A Homemade Life:

A HOMEMADE LIFE, by Molly Wizenberg.
Simon & Schuster, 2009, 320 pp., $25.00.
ISBN-13:978-1-4165-5105-8

I couldn’t help thinking about my laundry while reading this book. Odd, you say, what does that have to do with cooking? Well, in all the years I have been doing laundry, I’ve had a special way of treating stains. I dip a cotton swab into a bottle of bleach and use it to gently take care of the stain. This method allows you to apply the bleach directly to a small area without harming the rest of the clothing. So, while I was busy with my makeshift method, a genius somewhere was designing -- you guessed it! – the “spot-remover” pen.

The premise of this story is much like that pen. All of us have life stories. Most of us have a few great recipes that go along with them. But we never wrote a book that talked about them. However, Molly wrote a book, A HOMEMADE LIFE, and it’s a gem. It glides along effortlessly, taking you through the high and low points of her life. It’s impossible to read without thinking of your own family history or the memorable dishes that make up the soundtrack of your life.

I too lost my father in 2001 after a long illness. When I think of him, pretty much everyday, I think of RC Cola, Dr. Pepper, and ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato sandwiches on toast with mayo on Sunday after church. And the memories flood back and the tears flow.

Life with my soul mate, my husband, who I met in 2007 (again, like Molly, also through my work), congers up images and tastes and fragrances of healthier eating such as dark chocolate, rice milk, and organic peppers, tomatoes, and eggs for breakfast. And I smile.