A Thanksgiving Thanks

Thanksgiving has to be my favorite day of the year. We wait all year for this one meal and all of our favorite dishes to be made just the way we like it. The pictures above are of my Mom’s beautiful Thanksgiving table. While there are many things I am thankful for this year, I have to dedicate this post to my mother, Sally. My sister and I know that we have been blessed with a truly one-of-a-kind Mother. People often say to me, “Do you know how lucky you are to have a Mother like yours?” Yes! Yes! Yes! While my Mom has many wonderful qualities, one of them has to be her love of cooking. In the past few years as my interest in cooking has grown, I have realized how fortunate we were to grow up having home-cooked meals. Not until I started going to friend’s houses for dinner did I realize just how lucky we were! We would have roast chicken dinners on Sundays, beautiful buttercream frosted cakes on our birthdays (with fresh flowers on top), corn chowders and peach crisps in the summer, roasted pork with fig sauce in the winter. I could go on and on.

I say all this not to brag, but to merely paint a picture and point out that lessons I have learned about the importance of food and cooking is because of my mother:

·Go out of your comfort zone and try everything. I am not picky about food and feel so lucky for this. It has allowed me to taste so many delicious foods from so many different parts of the world. Don’t be scared of food, just try it!

·Quality not quantity. This rule applies to many other facets of life, but in terms of food, try to choose the best ingredients you can find and afford. Go local as much as possible, the difference in taste is tremendous.

·Grow herbs. Herbs are easy to grow, they add so much to a dish, and it is so rewarding to have some nearby, especially basil in the summer. Mmm Pesto!

·Don’t be afraid of butter. Everyone has so many health concerns these days. It’s exhausting. Gluten-free, sugar-free, fat-free… I am so happy that that I can enjoy mashed potatoes and pie crusts made with REAL butter: Guilt-free.

·Enjoy food. I have met so many people that when it comes down to it, they just don’t enjoy food. They are counting calories, restricting themselves from this or that, eating just to eat, and never really enjoying anything they consume. Enjoy food, yes it is a necessity, but it is also a luxury.

To my Mom- Thank you being a kind, beautiful, thoughtful and creative woman! Thank you for bestowing me with a love of cooking and  a love of butter. Xx