Grown Up Little Girl

One of my favorite days of the month is when the new issue of Bon Appetit arrives in the mail. As soon as I spot it, a feeling of eagerness takes over, and I cannot wait to sit down and start combing through all the new recipes and delectable pictures. My Bon Appetit frenzy is similar to the excitement I used to feel as a child when the new American Girl catalogue arrived. I remember snatching the catalogue before my younger sister could get her hands on it, running upstairs, and circling every new outfit and accessory I wanted for my birthday or Christmas. I fantasized about my dolls, their new outfits, and how happy we would all be together. I created little play scenes in my head before my birthday or Christmas even arrived.

My first American Girl doll was Samantha. Santa brought her when I was in kindergarten. I begged and BEGGED for Samantha months before Christmas was even in the picture. I cut out all of the Samantha pictures from the catalogue and stored them in a box under my bed labeled “Samantha Parkington’s Box”; along with pictures of outfits and play scenes I imagined we would have together. (This box is actually still decaying in our attic, probably storing old winter clothes).
Samantha finally arrived, only to be followed by several other American Girl dolls that my sister and I would play with together. While our dolls brought many fun times and cherished memories, I still most vividly remember the utter excitement and anticipation I felt waiting for Samantha’s arrival.
This pure, innocent longing is similar to the anxiousness I feel when imagining Bon Appetit’s new recipes. I study every detail. The ingredients, the process, serving suggestions. I especially love the illustration demos in the back of the magazine. I picture myself chopping the ingredients, putting them together, and what it must smell like. The pictures make my mouth salivate and my stomach grumble with desire. I rip out all the pages of recipes that I hope to try and keep them in a folder that is now falling apart, similar to my “Samantha Parkington’s Box”. I have probably only made a quarter of the recipes that I’ve torn from Bon Appetit, but I hold onto all of them with the hope that some day I will try them all (also similar to how I wished I could own the entire American Girl franchise as a child). My tastes and interests may have matured over the years, but food still makes me bubble with excitement like a 5 year-old girl.

A few of the recipes from the August issue that I hope to make are:
-Grilled Chicken and Plantains, Jamaican-Style
-Grilled Salmon with Quick Blueberry Pan Sauce-Shrimp, Mango, and Avocado Salad with Sweet Chili-Ginger Vinaigrette

And for dessert…
White Chocolate-Cherry Mousse Pie (wish I had a piece of this sitting in front of me RIGHT NOW!)
Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Sandwiches

Hopefully I will actually try one of these recipes (rather than storing them in my Bon Appetit folder) and report back soon!