More Birthdays please

There may be a whole host of things that I can't do and awe people with my feet sweeping skills. Yet, I can proudly say that I can cook for someone with great pleasure and a whimsical sense of playfulness combined with stress, while cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Oh, I know I am a bit exaggerating here, but still I'm very glad that I can cook and can feed a hungry stomach. 

Today I made a simple yet very tasty meal (passionately seasoned baked chicken, baked potatoes with goat cheese, & salad with home-made dressing) for my father's birthday. Earlier this week it was my mother's birthday and I also made us a humble lunch, this time it was dinner. 

My best cooking is that of upretenciously simple ingredients cooked in a free-style recipe mode.

Also, my sister made a fantastic job this time around by baking a delicious Russian cake. She used a recipe she got back at graduate school in California from her Russian roommate. It was delicious and very filling, which seemed to have been the theme of tonight's food; everything was tasty and exceptionally filling. 

Happy Birthday Dad!

I've used the word humble a lot in this short post, haven't I? Well that's because my family is just that. And while choosing pictures for today's post I kept noticing just that, how humble this family of four which we have actually is. Things are hectically simple in our lives & filled with a sort of contradictory happiness which is often a byproduct of much miserable moments. Yet we are still standing, each of us in our own ways...

And even though not everything is peaceful in my own life right now either. Nor do I feel at the most optimal level in many aspects of my life. Some things are still solid. I still can cook, and my pure enjoyment of cooking  is not only for myself but especially for others.