I’m on a cooking journey again. Since my father’s passing I’ve been thinking a lot about diet and quality of life. I’m trying to find a balance of eating well and enjoying what we eat.
A good friend lent me the book “Food Rules”. It was a good read. It made sense and much of it I already follow. The Hubby also got me “The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook” for Christmas. It’s divided up by seasons. I turned to February and found great recipes with ingredients that are being harvested right now and therefore fresh and cheap.
Since I was pregnant with P I’ve been doing research about the effects of chemicals in the body. I started eating organically since then. My discovery and research of food has steadily come along for the past three years now.
I’ve researched the effects of food. Where to get fresh organic food? What is best for children to eat? What’s best to eat when pregnant and nursing? What to eat when you have cancer? Then I’ve looked into making these good foods tasty. What will my veggie-hating hubby eat? What will my 2-year old eat? How can I stimulate my baby in utero to develop more worldly taste buds? What can I make with a 2-year old tugging at my pants? What can I make with my 2-year old?
The other night I made a recipe from The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook. I made pizza from scratch, dough and all. As I was making this and reading this fantastic book I had a thought. Owning a restaurant is hard work. But the owners and chefs research food for a living. It’s their life. And every night they are thanked by their guests. Just having guests every night is a compliment. Some chefs and owners go on to get rave reviews and write books and hosts tv shows.
As a mother, cooking is only a part of my life. A big part albeit. I go through the same journey of researching food but I didn’t go to culinary school. I often make great meals but my 2-year old doesn’t like it, or my husband leaves salads by the way side. I’m lucky my husband always thanks me for what I’ve made him. From what I’ve heard, most moms don’t get any thanks. We research, cook, serve and clean up just like the owners, chefs, sue chefs, busboys and clean up crew do but there will be no five stars or books or tv shows. Cooking is expected from a mother. It’s not considered an art form when we do it.
The journey is the same but the result is different. I wouldn’t change all I do to get a good meal on the table. But, a coat or hat from Le Cordon Bleu might make me feel better.
