Sometimes meals draw inspiration from the simplest ingredients...

I know you’ve been there – periods in life where weeks, even months seem to fly by with warp speed as you struggle to keep pace.  The goal for these days is simply to keep our heads above water and not go down with a potentially sinking household ship.  It’s a packed schedule you’re probably familiar with involving mountains of laundry, dirty bathrooms, work deadlines, orthodontic appointments, carpools, more laundry, homework and finally, at day’s end punctuated by weary bodies thrown into bed.  Wake up the next morning – it’s time to repeat once more.

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Onions are among the most potent flavor powerhouses in the kitchen – lending dimension and depth to many a dish, cooked or raw. It’s difficult for me to imagine a culinary world without these essential raw materials, part of any well-stocked larder.  One memorable Christmas day, many years ago, my family ran out of onions.  We talk about it as the “Christmas cooking disaster”.  In complete and utter panic, my sister and I sent our good-natured father on a lengthy quest all over town looking for an onion, any onion.  We’d have been satisfied with a fistful of scallions, the strongest tear-producing Spanish onion or even one meager shallot.  Luckily my parent’s house is surrounded on both sides by friendly neighbors who, at the time, also happened to have produce to spare, because 7-Eleven didn’t stock anything fresh or unpackaged (perhaps they do now) nor did any other convenience store in the Windy City.

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The other day I whipped out a container of homemade soup in the break room, ready to microwave my bowl and tuck into a piping hot, comforting dose of rejuvenating broth.  My co-worker looked at me quizzically, “you make your own soup?” she asked, as if this was something quaint she’d read about, but never actually seen.  While homemade soup is far from unusual in my kitchen at least, her comment reminded me of the culinary context surrounding our generation’s early years.   Many Gen X and Baby Boomers like my friend and I grew up amidst stacks of Campbell’s and other familiar tins lining our pantry shelves – these were the go to vehicles for quick meals and rounding out many a PB&J-driven childhood lunch.  No surprise that as adults, that’s how many of us still think of soup, except maybe Grandma’s.

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