Mmmmm...Do you Smell That??

     There are some things that just make my heart happy.  One of them is the wonderful aroma of onions frying in the kitchen.  The funny thing about that is that I am not a big fan of eating onions but, the smell... ah.. that speaks volumes to me!  Its all about good old comfort food (you just know that something yummy is right around the corner) and family.  Many of our favorite dinnertime recipes begin with onions..but, I'm guessing our kids will always associate the smell of frying onions with Saturday mornings.  Bill, bless him, usually took over making breakfast for the clan on Saturday while I slept in.  And, although his most popular entrees were pancakes and eggs, somehow or other, fried onions always seemed to slip onto the menu, whether it was in the hash browns, fried squash, or scrambled eggs. And, it was that aroma that lured the kids out of their beds and into the kitchen; not just for breakfast but to spend some precious time with Dad. (Who was always a lot more fun than mom in the mornings, trust me!  LOL)  And, of course, is there anything that smells better than homemade bread baking in the oven? or chocolate chip cookies?  YUM 

      The aroma of different food also conjures up certain times of year or special occasions for me.  Zucchini Bread means summertime in Kaysville when zucchini and tomatoes were overflowing our garden and counters.  The smell of Boston Cream Candy bubbling away on the stove instantly transports me back to my childhood and the magic of Christmas.  Strangely enough, for a good little Mormon girl, the smell of coffee brewing brings back lovely warm memories of my first 10 years.  Before we joined the Church, Mom and Dad were both big coffee drinkers and the coffee pot was the first thing that was plugged in every morning. 

      And, of course, chocolate, in all its varieties, is a scent that is always a happy thing for me. I seem to have built in radar when it comes to that luscious stuff. One of my favorite stories: We were in Switzerland, with Grandma Peck and Darla   Our main purpose was to visit the temple and our allocated time was limited but, we did want to pick up some of the famous Swiss chocolate before we left.  We arrived in Bern late in the afternoon.  By the time we got settled into the guest housing it was early evening.  We sought directions from some of the temple workers for a place to do some shopping.  Unfortunately, the directions were not clear, and by the time we finally found the mall, tempers were frayed and we had about 20 minutes before closing.  It was a huge mall and chances seemed slim that we would find the chocolate shop they had told us about.  Well, we walked in, my radar kicked in, and I unerringly led the way thru several turns directly to the chocolate!  Yeah, chocolate and I understand each other!  LOL

     So.. what smells make you happy?