Happy New Year

Look at this gorgeous loaf of sourdough bread.

It took pre-planning but very little actual hands-on time.

Legacies
My mother hasn't made a meal for me in over 30 years but I've never forgotten her cooking. She was a single parent raising four kids while working a full time job. We rarely ate at restaurants or fast food joints. Much of her cooking was simple, cheap, and hearty. Favorites were macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Birthdays we could pick what we wanted for dinner and I always chose tacos. And it was a production – making the filling, frying the tacos, chopping lettuce, and grating cheese. Thanksgiving was an even bigger production because she'd make pumpkin pies the night before and get up early the next morning to put the turkey in the oven. Then it was lots of prep work and cooking for the early evening meal. I also remember the time someone gave her a case of fresh peaches and she made peach butter preserves. She did the same thing with a box of green tomatoes, put them in some kind of brine and preserved them. When she made home made bread all of us were in heaven.

Wonderful tastes and flavors from my childhood. None of my food memories was of food eaten in a restaurant or from a frozen meal. It was cooked from scratch. You just can't get that from a Hamburger Helper meal. The food that my mother cooked and baked I took for granted. But I'll never forget it. And that is what cooking is all about. Creating those memories that your children and friends will remember. And hopefully passing that legacy on to them.

Resolutions
This blog is all about cooking. Every time you make a meal you are engaging your creative energy and taking back your power in regards to what goes into your body. You are in control. It does take a little advance thought and a bit of effort to put tasty food on the table. But not that much! Anyone can do it. All you need is a desire.

My goal for 2012 is to publish my blog on Wednesdays. That way, if you're inspired you can plan for the weekend. The more you cook, the easier it gets. I have recipes in my head. You can too. Resolve to live healthier this year and learn to cook from scratch.

 Yoko meditates on eating more mindfully in 2012.