Creating specific ambience is so important in my daily life. It even spills over into my cooking.  As a child music could be heard constantly.  We would wake up with it and as soon as my parents got home from work, my dad would turn on his stereo.

Even now, my dad loves to be “DJ Papa” for his grand kids at their request. My grandmother played music around holiday. dinners and all of her kids have that tradition ingrained in them.  I remember family and friends dancing on a whim, whenever music came on.  Those times were epic during Thanksgiving.  Ever since I’ve been on my own, music has been my background noise as I’m doing chores and while I’m making challenging dishes. I tend to like more funk and soul sounds, but my top choice will always be Broadway musicals.

I love getting lost in lyrics and picturing actors on stage, transports me to places outside my home.  I recently invested in a record player and have slowly began collecting records.  Right now, The Very Best of Fats Domino has helped me focus during breadmaking. I typically have a bread making video playing on tv from YouTube while my record player spins the smooth sounding crooner. This combo brings my dimly lit home into a peaceful atmosphere.  Fresh homemade bread and strawberry preserves go perfectly with some light swing music.

When I’m ready for something more upbeat in my kitchen I like to make stir-fry.  I put on more contemporary music like Allen Stone, Juice, or Surfaces.  These guys make me feel like I’m riding on a California highway searching for a picturesque spot to set up a campfire and a wok.  I am ready to cook my favorite chicken fried rice recipe.  Music grows even more important as I have started limiting my social media presence.  Even while eating  a bowl of popcorn, I’d rather be listening to the poppy sound of the Jackson 5, than scrolling TikTok. I’ve continued to procure music for my culinary pursuits even after establishing a pretty good musical routine.  As more Broadway musicals come out, and Pandora open my eyes to new bands; who knows what I’ll tackle next to my kitchen.  Perhaps I could try Chicago style pizza with Earth, Wind, and Fire?