If you ever have the opportunity to meet my mother, you’ll know that food is her element. In 2004, she’ll be 73 years young and you can still find her catering meals for families and preparing hors d’oeuvres for special group gatherings.
As tribute to my mother, I’d like to share a few special things I’ve learned from her to inspire you to live life more fully. As you might guess, I’ve chosen to relate these special thoughts to food and particularly to dishes I’ve prepared with a little help from my mother.
Hush Puppies
Every good Southern cook knows the importance of having a little fried fish every now and then. I like to have hush puppies with my fish but I haven’t always known how to make them. The first time I made hush puppies, I called my mother and asked her what I needed to do to transform a box of Jiffy cornbread mix into hush puppies. Jiffy cornbread is a little on the sweet side but she cautioned me not to add too much onion that the batter became bitter. As we walked through her culinary plan, that theme stayed with me: “Not too sweet but not too bitter.” I heard her message loud and clear. My fish was yummy but more importantly, the accompanying hushpuppies were delicious!
Lima Beans
Hmm. Lima beans are a great source of protein and nutrition. Believe or not, lima beans was one of the first things I learned to cook when I was in college. And yes, my mother was right there helping me each step of the way. The key thing about lima beans is to make sure they’re flavorful and tender. With my mothers help, I added just the right amount of seasonings to make them just that…flavorful and tender.
Rice Pudding
A few years ago while I was visiting Illinois, I enjoyed cooking for my niece and her family. One night I wanted to prepare a special dessert. Given the ingredients at my disposal, I decided to make a rice pudding. Not knowing exactly how to pull the ingredients together, I called on long distance support from my mother and asked her for her recipe. Once again, she walked me through each ingredient and technique step-by-step. The finished product was a rich, sweet and tasty dessert – pure comfort food that we all enjoyed!
So what can you learn from these stories about hush puppies, lima beans and rice pudding?
First of all, can you tell that like my mother, I have a love for food?
There are a few other things I’ve learned about life that my mother taught me:
1. In any relationship, learn to strike a balance. Work at being neither too sweet nor too bitter. If you’re too sweet, you’re likely to be taken advantage of in some way. On the other hand, if you’re too bitter, your life journey may be harder and more difficult. So strike a balance so that your relationships have a little crunch!
2. Life is full of flavor so add the appropriate amount of seasonings to make it flavorful and tender. Kindness, self-control and love are a few seasonings to get you started. Try these and watch the flavor and tenderness in your life grow.
3. Make sure in life you are RICH. I’ve borrowed an acronym from one of my coaching colleagues, Michelle Schubnel:
I-Inspired
C-Confident
H-Happy
These are just a few things I’ve learned from my mother that I hope will benefit you too!
I wrote this originally in 2003 and it’s still really kewl today! Leave me a comment and share your tribute to your mom.
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