Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

My son, Keith, and his partner gave me a subscription to “Bon Appetit” as a Christmas gift. They also had a subscription, and the idea was that we would choose a recipe from each issue and make it in our respective kitchens miles apart, then compare notes.

It didn’t quite work that way on a monthly basis.  But it worked often enough that we had an additional topic of conversation. Still, I wasn’t crazy about BA.  I thought it was filled with ads, offered fancy recipes, and was somewhat high brow in its delivery.  Haute cuisine chefs were always being featured.

But I stuck with it through 2014, and Keith and I made a few recipes together. It was great fun, mostly because of the communication with my son.

Now it’s January, 2015.  Each of us has renewed our subscriptions to BA, as we call it. It’s taken me a while, but I actually look forward to receiving the magazine.  I ignore the ads, study the fancy recipes and smile, and no longer feel as if they’re too high brow for my taste.

Part of my re-evaluation is that I’m no longer working, so there is time to play in the kitchen. Another part is that Earl is more than willing to play the role of “Sous Chef,” doing the tedious tasks I dislike.  He’ll clean lettuce, slice colored peppers into strips, even shred zucchini.

So why wouldn’t I plan to continue exploring BA’s various recipes with both Keith and Earl at my side? No other chef is better attended.