I really love to cook together with friends and family.  Sometimes it can get a little crowded in the kitchen and if my son has his smoker fired up  it can get a little “heated”, but the results are usually spectacular.

Last summer my daughter-in-law made our family amazing Grace paella.  I made the sides and the dessert and we feasted on the deck on a beautiful summer evening!

Six reasons I love to cook with my family from SELF.com:

1.  I learn something new every time.  It never ceases to amaze me that whenever I share time in the kitchen with my mom and grandmothers, I learn a new cooking secret or trick!
2. I make memories. True, the food doesn’t always turn out perfectly, but no matter what the outcome, there is always a great memory or story to tell.
3. It is a bonding experience. Growing up, on Mother’s Day or on my Mom’s birthday, my Dad would help my siblings and I prepare a meal for her. We had a great time together and always felt a sense of accomplishment and bonding since we would work as a team to make the meal come together.
4. It creates tradition. My mother-in-law started a new tradition this year that for Thanksgiving and Christmas each of us would make our favorite dish for the family dinner.
5. It’s a great way to get to know someone.  You’ve got an automatic topic to talk about–the dish you are preparing–and you can find out the story behind why they enjoy making that recipe.
    

I love cooking a meal together with family and/or friends because it connects us .

On the menu:  Amazing paella, spinach salad and in season perfectly ripe peaches

Sharing meals together is good for kids and adults alike.  Research shows that when we sit down to have a meal together it connects us in a way that few other activities can.