My parents, aunt, and nephew took a 3-hour drive to come visit us in Austin last weekend. They only stayed for a quick 24 hours but I’ll take as much time with them as I can get. My mom has a pretty standard routine when they come visit: she’ll pack up the entire car with things she thinks we’ll need such as toothpaste, toilet paper, mouthwash, body soap, with a cooler full of food she thinks I’ll want to eat. When they’re here, she’s always in the kitchen trying to cook as much as she can because she wants to leave behind as much as possible.

I always love watching my mom in the kitchen. She moves back and forth in what seems like a slight panic but methodical at the same time.

This time, we prepped meatballs, sirloin, squid, and some fresh vegetables for a family hot pot night. Suffice to say, it was amazing.