Love most important ingredient to kitchen memories

The aromas of the kitchen are often accompanied by the sound of footsteps heading toward them. Whether the ladies of the house -- your mama, grandmomma or aunties -- are preparing the morning meal of grits, bacon and eggs, the noon meal of homemade soup or the evening meal of pork chops, potatoes and gravy, they are helping create family memories.

They have been taught by the very best.

Throughout the islands -- Port Royal, Coosaw, Warsaw, Lady's, Dataw or St. Helena -- there are cooks who know how to beckon people to the kitchen with their pots.

In Broomfield, Brickyard Point, Land's End, Ann Fripp and Mary Jenkins, hands the color of nutmeg, saffron, ginger, vanilla and coffee know how to stir pots, heat skillets, mash potatoes, make drinks and tell truth from fiction. They make meals for their families and save enough to feed whoever comes in the door. (It seems some folks know exactly when to drop in and sit a spell -- for the longer the conversation, the more food will appear.)

There is a certain something that makes the kitchen the place to sit and "chew the fat." It is the place of "Did you hear?" and "Did you know?" It is also a place of warmth, which is created not only by the heat of the oven but from an ingredient called "love." If love is not present, the food loses its taste, the mixing gets messy and the meal loses that smacking feeling.

The size of the kitchen, the color of the walls and the make of the stove are not important. The kitchen can be formal or informal. The table can have a centerpiece or be bare. What matters most is the heartbeat and soul of the place. What matters is the weight of the tradition. It is the power of the discussion while sipping water from a mason jar -- not because there are no glasses, but because that jar brings back Mama and Grandmomma.

It is what was taught and passed down.

The kitchen is a room of memories. It is the bridge of the past into the future.

Time brings change, though. And it is evident as we see today's children. They do not know how to measure, let alone cook. They are not around the people who tell the stories and share from a spoon. They won't know just why some folks love rice, why some want lima beans and why others prefer pinto beans. They won't know the difference between a whiting and a flounder, or that a chicken has more than wings.

We must teach that a meal is more than food -- it is a coming together of people who sit for a spell, chew a lot and talk up an appetite.

Orange Rice

Makes: 6 servings

2 cups diced celery and leaves 6 tablespoons chopped onion 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine 2 cups uncooked regular rice 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 cups boiling water 1 1/2 cups orange juice 1/4 cup grated orange rind

Saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Stir rice and salt into boiling water; cover and simmer 15 to 17 minutes. Add orange juice, orange rind and sauteed vegetables. Cover; cook 5 minutes or until tender.

Yellow Rice and Raisins

Makes: 6 servings

1 1/2 cups water 2 tablespoons Parkay spread stick 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 cups Minute premium or original rice, uncooked 1/2 cup raisins 1 teaspoon sugar

Bring water, spread, salt, turmeric and cinnamon to boil in medium saucepan. Stir in rice, cover. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in raisins and sugar.