Mondays often have me thinking about food.
On Mondays (this pastor’s Sabbath) I like to hang out in the kitchen and prepare snacks and treats to intercept my kids’ reach for store-bought granola bars and Cheez-its.
They have eaten enough peanut butter protein bites to last a few lifetimes. Rice Krispie Bars with peanut butter are a new favorite. Of course, if the cookie jar is empty the chocolate chips cry out to become cookies. “Help!” they yell. “The chips are down!”
Last week I discovered the world’s most delicious pumpkin bread recipe, complete with a sugar sauce that might be the death of me.
On Mondays I also dream of grown-up food. Most recently, I feel inspired by Tamar Adler’s book, “The Everlasting Meal”. Her cooking is very grown-up, yet also simple and dreamy and good for you. She has made me so hungry for eggs and vegetables.
I’m also inspired by my friend’s Instagram posts @realdakotakitchen. She makes real food for a family with real kids who are slightly but not too grown-up.
Food is among my favorite conversation topics and making it is a favorite thing to do. For me, being thoughtful and strategic about food is a way I care for and connect with my family. It is easy to overlook food’s magnetic power, and easy to get bored with the few things I can actually make well.
99% of us need an abundance of inspiration in the kitchen. The other 1% are the inspirers who make my Mondays, and hopefully yours, even better.
Lisa Lewton 