During the course of moving everything out of our old house, I came across an old cooking journal from a Provencale restaurant in Chicago. I leafed through the collection of recipes and fixated upon one, ravioli made from leftover Artichoke Barigoule and fresh Goat Cheese. It sounded so wonderful and comforting, I decided to make it today.

The plan was for Lisa to grab Beau and keep him occupied while I did everything then we would meet at the lunch table and eat. We had taken a long morning walk in the cool rain. On the way back Beau became increasingly needy demanding quite a bit of attention. I was getting irritated because I have a lot to do and for me to focus I need time to think and space to create.  After fighting it for a few minutes I decided to take the beast on straight ahead. I invited Beau to join me in ravioli making. Secretly I wished he would have turned me down and opted for watching another episode of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. No such luck.

He grabbed his small chair and pulled it firmly up to where I was working. Beau is going through a phase where he says he does not like something he previously has loved. The subject of his scrutiny today was artichokes. He wrinkled his nose when I told him what we were making. Beau feigns complete disgust at my ravioli and then digs into them with as much gusto as a starving Italian returning home to his grandmother's house in Italy after being away in a food desert for three years. He attacked them, moaning when I would not let him eat yet another. I had to mock him a bit when he asked for extra artichokes and more tomato confit. Someday I will share a glass of wine and laugh about this phase with him. The greatest treasure I will carry to my grave will be the fond memories of sharing afternoons together like this. It's the shared moments that lend meaning to life. The confidence Beau feels from starting a process and finishing it. The excellent memories he will enjoy his entire life of the father that loved him to the Moon and back. I do not think you can properly or fully understand love till you become a father or mother. There is something so wonderfully beautiful about moments like this. I am not even sure I could put words to the feeling; suffice to say I feel content and happy with my place in the world tonight. The recipe will be published in my upcoming book 'Cuisine of the Sun, a Ray of Sunshine of your Plate'. Please support my project at: bit.ly/KickstartSunshine