Dear Mama
Many of my fondest memories have been with my mother. As a stay-at-home mom for most of my childhood, my mother made sure that we were always nurtured and entertained. I think part of the reason why I had such a blissful childhood was because my mother loved being a mommy. Notes in lunchboxes, homemade dinners, baked goods after school. Part of the reason I love cooking and baking so much is because as a child, my mother always did that for us.
I have many memories centered around the food my mother made during my childhood but one has a special place in my heart. The day my mother made homemade popsicles was the day she stormed over to the neighbor’s house and screamed at her for bullying me when she went up to the school that day to have lunch with her daughter. I remember going over the events after school in the back of our minivan. Tearfully, I recalled how the woman and her daughter teased me for reading during lunch and not interacting with the other children. This especially stung for both of us because my mother was the one who sent me to lunch with my favorite books and handwritten notes of encouragement in my lunchbox due to the fact that I had such a difficult time making friends. Third grade sucked.
Once we got home she quickly shuffled my sisters and me inside and took out the popsicles from the freezer. She kissed me on the cheek and said “Mommy will be right back ok, stay here”. Popsicles in hand, we raced to our front window and heard pieces of the exchange. We watched her storm across the lawn in her Sketchers shape-ups. Back then my mother never swore in front of her children, you couldn’t even say crap in our house. So when we heard her scream “You better stay the hell away from my kid!” we gasped, at first in shock but then in delight. She had said a bad word. She never said a bad word! We always knew our mother loved us dearly, but that day we learned that one thing she didn’t play about was her children. Anyone could get it. That incident was the first time I truly understood that my mother always has my back and I will always have hers in return. Over the course of my life, she’s taught me a lot. Not just about cooking but about love, compassion, and most importantly loyalty. Part of the reason why I’m so confident and fearless now is because of her. Sometimes in life… not so great things happen but my mother taught me that no matter what, you never back down and you always fight for the ones you love. Kiss your mama today.
Love,
Claire
Strawberry Popsicles
Serves 10
Ingredients
2 cups of frozen strawberries
12-14 ounces of strawberry purée
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1/2 cup of water
A few mint leaves
Directions
Place frozen strawberries and purée in a blender
In a small bowl combine water, lemon juice, and the mint leaves
Stir
Add mixture to the blender
Blend until smooth (add more liquid if needed)
pour the mixture into the mold and place popsicle sticks in each mold
Freeze for at least 8 hours
Remove from molds by slightly thawing or running part of the mold under warm water
Enjoy!
