'hanks Mom

I've realized it's hard to really 'celebrate' Mother's Day when you aren't within shouting distance of your actual mother. Sure, you can send a card, or a gift, or a lanyard, but are you really celebrating? Somehow I think supporting Hallmark by sending a card is more of remembering. This year, I felt the need to celebrate.

While making lots of other amazing shopping decisions (there's a story for later...), I decided to celebrate my mom this past Sunday by cooking. Cooking a lot. Specifically, cooking things my mommy used to cook for me - chicken, beets, parsley potatoes, and homemade* biscuits.

First off, chicken - the Sunday Staple for most of my more formidable years. Although my absolute favorite chicken mommy used to make is actually flour chicken, I decided it was time to practice on the whole bird - something sure to make mom proud.

In honor of my little sister, I bought organic veggies AND hormone/drug free, range fed, hugged twice a day chicken. It was a little more pricey, and sadly came without the extra packet of goodies normal chickens come with, but the meat was unbelievably tender and amazing (although brining the chicken over night probably helped...)

Next, a vegetable, of course. Nothing makes me think of mom more than freshly boiled beets. I think I am the only other person in my family who would buy stock in Schrute Farms, I do love me some beets and these babies were HUGE. They also came with some amazing greens, so in honor of my dad (since he did help with the upbringing and all) I tried a new recipe - cooked beet greens. It was ... interesting. Dad would probably approve. They might have been a little funky, but they sure were pretty.

My absolute favorite side dish my mom has ever made is also the easiest - parsley red potatoes. It's not a very interesting process to see those made so sorry, no pictures. But they are sitting quite happily next to the chicken in the last picture.

In true Mom style, there is no dessert because don't you think you've had enough already? But really, I did have enough. I have 25 years of cooking lessons and observations locked away inside, I heard my mother tell me to stop adding butter to the veggies, even though I really wanted to, I had her lessons of setting the Sunday dining room telling me which side to put the fork and knife down on, and for heavens sake stop sitting on your feet at the table. I have enough memories, training sessions, and prep hours in the kitchen to really honor, respect, and celebrate my mom.

Nothing says I love you like a home cooked meal. In the end, the chicken was divine, the beets were perfect and sweet, the potatoes were almost as good as moms, and my little baby biscuits were taaaaaasty.

For all those lessons, 'hanks mom. You're the best.