#memories

“Can You Taste the Love?”

/ Anne Dennish / Leave a comment

For as long as I can remember, food has been more than something we put on the table. It has been a way of bringing people together, sharing stories, and holding on to the people we love. 

Some of my favorite memories of motherhood happened in the kitchen, cooking meals for my children, gathering everyone around the table, and creating traditions that had little to do with the food itself and everything to do with the time spent together. 

When my children were little, I used to ask them a question every time I baked cookies, packed lunches, or put dinner on the table.

“Can you taste the love?”

Of course they would giggle. They were little and thought Mommy was being silly, but I would tell them the same thing every time:“I put a lot of love in that.”

Years later, they started saying it back to me and sometimes after taking a bite of dinner one of them would smile and say, “Mom, you put extra love in this today.”

Over the years, I came to realize that recipes are really family stories written on index cards, scraps of paper, and in worn cookbooks. My grandmother’s beef, barley, and vegetable soup still reminds me of home and simpler days. In Rob’s family, Sunday gravy was passed down through generations, a tradition built on San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, basil, patience, and love. 

Food has a way of connecting generations. A recipe can outlive the person who created it. A family meal can become a treasured memory decades later. Every time I make one of those handed-down dishes, I feel connected to the people who came before me and grateful for the people who gather around my table today. 

For me, food isn’t really about cooking at all. It’s about love, memories, tradition, and time. And sometimes, the greatest ingredient in any recipe is simply the act of sharing it with someone you care about.  

I have one question for you: “Can you taste the love?”

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Dreams, Magic and Adulting”

/ Anne Dennish / Leave a comment

“Magic.” I love that word. 

“Dream.” I love this word, too.

“Adult.” I’m starting to believe that this is the word that makes us forget that the above two words are still possible.

I love being called a “dreamer” even though some of the people that call me that don’t necessarily mean it as a compliment, but more as someone with no grasp on reality. That’s so not true. It means that I still believe that all things are possible.

And “magic?” I believe in it. I have seen it on the faces of two people in love, and heard it in the laughter of a child. I have tasted food that reminds me of my childhood and  smelled the familiar scent of a loved one that’s passed on. Those things are magical!

And” adult?” This is a term used to depict our age but I believe that we’re as young as we feel. All too often the labels we’re given dictate who we are, what we do or even what we believe in. 

I believe that growing old is a gift and believing in dreams and magic is a blessing. 

I am a person who is grateful to be growing older as a dreamer who still believes in magic. 

Do you?

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Finding A Memory”

/ Anne Dennish / Leave a comment

Did you ever go looking for something and find something else instead? I did just that the other day and what wonderful memories it brought back. 

I went looking for a particular item in my closet and opened a random box. Inside were quite a few mementos and then, there she was, my pink Ipod! I knew that I had kept it but haven’t seen it in a million years!

I ordered a charger, plugged it in, and guess what? It worked and there, right in front of me, were all of the songs that I listened to back in 2002 or 2003! She definitely showed signs of wear and tear from all the times I used her but still, it was amazing how many memories came flooding back.

I remembered the day I got it. It was on April 27, 2002 or 2003, one of my kids’ birthdays. My then husband gave it to me with a beautiful inscription on the back. Suddenly, I was back in time. 

I remembered having it with me as I walked the Spring Lake, New Jersey boardwalk at 5:30 in the morning every day. I remember it being strapped to my left arm as I worked out at the gym. I remembered listening to it as I cooked breakfast for my five beautiful children and I remembered how much joy it brought me. 

Today as I scroll through my playlists I can remember what each one meant to me and the times I played them. I can vividly see those days, hear the sounds and smell the scents. 

I can smell the ocean as I walk on the boardwalk to the sounds of Matchbox Twenty. I can remember sitting on the beach with my coffee afterwards listening to Anita Baker and I can remember working on the weight machines at my gym listening to the music of Nirvana. 

So many memories and a delightful visit to my past. I know that there were troubles beginning during that time but this tiny little electronic device washed them away for me. 

And it washed away the memories of those times now.

You never know what you’ll find when you’re looking for something else. 

 I found an old friend that reminded me of a happy and simpler time in my life.

And for that, I’m grateful.

Wishing you love and light,


~Anne Dennish~