"I can freeze things for you too," she says. "Make soups and freeze them, so all you have to do is cook them--he's just not at soup-eating levels yet. He will be, but in the meantime, easy things that you can both eat."

She turns off the burner under the pan of meat, and lets it sit.

"I like cooking. It's like knitting--sure, people need clothes like they need food. You can buy something ready-made, or you can have someone who loves you make it for you."