When I think about my house or my childhood home, the kitchen is always the first room that comes to mind. It is the hub of the home – a place where you gather to cook, eat and share your lives as a family.
I realized something this past week about my kitchen. My sink is exactly the same as my mom and dad’s. In 1954, Dad installed a deep white porcelain double-sink in the new knotty pine kitchen he had just built. It’s still in use.
My sink is a newcomer, only about 10 years old, still bright white and like new. Mom’s is pitted, somewhat stained and showing its age. Subconsciously, I suppose I chose my sink for the fond memories attached to the kitchen of my youth – or maybe it was the practical choice for my busy, growing household. I don’t know, but whatever the reason, it is my favorite part of the kitchen.
The window over the sink is a close second. I believe every kitchen sink should have one. It’s a place to watch the world as you go about your daily routine. I only wish my view was as pretty as Mom and Dad’s.
Over the years, those two sinks have been used for just about everything imaginable: washing fresh ears of corn, new potatoes and cucumbers from the garden and wild plums and muscadine grapes for jelly. They have witnessed three generations of babies being bathed, the washing of old-time brush curlers, the accidental baptism of a kitten and the “speedy” defrosting of more than one holiday turkey.
The kitchen sink is privy to every meal, holiday dinner and special occasion. Every change of season brings expectant gazes out the window above it: the first frost, new leaves in spring, rolling thunderstorms in summer and the excitement of the first snowflakes falling against the backdrop of the barn.
While your sinks may not be something you give much thought to, maybe today, take a good look at this underappreciated workhorse of your kitchen. The convenience of fresh water and a place to clean our food and dishes, the sink brings to our lives a beautiful thing – one many in this world aren’t able to enjoy.
Rural life is a beautiful life and our kitchen sinks can be a constant reminder of just how blessed we are to live this way. Next time you see your sinks filled with freshly picked apples, sudsy mounds of dishes or a wriggling, happy baby, take a moment to soak it all in. These may be the best days of your life.
Everything But the Kitchen Sink Soup
What’s great about this recipe is you can do just about anything with it to make it your own. Try substituting whatever vegetables or meats, even spices, you have on hand. I make this all the time and it never tastes exactly the same because I adjust the recipe and use what I have.
6 slices of bacon
1 diced onion
1 red or yellow bell pepper
1 clove garlic
2 lbs. of ground beef or cubed steak
2 16 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small bag petite carrots or 2 large carrots, diced
3 Yukon gold or new potatoes, diced
1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning
2 teaspoons of black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
Optional toppings: Shredded cheese, fresh chopped parsley or extra onion
Cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels, and then crumble and set aside. Sauté onion, garlic and bell pepper in bacon drippings about 4 minutes over medium heat, and then add beef and cook until well-browned. Add tomatoes, salt, black pepper and Cajun seasoning to pot, and add a small amount of water, if needed, to prevent scorching. Cover and cook 30 minutes.
Then add beans, corn, carrots and potatoes. Simmer for 15 to 20 more minutes until carrots are done. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with crumbled bacon before serving. Use optional toppings or your own if desired.
