Recently, I had the chance to experience just how heart-warming it can be when the younger generation reaches maturity and begins to take on some of the responsibilities of their parents.

At our holiday get-together this year, several of the “kids” brought special recipes they had made for the family meal. And what impressive dishes they were!

For example, my sweet niece, Lisa, made this mouth-watering treat . . .

If I close my eyes . . . I can still clearly see Lisa, when she was just a little girl, standing in the middle of a room full of relatives. She’s smiling a smile that would win over the grumpiest of curmudgeons, as she recites her own adorable version of “Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed”. Her voice is clear and lilting and her incredibly animated expressions are cuter than cute. Today, she is studying medicine. Where did the time go?

Lisa’s dish was a big hit at the party last week. It’s a good thing she made two of them because the first one disappeared within minutes. I asked for the recipe and she kindly provided this link (Scroll down the page for the “Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette”.)

‘Til next time,