Beginning to Cope

I lost my mom, Mimi, to cancer in June.  She had just turned 67.  While I knew her passing was impending, and I had plenty of time to prepare, I never really gave myself the time or the permission to grieve once she was gone.  I'm a mom to three kids.  I take care of the house.  I attempt to cook a dinner here and there.  I drive an insane number of carpools.  And, I commit to far more volunteer activities than I have the time or patience to fulfill.  I'm your typical suburban housewife and once my mom was gone, I let my crazy life take control and I tried to forget about how sad I truly was.

For Christmas, my sister gave everyone in the family the most amazing gift.  She rifled through Mom's old recipe box and compiled a cookbook filled with all the best Mimi had to offer.  It is incredible and filled with all these great photos of Mom, the kids, her friends.  Priceless.

Although I read through the cookbook on Christmas Eve, I let life run its course and promptly shelved it with my other cookbooks.  Last night, I was having a moment.  A moment where I felt really guilty about not feeling sad that my mom was gone.  I'm not sure if I just haven't dealt with it all or if I just don't want to go down that path.  I'm the oldest of six.  I'm the strong one.  I'm the one who didn't need Mom a lot while growing up.  I can handle anything.  Or so I thought.

Anyway, I broke down.  I have only done that once since Mom died.  I sobbed and cried for what seemed like hours.  I sat on the stool I am sitting on right now and scrolled through photos of my mom on the laptop.  As I turned to refill my wine glass, I caught a glimpse of the cookbook.  And I took it off the shelf.  And I read through each and every recipe.  And I cried, and I smiled, and I laughed.  Exactly what I needed.

Then it came to me.  I should actually go through the cookbook and make these recipes.  Better yet, I thought it would be fun, and therapeutic, to borrow from the plot of a recent movie and share these wonderful recipes and stories about Mimi via a blog.  I'm going to pick a recipe and make it - even the lasagna which I never liked.  Somehow, I think this process will make me feel better.  Maybe it will make you feel better too.  If nothing else, Mimi will continue to live on through all her great recipes and all the amazing memories they conjure up.

Welcome to Mimi's Kitchen!

Rich Muffins (or as my kids call them, Chili Muffins - because I always serve them with chili!)
2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 C oil
1/2 C milk

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.  In a small bowl, mix all wet ingredients together with a whisk.  Add wet ingredients to the dry, mixing well with a wooden spoon.  Pour into greased muffin tins.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.