What does home smell like to you? It’s a simple question, but the answer for any person can be as unique as a fingerprint. It's said that smells create the most powerful memories. Have you ever just smelled something and you were instantly transported back to another time and place? For me, it's the smell of classroom supplies that makes me feel like a kindergartener again, simmering soup that reminds me of getting off the school bus and opening the front door, and warm buttered biscuits that carry me back to summers at my grandparent’s kitchen table. We all associate smells with people, places, or just moments in our lives.
While sounds, pictures, and touch can bring back memories of our childhood and youth, scientists have found that only the sense of smell can vividly and intensely bring back those memories. Because the sense of smell is the only sense to go directly to the brain’s area that actively processes smell. When you encounter a familiar smell, your body forms nerve connections that intertwine the smell with the emotions you feel at that time, especially if those emotions are heightened. That’s why smelling a certain meal may remind you of Sundays after church, or the scent of falling rain or fresh-cut grass might remind you of a fond road trip. If you’re apart from a loved one for extended periods, smelling their clothing or spritzing their cologne can make you feel close to them, even if you physically aren’t. And memory recollection through the senses seems to be strengthened during the holidays.
We’ve grown past our days of using No. 2 pencils, and you’re either typing away or writing with pens now, but that woodsy smell of freshly sharpened lead will always remind you of elementary school – those carefree days of not having responsibilities. They’ll remind you of standing beside that barely-held-together sharpener stuck to the wall, desperately trying to get that perfect point. They’ll bring you back to a time when all you needed was a good pencil and a new notebook to feel ready to conquer the world. This is along with all the swimming lessons in the summer, birthday pool parties, laughing and fun in the sun with all of your friends – pruned skin and exhaustion from when your parents demanded you get out of the pool. Chlorine is hearing the ice cream truck as you walk home with the towel looped around your neck, it’s the thrill of racing down the street to get that pushup creamsicle while your hair dries in the sun. It’s the smell of Southern wildflowers outside the church long after the sermon is over. After all, if honeysuckles don't come to mind when thinking of your childhood, did you even really grow up in the South? The sweet smell of honeysuckle floating through the rural air is as strong as a mother’s love, and, as always, it takes me back to my childhood in all the best possible ways. Others are just as beautiful to some, such as cabbage cooking, mothballs in the cedar closet, and whatever was the cheapest hairspray your mother could buy – usually Aquanet.
Whether it's the scent of flowers, the aroma of your mother’s perfume, or the smell of sunscreen after summers filled with playing outside, everyone has a favorite childhood smell. For all of us, our nose is a time machine. Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant pictures as sharp as photographs of scenes that have left the conscious mind. You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry and be sure to stop and smell the flowers along the way. Memories, imagination, old sentiments, and associations are more readily reached through the senses. Remember a nose that can see is worth two that sniff, so put yours to good use and take a trip down memory lane.
Italian Sausage & Kale Tortellini Soup
INGREDIENTS
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomato sauce with basil
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 lemon, zested
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (2 inch) parmesan cheese rind, optional
- 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 5 packed cups chopped kale
- 4-ounces Crème fraîche
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil for topping
For the Garlic Butter
- 1cup butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons fresh garlic
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Soup
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Add onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to the sausage. Cook, stirring frequently until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in chicken stock, fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed tomato sauce, parmesan rind, lemon zest, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove the rind and bay leaf.
- Stir in Crème fraîche, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, tortellini, and kale. Cook until tortellini is cooked and kale is wilted; about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
For the Garlic Butter
- Combine softened butter, minced garlic, and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
- Season with garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Stir in parsley.
- Mix until smooth. Serve on warm bread.