Eat, Wait, Love

Waiting is hard and even though this summer has been extremely busy for us, the thought of our children somewhere on the other side of the world preoccupies our minds every day. Pondering the matter incessantly, it’s easy to get bogged down by the uncertainty of adoption, by frustrations about bureaucracy, and by the length of this process. So, this past week, I attempted to channel my waiting energy into some extra cooking, baking, and canning. Some items were old favorites while others resulted from trying out new recipes that have been piling up on my counter.

I started off my culinary extravaganza with a summery fruit cake which I took to a picnic. It had three layers: pound cake, vanilla cream and fresh berries.


Next, I made almond tea cookies which got a big thumbs up from everyone who tasted them. They may be contenders for our annual Christmas treat packages this year. Then, I made pitas from scratch and was fascinated by their baking process. I squatted in front of the oven door like a little kid watching the air spread through the dough, making it rise and puff. When Craig came home and saw the pitas on the dinner table, he said, “You made those? They look real!” Thanks, honey.

Then I made a lemon sponge pie which is absolutely delicious, especially for a lover of lemony things like me. I also prepared a vegetable frittata which turned out well, but is probably not something I couldn’t replicate or even improve upon without the recipe. On Wednesday, I pickled some cucumbers and shared with the neighbors and on Saturday, I turned part of our wonderful tomato harvest into canned salsa. Last but not least, today I made and froze pesto from homegrown basil as well as finished a no knead everything bread. It rises overnight and then bakes. So yummy.

Did cooking and baking and canning beyond the normal daily meals help with the wait? I would say it did. It gave me a couple of hours each day to focus my mind on a pleasant task and then enjoy and share the fruits of my labor with those I love. I’ll probably use this strategy again sometime when it feels like the wait is about to overwhelm me.