As is typical of a Wednesday morning, I opened up the paper to the food section today and found several articles that piqued my interest. Of particular note was today’s feature discussing beloved recipes by mothers everywhere—just in time for Mother’s Day.

Reading the article got me to thinking about my own mother’s signature dishes. Some of them I have tried to re-create here at the Broccoli Hut (e.g., pumpkin bread, tempeh-cheese parsnip mash, graham cracker brownies, Dijon chicken, etc.), while others I have left alone—there’s no way I could improve upon perfection. Among my childhood favorites are:

• Pasta alla Carbonara This dish was served only occasionally, as my sister Lea loathed it, while Katie and I thoroughly enjoyed its cheesy, salty flavors. I’ve contemplated creating a vegetarian version, but I’m not sure anything could live up to the original.
• Beef Chili For the past 35 years, my mom has used the exact same chili recipe (courtesy of Betty Crocker), and whenever she makes it I am immediately transported to hot summer days of the past. Although it seems counterintuitive, chili with drop biscuits was a favorite meal in the Yoder household during the warmer months. Sure, I make a pretty mean pot of vegetarian chili, but I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the beefy kind.
• Vegetarian Baked Beans My mom has explained her process of preparing baked beans hundreds of times, but somehow I never get it right. Accordingly, I look forward to the Fourth of July every year, as I know that her sweet beans will make an appearance on the dinner table.
• Pizza Dip This recipe is another one closely associated with a specific holiday. Back when we lived in Pennsylvania, my parents threw a New Years party every year, and a batch of Mom’s amazing Pizza Dip was always on the menu. Guests raved about it just as much as we kids did—something about the tomato sauce, cream cheese, and mozzarella was just so magical. Oh, and it must always be served with crispy tortilla chips

What are some of your mom’s signature dishes? Have you ever tried to re-create them?

I didn’t make any Mom-inspired dishes today, but I had some pretty rockin’ eats, nonetheless.

I took a cue from Kath this morning and topped my oats with peanut flour sauce. My sauce featured peanut flour, almond milk, and NuNaturals liquid vanilla stevia. In combination with a handful of raisins, it was like GORP in a bowl.

After turning in my two take-home exams, I came home and made a simple grilled cheese for lunch.

Today’s evening meal was an Ellie recipe, Jerk Chicken with Cool Pineapple Salsa.

My tweaks:

-I substituted firm tofu for the chicken.

-I used canned pineapple (in juice) rather than fresh because it was on sale last week:)

Before tonight, I had never cooked with any hot pepper other than jalapenos. Habaneros are decidedly hotter (and required that I bust out my rubber gloves again). I really liked the heat level of this dish though, as the sweetness and coolness of the salsa provided the necessary contrast. I think I might make a big batch of the salsa to have on hand all the time!

Try it for yourself! Chicken with Jerk Sauce and Cool Pineapple Salsa

Alright, I am off to indulge myself with a little Extreme Couponing—they buy cart-fuls of crappy food, but I can’t help but watch!

Filed under: Meals