I met and married the lad from Norfolk when we were both young. He came from that part of England where the sky makes a wide arc over the fields and beaches, and there are still hedgerows along the deep-rutted country roads. He gamely tolerated my first efforts at cooking, imploring only once, "Annie, please don't make spaghetti again for a while." I got better slowly and learned to make his comfort foods, as well as fancier fare.
Meanwhile, life went on. We got older, our children grew up and left, our parents died and suddenly there were just the two of us again. A big birthday loomed for him a few weeks ago, and for his birthday dinner he requested one of his childhood favorites, Toad-in-the-Hole, which is simply Yorkshire pudding batter with pork sausages baked in it.
What an easy meal and what happy memories.
Anne Gillespie Lewis is a Minneapolis author.
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