At the Kitchen Sink

At the Kitchen Sink

Introduction

Have you ever stood over the kitchen sink and asked God to help you make it through the day? The water is running, and you take a deep breath, gripping the counter in front of you as you summon the strength to make it to bedtime. Maybe you’re hiding tears from the ones you love the most because you do not want to worry them. Or maybe you’re washing baby bottles, delirious from two months of almost no sleep, wondering what happened to your life.

But then these moments give way to the countless times when you’re in the opposite scenario. You’re over the kitchen sink loading the dishwasher after a busy Sunday dinner. Your children’s cousins, dressed up in princess outfits, are running around the kitchen island. Your dad sits on the couch laughing at them while your mother and sister carry on a lively conversation in the dining room. You smile to yourself and think about how a moment such as this, in your home, is what you prayed for: a home full of a lovable chaos, with you and your family carrying on family traditions and building a life full of memories, much as your parents did.

In both of these scenarios, I have stood at the kitchen sink and learned that each tear shed brings us that much closer to our next triumph. God hasn’t promised us a journey without valleys, but we can let him carry us through the hard moments of life, rejoicing with him through the wilderness as well as in the promised land.

It isn’t always easy, but it is always purposeful. God has entrusted the people in your care to you specifically. He has called you to such a time as this, and I am confident that he will equip you and give you a strength you didn’t know you could have.

This is a cookbook, with inspiration and a helping hand, for each part of that journey—no matter what your kitchen sink looks like. Many of the recipes come from my childhood, growing up in a large Italian American family that gathered every week for Sunday dinners. When my grandmother passed away, her jewelry or knickknacks didn’t interest me. Instead, I asked for her apron, saved a piece of vintage Pyrex from the discard pile, and begged for her handwritten recipes, not only because I wanted to cook from them but because I knew she’d held the pen to form the words. When I’m cooking, her kitchen is the one I go back to in the corners of my mind, and many of the recipes in this book are ones she and my mother served for years.

Life is different than it was back then. As a working mom who’s raising a family and navigating a schedule full of extracurricular activities, I have switched up my kitchen philosophy, making room for recipes that allow for the kitchen table to transfer to the back seat of an SUV and repurposing a rotisserie chicken in ways that make me feel like a genius. Whether you’re scraping by on a busy weeknight, planning a big meal for a celebratory gathering, or reminding yourself to eat in the middle of a busy afternoon, my hope is to help you nourish your family and community—and your spirit along the way.

Each chapter also contains devotions to remind you of God’s presence. I want to do so much more than build your cooking skills—I want to support you in your everyday life and work. I want to remind you that God sees your heart and your obedience and that your faithful efforts do not go unnoticed in his kingdom. Read these devotions in a season when your kitchen sink is the quietest place in your house and when you’re drowning in the monotony of the mundane.

Overall, this book aims to become not just another cookbook on your shelf but a part of your family. Like a photo album on the coffee table, I hope it will inspire you to create traditions and family rhythms. Those who are no longer here are never truly gone. The home we foster and the faith that sustains us will become the legacy we leave behind, and that legacy will keep our families coming back to the table for years to come. God has entrusted your family to you for a divine reason. He sees your faithfulness; it does not go unnoticed. There is something marvelous in your mundane, and there is purpose in your prayers at the kitchen sink.

This book is a love letter to my family. Let me encourage you to begin writing yours.