This is the story of a homemade gift. Think of the most meaningful gifts you’ve ever received. Not from your childhood (like “my first bike” or “a Cabbage Patch doll” or that special whistle that was all the rage in the 1950s), but as an adult. When I do this, I think of some very dear friends who cooked amazing food gifts, often in the form of several-course dinners, such as one featuring lasagna with basil-lime sorbet to cleanse the palette; another boasting of fresh pulpo (octopus) and lemon which I still crave so many years later; a decadent New Year’s party with an incredible chicken paté and other homemade extravagances; one with a first public attempt at homemade olive bread (which was a huge success!); or another with a semolina-polenta and wild mushrooms that still makes my mouth water just thinking of it. Or, homemade gifts from family like all the clay sculptures Megan and Adam did when they were young; love letters from Dave; a miniature oil on canvas of a pear from my mom; and the forget-me-not-blue dresses and little cloth dolls handmade by Emily with so much love for my girls. When someone takes time and energy to create a gift while doing something they enjoy, it means the world to me.
