Archive | November 2013

Homemade Asparagus, Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes Hit Spot

By RuthAnn Hogue/Whiptail Publishing

Home cooked meal for mom--and puppiesDinner is simmering. The puppies are chilling. And my mom is eagerly waiting for a plate of pork chops, fresh asparagus and baked sweet potatoes.

It’s been somewhat of a calm day. I don’t generally cook. It takes a lot of energy, which is something of which I often find myself in short supply. I had meant to spend much of the day napping. I was so exhausted that I wasn’t sure I’d make it through church. I took my mom and came back home to reboot myself.

There was laundry in the dryer. It needed to be folded. There were jackets and sweaters still in the washing machine that needed to be dried. Then the puppies caught my eye.

Such cute little babies, I thought, and with new unused collars–which I was able to pick up for less than $2 a piece–it seemed like a great time to try them on. They are growing so fast. Just a few weeks ago these same collars could have served as hula hoops on then-tiny canines. They are still small. Their xs toy size collars in orange, blue, red and pink, however, fit great. It took a little more effort to get Jack’s over his head and to keep Bandit’s small enough not to come off easily.  The blue in Jill’s eyes is nearly gone. Only Cinnamon still has his puppy baby blues as both Jack and Bandit’s eyes have turned a rich brown. Not another day, I decided, would I let go by without trying to get some good images of these little sweethearts. I’m still experimenting with my new camera phone so they aren’t as great as I would prefer. But they are better than the fuzzy ones I took last time with my computer’s built-in web cam.

My mom arrived home from church famished. A leftover slice of cheese pizza held her over until I could cook a proper Sunday meal. She seemed to enjoy both. She wanted more.

“Could you bring me a loaf of bread?” she asked, after asking that I open a jar of sugar free jelly. “I want to make a sandwich.”

“Sorry, I really don’t have any bread,” I replied as Mom explained that the loaf of Roman Meal bread I’d given to her Friday morning was already gone. “I didn’t buy any bread for myself when I went shopping.”

Mom said that was OK, and that she appreciated that I had made dinner.

I have to admit that it feels a little odd to have a warm dinner in my belly. I’m so used to eating not much more than diet bars when I am at home. In a way, it also feels good. I don’t believe I could eat a full plate like that every day, but maybe I can turn this into a Sunday tradition. I know I wouldn’t do it for myself.

What makes all the difference is knowing that this is one of the few ways this daughter can please her mom.

RuthAnn Hogue is the owner and founder of Whiptail Publishing’s WebTechGirl.com and BookTrailerCentral.co. She is an award-winning author and journalist with an Internet Marketing Master of Science and a B.A. in Journalism/Political Science.