What my mother taught me about food

Mom, I didn’t buy you anything for Mother’s Day. I’m sorry! I am a wretched child. Here’s a little blurb about your awesomeness, instead!

As a child, my favorite place to be was the kitchen counter, stirring something gurgling on the stove and chatting with my mom. It was a safe, comforting place. My mom likes company in the kitchen to this day, so I suspect that’s a major reason she encouraged us to cook. However, it also had some additional (maybe unintended?) consequences. It brought healthy eating into our consciousness at a very early age and taught us, above all, to be self-sufficient.

My mom didn’t cut the crust off my sandwiches because she didn’t make me sandwiches. She taught me to make my own lunch. I learned to eat the crusts because cutting them off was wasteful, and besides, some things in life suck, but you just have to deal.

She was firm about things like soda, but she wasn’t militant. We certainly did eat some sweets, but after my third fudgesicle on a summer day, she'd definitely throw down the kibosh. If I asked for a bag of pre-made cookies at the store, my mom would reply, “Sure, you can have cookies…” As I’d dart toward the crinkly packages of unnaturally flexible chocolaty goodness, she’d temper her response with, “You may make a batch when we get home.”

And this, my friends, is the sentiment on which I modeled my current eating habits. Never buy pre-packed food that’s heavily processed, particularly if it’s something you can make at home. It’s too easy and too easy to abuse. With three kids, I’m sure finances were part of my mom’s motivation, so I’m not sure if she consciously tried to teach me this.  The lesson was learned, regardless.

Every time I see a morbidly obese child perched in a grocery cart on a mountain of Poptarts, microwave dinners, and tater tots, I pity how much they will have to learn as they move into adulthood. Then I give thanks for my mom, who set me up for success at an early age by perching me next to the stove.

Happy early Mother’s Day, mom! Love you.

What I’m cooking:

Saag paneer and homemade naan

I looked at a bunch of recipes before I started and ended up using THIS saag paneer recipe.  It was very good, and I'd definitely recommend it.  I love that paneer has the texture I always hope for in tofu.  It is similar to tofu in that it's bland on its own.

However, the pièce de résistance of this meal was easily the naan. Recipe here.  Shockingly yummy, really! I think the bread flour is clutch. I ate the leftovers smeared with almond butter and had a little food-gasm. Trust me. Make this naan!