Amy Elizabeth Matuza
My book was twenty-plus years in the making. Although I did not know it, I started writing it when our first child Zoe was born, and I began jotting notes down in her baby book. There were so many things that I wanted to tell her every single day and was afraid that I would forget. I would mark milestones, or write her snippets about funny things she had done or said, highlight current events, etc. I continued the practice for our son, Zack, and then our youngest daughter, Aria.
These notebooks grew over the years from just inputting these “one off” types of things, to writing in them with regularity. I would usually write something at the beginning of the school year, around the holidays, at the end of a school year and then at some point during summer vacation. I never understood exactly why it was so important for me to do this, but I felt an incredible need to write these life moments down for my kids.
Fast forward to Zoe’s senior year in high school and the realization for her (and all of us) that she was leaving to head off to college. One day she came into the kitchen and said, “Mom, I don’t have any of your recipes for when I go away on my own. I am going to miss your cooking and our family dinners probably most of all.”
The idea for this book took shape in my head over the next few weeks. I would write down some of the dinner recipes that I have made over the years and weave them among some of the most important stories from the kids’ notebooks and concepts we would discuss at our sacred family dinners. This amalgamation would be like having a bit of home wherever she was – from both a food and a family perspective – after leaving the proverbial nest. (Kind of like the follow-up to “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” but with mom’s life advice and recipes). Sprinkle in some of my favorite quotes (because I have found that usually someone else can say what I am thinking far better than I), and some motherly guidance disguised as “Chef’s suggestions” and “Voila!” - what a perfect gift for our graduating senior daughter! Except there was a problem...
That was over three years ago and Zoe is currently a senior in college. In the meantime, there was an unexpected global pandemic, and my son, Zack, graduated and is currently a college sophomore. This will be a great graduation gift indeed, but, maybe for my youngest daughter, Aria, (currently a freshman in high school) when she finishes high school! In reality, I don’t think it matters when my kids read this because I believe that the contents will be relevant for them, and hopefully any reader, throughout their lives.
As I have penned the stories which I share in "Food for Thought: Twenty-Minute Life Recipes from Mom", I have learned a great deal about myself, my extended family and my motivations for writing it.
My real hope for my children, specifically, is that they get as much enjoyment out of reading this book as I did in writing it, and that it helps them to better understand who they are as individuals through the stories inside. (And that they are not too embarrassed!)
My hope for any reader of this book is that they will find personal connections with the themes, narratives and anecdotes which lie within, maybe taking away some positive life “nuggets of wisdom” from the people and experiences that have helped to shape me. (And perhaps, a recipe or two in the process…)
May each reader of "Food for Thought: Twenty-Minute Life Recipes from Mom" be inspired to realize that his or her learnings and experiences are unique and special treasures which should be shared with loved ones. By doing this, we ultimately gift those closest to us a life tapestry that is richer and more beautiful - one story at a time.
