A pinch of this, a pinch of that.

Have you ever lost the recipe for a favorite dish? Like, say, a delicious cake that your grandma used to make? Have you ever tried to wing it and just see if you can come up with the proper combination of ingredients?

Have you ever been able to pull ingredients together TWICE to bake that scrumptious, wonderful cake, only the ingredients were completely different both times?

On Sunday, we had our first rehearsal for this year's cast of Listen To Your Mother Chicago. Melisa and I knew that each essay was individually lovely and hoped that when blended together, the result would be a show that was similar to last year's. You know, like Grandma's cake: Not too sweet or salty, rises properly in the middle, leaves you with a comfortably full feeling once the last piece is gone, and hoping for more cake soon.

As the cast began to speak, the atmosphere in the room shifted and the show began to take shape. It was properly moist and tender on the inside with a firm, lightly browned crust. It was full of surprise cream layers and sprinkled with a few nuts to keep the texture interesting.

Somehow, even though this show is still about Motherhood, and even though the layout is the same, the end result of this year's show is unique from 2012.

Photo credit: Sabrina Persico

After the rehearsal was over, it was very evident that 2013 has its own flavor and color and shape.

And it is DELICIOUS.

For information on our show, click here!