Welcome to a new week .If you’ve been reading TheMommiesReviews.com for very long, or been around my family then you already know one thing about our family—from the time David gets home from work until around and 7pm/ 8pm in the evening, the kitchen and dinning room ie man cave usually belongs to my husband, David.
He’s our family’s cook, and honestly, he enjoys it. While he’s making dinner, the rest of us are usually scattered throughout the house. David enjoys his meals in the man cave we created for him because he has his own tv and chair and no, one messes with him.
Gerald relaxes on the couch while he eats. I often take my plate upstairs to my desk so I can work while I eat or watch tv but sometimes I head out to the front porch when the weather is nice. Charlie and Bradley usually retreat to their own rooms, where Charlie is almost always gaming.
It may not look like the picture-perfect family dinners you see in magazines, but it works for us. More importantly, it’s home. Every family has its own traditions, and this is one of ours. On the nights David has to work late, however, the kitchen becomes my responsibility. That’s usually when I recruit Charlie.
Cooking has always been something Charlie and I enjoy together. Long before he was old enough to drive or even reach the top shelf in the pantry, he was learning his way around a kitchen. When he was four years old, I enrolled him in cooking classes through our local recreation center. At the time, it simply gave him something fun to do, but looking back, I realize those little classes planted a seed that grew into a lifelong love of cooking.
As Charlie got older and we began homeschooling, home economics became part of his education. Learning to cook was just as important to me as learning math or reading because everyone should know how to prepare a meal. Those lessons continued outside the classroom too.
Every week, Charlie and his Granny would bake cakes together. Those afternoons weren’t just about reading a box and frosting; they were about spending time together, making memories, and passing family traditions from one generation to the next.
Later, Charlie even had opportunities to work with food trucks and he was also on my friends Radio Show to discuss food and be around people who loved cooking as much as he did. Watching his confidence grow over the years has been one of my greatest joys.
That’s why this particular evening was so different. David was working late. Charlie had a migraine and needed to stay upstairs and rest. For the first time in a long while, I found myself standing in the kitchen getting dinner started completely on my own. Or so I thought. As I started pulling everything together for dinner, Bradley came downstairs.
He wasn’t looking for something to eat, and he wasn’t expecting me to ask him to help. He simply started noticing things that needed to be done. This is when its nice to have a extra child although it is sad he needs the guidance and love of other adults because he didn’t get it at home. His parent would farm him off on my family more times than not and that is why I try and teach him to cook.
Without being asked, he took out the trash that had been forgotten the night before. Then loaded the dishwasher with the dishes that were sitting in the sink. While he was cleaning up, he even noticed one of my light switches had years of built-up dirt around it, so he cleaned that too.
Those may seem like little things, but sometimes the smallest acts of kindness make the biggest difference. Before I knew it, the kitchen already felt lighter because someone had simply decided to lend a hand. After washing his hands, Bradley wandered back over just as I was getting ready to prepare the ribs.
I had purchased one slab of pork ribs, but I wasn’t planning to cook them all the same way. I wanted to compare two different seasonings, so I needed to cut the slab in half before I started seasoning them. The moment I reached for the knife, Bradley laughed. “You know David and Charlie have basically banned you from using knives.” I couldn’t help but laugh because he wasn’t wrong.
If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ve probably heard at least one story about me cutting myself while trying to cook. David and Charlie both tease me that if there’s a knife in the kitchen, somehow I’ll find a way to cut something and it doesn’t stop at my fingers.
So instead of arguing, I happily handed the knife to Bradley. He carefully cut the slab of ribs into two equal halves while I prepared the foil and the Pyrex baking dishes. Little did I know, that simple moment would turn into one of my favorite kitchen memories.
Once the ribs were cut in half, we spread two large sheets of aluminum foil across the counter. Since I wanted to compare two different seasonings, each half of the slab would become its own little experiment. I love trying new products, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to see how two completely different flavors would transform the same cut of meat.
I started pulling bottles out of the cabinet. I usually have Barbecue Sause but not this time all I had was Marinades. and Dry rubs. Before long, there were six or seven different choices spread across my counter. Bradley looked at me, laughed, and asked, “What are you doing?”
I smiled because Charlie usually asks me the very same question. “I’m trying to decide what to use on these ribs.” Bradley grinned and said, “I’ve got a pretty good nose for seasonings. Let’s smell them and see what we like.”
One by one, we opened each bottle. Some of the Marinades and Dry Rubs smelled too spicy. Others smelled too sweet and I knew Charlie and I wouldn’t like them. . A few just didn’t seem like they belonged on ribs at all. As we kept smelling and talking, we narrowed it down to two seasonings that immediately stood out.
