Move over Julia- Sauce and a Memory

Yesterday, I made my first ever hollandaise sauce and it was delicioso! I LOVE anything to do with creamy egg yolks and butter- add a dash of lemon juice and thats basically it- whip and whip and whip on low heat and the resulting concoction is smooth, creamy, and amazing!

 I got my recipe from Mastering The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and reading her recipes crack me up- she is so blunt and practical- I love it! And I loved her hollandaise sauce. Can you tell which movie I recently watched? Its one of my favorites and I love how it inspires me to cook after I watch it.

I cooked up 2 large, plump artichokes and all the while thought of my dad- he introduced me to artichokes at a very young age- Its so FUN to eat an artichoke- just peal off a leaf and run your teeth along the bottom edge and taste the meaty flesh- its mild and so yummy. It takes forever to get through to the middle but when you do- ahhh! Scoop out the hairy part (its weird, I know) and you have the heart of the artichoke which is the real treasure.

Last Sunday, it was 13 years on the day that my dad has been gone. I was 19 when I got the call that would change my life forever. My dad had been shot and was dead. But God's grace is amazing and gives you the strength you need to carry on!  Part of me feels like it has been MUCH longer.. I forget so much about him yet I do remember certain things vividly. Those memories carry you through the sad days and the pain gets easier but the ache of missing him is always there.

The hollandaise sauce turned out great but the memory of my dad was even better!