Food for Thought
In place of my recent absence from posting pictures I just want to stop and reflect on some food memories I have from my childhood.
I had the most wonderful childhood. I was blessed with a mostly stay at home, hands on mom who was inventive, crafty, and enjoyed to make honest to good homemade food. I truly owe my original love for food and cooking to her.
My earliest memories in the kitchen were while my mom would be cooking dinner I would be using my child-size pots and pans to “cook” like she was. This usually meant stirring some nasty concoction of water, tea, salt, pepper, or anything I cold sprinkle or stir into some random liquid. As I got to be pre-k and kindergarten age she would even allow me to heat this nasty liquid on the stove… looking back now, I’m sure that smelled fabulous.
As I got older I graduated to your usual kitchen firsts. Jello Jigglers, Grilled Cheese, and my personal favorite Cream of Wheat with milk and a sprinkle of sugar (sometimes cinnamon sugar) accompanied by a side of honey toast.
Christmas cookie time quickly became my favorite time of year. My mom, aunt, grandmother, and two cousins would converge in the kitchen each one playing a part in the delightful process of baking. I loved decorating all the cookies. An activity that has certainly carried into adulthood. It can easily take me 3 hours to decorate all the sugar cookies.
(dachshund cookie from Christmas ‘10, decorated by your’s truly)
A few other memorable cooking or baking moments would have to be making rice krispie treats and homemade chex mix or muddy buddies! I loved tossing the rice chex in the melted chocolate in the zip lock bag followed by the powdered sugar. There is just something about violently shaking a gallon size filled with liquid chocolate and cereal.
As I approach 25, reflecting on these fabulous memories brings a smile to my face and makes me so thankful for my mom and the beautiful, creative, hands on mother she was and continues to be. She is and always will be my best friend.
The zucchini fries were amazing.
Yummy buffalo steak and apple slices!!
These are the finished products made in the orange silicone molds from the other night :)
I topped them with homemade cocoa whipped cream, sliced strawberries, and pecans. <3 mmm yum! <3
Here I blackened the mahi mahi with some of that homemade taco seasoning from the night before. The sun dried tomatoes and red bell pepper were pureed with like maybe 2 tbsp of cream and some extra virgin olive oil.
Started on some sugar-free gluten-free cherry cheesecake bites tonight!! The cheesecake mixture is “melding” if you will overnight so there will be finished product pictures tomorrow. However, here are the process pictures!! :D
I blended my own homemade taco seasoning! Then I used it to make mini taco wraps with fresh tomatoes and thinly sliced avocado. I then also heated up a bowl of my homemade garlic roasted asparagus soup <3
