This bowl, this spoon

Seattle, Washington

This morning as I began baking, I found myself thinking about being in Mongolia in the fall of 2009. Eleven years ago we were well into that first really hard winter. I brought very few cooking utensils with us to Mongolia, but this bowl and this spoon made the cut. They served us for three years in Mongolia and two years in Jordan and now another six years in Seattle. And it's still the only mixing bowl and wooden spoon I use.

People who know me well know that I am a true minimalist--but with a real sentimental side for stuff that one accumulates in life like letters, photos, and other memorabilia. So there's the irony: one bowl and one spoon--and boxes of memories.

The baking turned out well, though: calzones for the family (minus me) skiing trip to Crystal Mountain!