The Comforts of Home

Sometimes our travels take us to far off, exotic places. Other times we find ourselves discovering new spots just down the road. Some of the best travels, however, are the ones that carry our souls back to the feeling of “home”. That familiar, warm sense that bubbles within knowing you have love around you, the ease of a casual conversation, and that your next laugh isn’t too far off. It’s a funny thing being parents of grown children. The home we built with our babies so long ago has faded and morphed into something very different now with just us and the mutts. Our new version of home now extends to where our son lives and where our daughter and son in law have landed in another state. Watching our family grow and change from what it was has been incredible. It’s a push/pull feeling of longing for what it once was and then being so excited for what is to come. Being an empty nester offers you the wisdom that you’ve done your job and allows you the opportunity to sit back and take pride in watching your kiddos take on their new roles. One of the sweetest blessings in our life was born 6 months ago. Our granddaughter has brought us so much joy. A renewed sense of home. She has changed the landscape of our family and our lives. Given us a whole new definition of who we are. Becoming grandparents was the best kind of pleasant surprise anyone could ask for. I could write a novel and still not be able to properly explain the feeling. I’ll spare you! Last weekend we jetted off to visit the new little family where they live now in Maryland. Where our other trips are filled with an itinerary of places to go, sites to see, and restaurants to try, this trip’s list of “things to do” consists of cuddles, quality time and cooking. We all express our love in various ways. Some give gifts while others may give their time. To all of our delight, the Texican’s love language is food. Before we are even wheels up on the plane to go visit the kids the menu is usually set for the weekend. It’s a combination of thoughtful planning, creative thinking, and a spark of excitement of what he can experiment with this time. Being witness to his brain ignite with possibility is so inspiring. We should all be so passionate about at least one thing. He’s passionate about cooking and I’m passionate about eating anything he serves up. I’d say we make a great team! In order to spend a bit more time with the little angel, he decided to cook just one dinner. On the menu the first night was his turkey meatballs. Italian is my go to and this is one of my favorite meals that he makes. He has served these several ways over pasta. Sometimes with a homemade pesto, other times with a slow cooked red sauce, but this time he chose a lemon butter style with pasta and veggies. Here is the description of the dish in his words:

Pasta al Limone e Aglio

Whole wheat pasta cooked to near al dente tossed in a lemon garlic butter sauce with sautéed onion, red bells, spinach, and a trio of baby tomatoes. Our homemade turkey meatballs include salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, and parm. Also incorporated into the meatballs was spinach, chopped onion, parsley, 2 eggs and a bit of breadcrumbs. They were formed into 2 inch balls and cooked at 375 degrees for 25 minutes then broiled to get the char for 6 minutes at 500 degrees…#buonamangiata!

Traveling to a coastal region, we usually try to go out for seafood for at least one meal. For lunch we hit a delicious spot called Hudson Coastal. Aptly named! The place had a relaxing beach vibe with whitewashed walls, sea foam barstools, and pictures of delicious fish everywhere you looked. We arrived hungry-maybe even a bit hangry, so ordered three rounds of oysters-one raw and two Rockefeller-some chowder and each of us got a different dish. Delivered to the table was a seafood burger with a huge patty topped on a fluffy bun served with steak cut fries, a heaping mound of creamy seafood risotto, a cheesy seafood lasagna that could have fed the table, and the Texican had placed in front of him a super sized steamer pot filled with ocean goodness. The little one chowed down on some sweet potato tots and charmed the tables around us. The food was yummy, the service was excellent, and we all left bursting at the seams and happy!

Some trips we take in order to fill our souls with uncharted adventure. Some we take to fill our minds with bits of untapped knowledge. Others we take so we can fill our bellies with delicious food. These are all great reasons to jump on a plane and explore, but my true favorite kind of trip is the one we took last weekend that filled our hearts with love.