but some salt at the end, and a dab of butter, but if the butter melts slowly, you only get it in one bite and the rest of the plate is bland.

My goal this summer is to slow down, pick some of the herbs I have growing in pots in my garden, after all, why am I growing them for in the first place!