I think I may be a day behind on my posts but this focus on the big and little things for which I am grateful is giving me fantastic endorphins!  I will just have to keep up with this natural high!

Day 5…Comfort Food

I.am.not.a.cook (see bottom of 12 Days of Gratitude – Day 1).

So, it should come as no surprise that I got pretty stressed out when Husband let me know that he would be working late yesterday and that he needed my help with dinner for the family.  Much to Kid’s dismay, my damn pride would not allow me to serve another round of grilled cheese sandwiches and canned chicken noodle soup (he would eat this at every meal every day if he could).  Instead, he got some steamed rice with this:

…stir-fried pepper beef with snow peas.  Yes, I made this from scratch (but following a recipe).  Kid ate his entire dinner, Husband had two servings and neither is feeling sick. #Winning

Food has always been very important in Chinese culture and definitely in my family.  The sight of Mom cooking in the kitchen (Dad would also cook but Mom ruled the kitchen) and proudly serving an over-abundance of succulent Chinese dishes has been etched into my memories.  Mom sits back and is content to watch us devour everything she has made.  It still happens today when Husband, Kid and I head over to Mom and Dad’s for dinner – at 9:00 a.m., Mom will call me to ask me what I want on the dinner menu and she will spend the entire day making it to perfection.  What’s her “ancient Chinese secret” ingredient?  LOVE.  It is the reason why Chinese food, especially home cooked Chinese food, is my comfort food.  When I eat Chinese food, I feel connected to Mom and all the love and good intentions she puts forth in each and every meal.

I am learning to cook and have offered to take charge of more meals (mostly Chinese food since Husband doesn’t cook a lot of Chinese food and I want to develop Kid’s palette for food coming from one-half of his genetic make-up) as a way to build my confidence in the kitchen.  I do it as part of a self-challenge but also to make something out of nothing for the two biggest loves-of-my-life, Husband and Kid.

I am really fortunate to have food on our table and especially Mom’s home cooked comfort food.

My own gratitude for Mom’s cooking has been a gentle reminder to me that not everyone is so fortunate.  So many people go to bed with empty bellies and fears about how they will feed their children.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could eliminate hunger year round?  Let’s start with this holiday season – no one should go hungry at Christmas.  If this post has touched you in away, please consider donating to your local food bank.

Thanks for reading.