A Warm Hug: an Ode to Mom’s Home Cooking Essay

There are certain things in life that everybody loves. Whether its money, nice cars, a beautiful home, or a significant other. There is one thing that seems to trump these all and never gets mentioned much. That true love is mom’s home cooking. Before you write off my assumption as bland and ridiculous, consider this. Besides the presents, and the family time, what is most people’s favorite thing about Christmas? If you say mom’s home cooking, well you are right. When you went off to college or just moved out on your own, what was your favorite aspect of coming home? I’ll bet the farm that it was mom’s home cooking. Finally when you were a kid and you had a bad test, or someone picked on you that day, what always seemed to make things better and put a smile on your face? Was it video games? Nope, it was mom’s home cooking. To me it is the meaning of everything that is good in life. My mom is such a great cook. Anything you could think of, she’d make it. I know I’m biased and all since she’s my mom, but I’m not going to be offended if you said your mom was the best cook you know either. This is why we all love mom’s home cooking, because we all believe that our mom’s home cooking is the best. It’s that belief and notion that makes it so special. When it comes to cooking, my mom is of a special breed. You have to be when you cook for a family of seven and not have one complaint. One thing that makes her stand is the fact that she has an upright freezer and a deep freeze in the garage devoted just for pies. I loved coming home on weekends with the whole house smelling of bread, apples, cinnamon, and sugar. When mom made pies it was like a family holiday. Everybody would gather in the kitchen and wait for that first pie to come out of the oven. We’d all fight for that first warm, savory, sweet slice of heaven. Christmas time is always a special time. Family, presents, and of course Christmas cookies. Christmas cookies are another one of my mother’s specialties. She makes cookies from all walks of life. Each one is as good as the other. Nothing puts a smile on my face like a warm, fresh, cookie made by mom. When company would come over, she would set out so many different cookies, you’d think you were at a buffet. Tradition says that when you catch a cold you should get plenty of rest and of course eat some chicken noodle soup. Lots of people will just settle for the canned condensed kind. Not this ill patient. I get to enjoy mom’s home cooked chicken noodle soup. Just the thought of savory broth, soft noodles, and big chunks of chicken made me feel better almost immediately. Toucan Sam would have no trouble following his nose to this treasure from mom. The soup tastes so good, you would think it could cure cancer let alone the common cold. Mom’s home cooking even teaches life long lessons. It teaches you to share. My friends even appreciate mom’s home cooking. I’ve had many friends over for a bite. They love it so much that there have been many times my friends will come, regardless if I’m there or not. They just want to eat whatever it is that mom will cook. A couple of my friends have even had my mom cook and bake for them on their wedding days. Mom’s home cooking can be fancy. It also can be complicated. But when she perfects the simple dishes is when my heart and my mouth together jump for joy. The dish that makes me jump the most is none other than potato salad. This dish to me is my kryptonite. It brings me to my knees. I could eat my weight in potato salad. The tangy sweet flavor could make a grown man act like a kid again. Mom’s potato salad one time even earned her a marriage proposal. A man I used to work with told my mom that if anything every happened, to give him a call and they could work things out. It was all said after he tried her potato salad. People from all around love many different things. The one thing people want the most is to be comfortable. They try to find comfort in many ways. Whether it is a warm hug or a nice soft bed. But no comfort can be complete without some of mom’s home cooking.