The first was Prolific Butcher Shop Sweet & Smoky Dry Rub, a small-batch seasoning made by a local butcher shop in nearby Watauga, Texas. I loved the fact that it was from a small business right here in our area. Even better, the label mentioned it was non-GMO and gluten-free, something I know several members of my extended family appreciate.
The second choice was Adams Texas Style Smoked Brisket Low & Slow Rub. Adams has been making spices since 1888, and the moment we opened the bottle we both noticed the rich aroma. It had a completely different personality from the Prolific seasoning, but it smelled just as wonderful.
Instead of trying to decide between them, Bradley and I looked at each other and smiled. “Why don’t we use both?” That solved our problem. While giving me the opportunity to use both kinds so we would know if we wanted to keep them or give them to someone.
Bradley generously coated one half of the ribs with the Prolific Sweet & Smoky Dry Rub and seasoned the other half with the Adams Texas Style Smoked Brisket Low & Slow Rub. Each half was wrapped tightly in its own sheet of aluminum foil before being placed into separate Pyrex baking dishes.
While we worked, we talked about the best way to cook them. Should we use the crock pot? The electric skillet? Or the top of the stove in one of my skillets. As we talked I end mentioned using the oven since we was out of propane and couldn’t use our Coleman Tailgating Grill.
After discussing those ways to prepare the Ribs, we agreed that the oven would give us the best results. Low and slow has always been my favorite way to cook ribs, and we hoped it would allow both seasonings to really develop their own unique flavors.
As the ribs baked, Bradley helped me check on them throughout the afternoon. Every time we opened the oven, the aroma filled the kitchen a little more. It was almost impossible to wait. While we waited, our conversation drifted away from dinner and toward life.
Bradley shared that growing up, he never really had the chance to learn how to cook. He laughed while telling me about trying to warm milk for hot chocolate in the microwave when he was younger. Without anyone showing him the right way, it didn’t exactly end well. As funny as the story sounded now, it reminded me how important it is for children to have someone willing to teach them life’s everyday skills.
His story brought back memories of my own childhood. My dad believed every child should know how to cook, regardless of whether they were a boy or a girl. He taught our family that the kitchen wasn’t divided into “men’s work” and “women’s work.” It was simply part of learning to take care of yourself and the people you love.
He even passed those lessons along to my lifelong best friend, Debbie Finney Sutton, whom I’ve known since the second grade. Debbie still tells people today that she learned to make some of her favorite recipes because my dad took the time to teach her. Those memories have stayed with her for decades, and I think that’s a beautiful reminder that the things we teach children often last a lifetime.
Watching Bradley become more comfortable in the kitchen made me realize that cooking isn’t really about recipes. It’s about confidence. It’s about spending time together. It’s about conversations that happen while you’re measuring seasonings, wrapping foil, or waiting for the oven timer to go off.
When the ribs were finally finished, we carefully unwrapped each pan during the last few minutes of cooking so the outside could brown slightly. The smell alone told us we were in for something special. Later that evening, everyone sampled both versions.
Charlie preferred the Prolific Butcher Shop Sweet & Smoky Dry Rub because he liked its slightly sweeter barbecue flavor and the way it created a flavorful crust on the outside of the ribs. David also leaned toward the Prolific seasoning. He thought its sweet-and-smoky balance reminded him of the kind of barbecue you’d enjoy at a backyard cookout.
Gerald and I found ourselves reaching for the ribs seasoned with thes Adams Texas Style Smoked Brisket Low & Slow Rub. We both enjoyed its deeper Texas-style flavor and the way it let the taste of the pork shine through without being overly sweet.
As for Bradley? He smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and admitted he couldn’t choose. He liked them both. Honestly, I understood exactly what he meant because I did as well. The biggest surprise wasn’t that we discovered two fantastic seasonings. It was that an ordinary weeknight turned into one of those memories I’ll treasure for years to come.
Bradley and I have already started talking about what we’ll cook together next. We haven’t decided whether it’ll be chicken, hamburgers, or something completely different, but one thing is certain—we’re looking forward to getting back into the kitchen together.
That’s really what I hope Front Porch Kitchen Conversations becomes. Not just a collection of recipes. Not just product reviews.
But a place where I can share the stories behind the meals, the conversations that happen while they’re cooking, and the family traditions that remind us home isn’t defined by where we eat dinner. Home is built in the moments we spend caring for one another, one meal at a time.
I’d love to know—who first taught you to cook? Share your story in the comments below. I’d enjoy hearing how those kitchen memories became part of your own family’s traditions.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
