It’s funny how certain things that appeal to our senses can trigger all kinds of memories for us. One that seems to be particularly powerful, at least to me, is our sense of smell. We notice or smell certain things, whether in our own house, someone else’s, out at a store or in a restaurant or wherever and it can trigger all kinds of memories of day’s gone by and happy times and experiences of our childhood. So that leads me in to today’s question:

What is your favorite thing that you would smell cooking in the kitchen as a kid?

Whether it was your mother, father, grandmother, grandfather or someone else who would do cooking in the house, there is more than likely going to be a smell that you always remember as one that you love. You’ll always remember whatever that smell happens to be and take it with you for the rest of your lives. Then, at seemingly random moments, you may be out at some place or return home for a holiday or something else and there it is – that wonderful aroma wafting in from the kitchen. For me, my mom always did a lot of baking when we were kids. That meant there were always all kinds of cakes, cookies and pies going in the house at many points during the year. One stands out the most for me above all of those things though, and that would be apple pie. I soon as I would smell that apple pie cooking I knew it was going to be a great dessert day. The way the smell of the apples and the spices just filled the house as they were baking in the oven was more than enough to get me going. To this day when I smell apple pie baking it really takes me back to my childhood.

There is something else that still evokes feelings like that when I smell it and that is when Michelle makes chocolate chip cookies. It is hard to resist a smell like that when you come across it no matter where you are. I even remember on days when I used to drive Michelle to work when she was working in Fair Lawn, New Jersey right near the Nabisco plant. on many days you could smell when they were making their chocolate chip cookies. While it wasn’t the same as smelling those that my mom would make, it would still put a smile on my face. I get that same feeling every time Michelle makes them as well. As soon as you get a whiff of those cookies baking you know that you can barely wait the 6 minutes or so it takes for them to come out of the oven. Sean and I have both been known to eat several as soon as they come out of the oven right off the tray. There is just something about that smell that is so tasty and yet so comforting and nostalgic for me that if they could make that into a Yankee candle I think I would buy it.

So that brings me back to you, dear readers. What is your favorite thing that you would smell cooking in the kitchen as a child? What brings back those wonderful memories every time you smell it cooking or baking in your own home or somewhere else? You can leave an answer here in the comments section or you can catch up with my on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll also ask some people on Twitter and see if they respond.

That’s it for today. I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful day today. It’s magnificent in this part of New York today after lots heat, humidity and rain. Sean and I have some adventures and activities were talking about and planning for the summer that hopefully I can share on here with everyone else. I’ll keep you posted as we start out doing some things. Enjoy this beautiful day and whip something up in the kitchen to bring back some good memories for you.