Good Ol Days

Every year my dad makes caramel corn for my sisters and brother and I to take home with us around the holidays. Every year I try to eat it all before Michael or anyone else can delve into it. Every year I have been succesful. So the other day I was craving this caramel corn and decided that I couldn't wait until Thanksgiving or Christmas for it. You know the holidays are near when I am getting a hankering for it and willing to make it myself! hahaha. So I asked my dad for the recipe. Today, I am proud to say that I can officially make the same dessert that my dad has made for so many years. I was so happy about that! Or so I thought. I tried it, and yes, it was good. Yes, it took a while to make. Yes, I could easily make it again no problemo. So whats the deal? The deal is that even if it does taste the same, my dad didn't make it. He didn't put everything together, plan on sending us kids home with it knowing that we would all cram it down our gullets before our spouses and kids could their mitts on it. No, it just isn't the same. Not the same at all. I have realized a couple things here recently. The best food never tastes the same as when someone else makes it in comparison to you. That's a given. But the hard part is knowing that I am getting older. Pretty soon, I will be the one making it for my kids and having them wake up on Christmas morning asking if they can have that before breakfast. What I am trying to say is that I miss my dad, his baking, the little things like that he used to do for us that would bring me back to my days as a kid. I know I am older and nothing will change about that. I decided that although I followed his recipe, I think I will leave the baking to him. It was more fun, more significant to me to have to fight for the damn caramel corn with my sisters and brother over who gets the bigger bag, with or without nuts. Me and Marisa always without. Danny and Ash with. I am making a quick pit stop on my way home from work tomorrow. I am going to leave some for my deserving sister in her house. Hopefully she can get to it before the kids get home from school. aww the good ol days.