“Love People. Cook Them Tasty Food.” Penzy’s Spices I started cooking when I was little. You don’t have a choice when you’re growing up as one of four siblings in a household where your parents like to cook and try new food. Nights were spent helping to make dinner and always, always sitting around the table eating dinner together. There was a no phone call policy in place as soon as we sat down. Now, this was before cell phones, but if the landline ever rang at dinner, the rule was it went straight to the answering machine. My parents were not the typical meat and potatoes dinner-types. We tied everything from Mexican, Italian, Chinese, American, whatever they wanted to try, so did we. My favorite day of the year was my birthday and not necessarily for the presents. As part of our birthday celebration, we got to pick what we ate for dinner. Like I said, as one of four, the sole decision was rarely given to just one person, which made birthday dinners that much more exciting. For years, I chose homemade egg rolls, five spice pork with rice and garlicky green beans for dinner. We even spent one summer selecting dinner meals based on the World Cup teams playing that day – we tried North African stews, Brazilian meals and more recipes I can’t even remember. My parents were genius at getting everyone involved – my brothers both lived and breathed soccer, so combine soccer and cooking and you get much more willing kitchen helpers. Even today, when we all get together, we spend our time cooking together. We rarely eat out as a large family, preferring to get everyone in the kitchen. And if we’re not eating, we’re most likely either talking about what we’re eating next or preparing it! My brother prepares his famous guacamole, my sister’s out at the flat-top cooking up hibachi with dad, and my nephew sneaks a bite to eat before dinner. That’s where I feel my family’s love – in the kitchen and around the dinner table. As Penzy’s says, “Love people. Cook them tasty food.” The Slice of Life Challenge is something new I’m trying this month! I’ll be posting brief posts that show a glimpse of my life in story-format. A slice of my life as a librarian and blogger that I hope you enjoy!