WV Culinary Team: Contents may vary -- a salmon bowl when the fridge is half

The night before we dropped off our oldest, Ethan, at college, I lingered in the kitchen. The fridge was full, the pantry stuffed with half-opened bags of chips and crackers, their crumpled shapes proof of hands sneaking snacks in passing.

Somewhere behind the half-empty jars of jam and ranch dressing in the fridge, I could still see traces of him: extra eggs for frying on top of anything -- leftover chicken, mac and cheese, whatever needed “improving,” a bag of avocados, one per day, a container of homemade pimento cheese, his favorite sandwich topping.

I closed the fridge and eyed the small teacups by the coffee machine. I’d filled them with dandelions Ethan and his siblings brought me when they were small -- tiny suns, petals spiraling out from the center. Later in spring, when the da