All of my children are at home in the kitchen, but it is my middle-born, Joshua, who takes greatest pleasure in cooking with me. Over the past couple of years, cooking good food, eating good food, and talking about good food has become “our thing.”

When I am not cooking with Josh, I am usually cooking around Josh. He likes hanging out with me in the kitchen, and the feeling is mutual. When he isn’t lending a hand, he is usually lending a taste–and an opinion. He has his own takes on what works and what doesn’t. He’s a fan of old favorites and new dishes alike. Don’t get me wrong: my oldest and youngest enjoy a good meal, and they each have their favorites, but Josh talks food. It is a language we share.

In the afternoon, when he gets home from drum lessons or from playing with the neighbor’s kids, he greets me in the kitchen with: “What’s for dinner, daddy?” More nights than not end with a kiss and a question: “What’s for breakfast, daddy?” Errands with Josh on the weekend are often well-time to coincide with a lunchtime stop (his latest dine-out favorites: LA galbi and idli sambar).

I guess it’s only natural, then, that as family meals have evolved over the years, I have developed dishes with Josh in kitchen and in mind. Only recently it occurred to me that some of these recipes, and more importantly, the stories around these meals, might be of interest to those of you outside of my family and my kitchen.

I hope you will agree!