My son asked me this morning, while we were all snuggled up in my bed (a little earlier than I’d prefer), if I could grow down.

“Down?” I asked. “How do I grow down? You mean, grow up?”

“No, Mommy. If you grown down, we’ll be the same. We’ll be at the same time, and you can play with me forever.”

It’s hard not to smile at the thought processes of children. I find myself explaining every day now what different things mean, and it’s such a challenge sometimes – it’s really hard. Our language, and all it’s nuanced sounds, expressions – oh, the expressions – and multiple word meanings really take me to task daily with both my five and three-year-old. For example, I tried just this morning to explain to my daughter (who started soccer practice last week) the difference between setting a figurative goal and making a literal (soccer) goal. Watching the wheels turn in her head and seeing her process the two concepts at once was very satisfying to me. Confusion flows into processing flows into understanding flows into the next question. And so it goes.

Growing down. What a concept, Easton. A sweet notion from a boy that just wants to literally play with his mama forever. The sweetest thing. I know he won’t want that forever, so I savor the words, turning them over in my head as he says them. I’m sure there will come a time when I want nothing more than to do just that: to grow down, to turn back time. Sure as the setting sun, there will come a time when most of my life is behind me and I will want to go back. Not to the beginning of time or to the beginning of MY time. But to the beginning of him, and the beginning of her. Easton and Elle. Grown-up me will, inevitably, long to grow down and grow backward and grow away from the present and back to their beginnings … to the before’s, the once upon a times, and the remember whens. The “good ole days.” I don’t want to be her yet. Not for a long, long time.

Innocent and silly, inexperienced and so very new to everything though they may be, kids are wise. They see and know things and their literal natures and uncomplicated ways of processing the world around them give them an ability – a power of sorts – to sort through the mess and see what matters. They don’t miss things. So, maybe what Easton is really asking me to do, in the way his three-year-old mind can best articulate it, is not to grow down, but to slow down. Slow down, mommy. Play with me. You will miss this, one day. He told me one morning this week that he was going to keep me forever, and I stopped and wrote it down. Scribbled his sweet words on a crumpled takeout napkin in the kitchen, not wanting to lose that moment. Here I am, writing it again to you. I breathed them in, his words, and stopped right there in my tracks. His words. Without actually meaning to, innocent as he is, he slowed me down. He stopped me. Grow down, Mommy. 

Yes. Kids are so wonderfully, beautifully, impossibly wise.

I’m happy to be sharing a great recipe with you today, compliments of my friend Valentina Solfrini of the ** gorgeous ** blog, Hortus Cuisine. Her book, Naturally Vegetarian, is like getting a firsthand peek into her world of Italian culinary splendor. Filled with fresh, seasonal recipes, this book is not only a work of true art, the recipes are really approachable and very doable for home cooks everywhere, and I really appreciate that about it. Simple, real ingredients and classic recipes make this a book that you will undoubtedly reach for time and time again. I know I have.

I am always on the lookout for great veggie side dish recipes and this one is a keeper – it’s here to stay. In the recipe’s headnote, Valentina acknowledges that the broccoli is very, very cooked – “cooked to death” as we’d say in the South. It’s cooked way down with some delicious supporting flavors and it becomes a satisfying warm side that, I think, would fit on almost any winter or springtime table. This would round out a both casual lunch or a more formal dinner nicely, and would support everything from heavier meat-filled meals to lighter seafood suppers to vegetarian pasta-centered meals. It’s big, bold flavors and versatility make this a great back-pocket side dish and I excited for you to guys to give it a try.

As for the glowing golden soup here – it’s literally a two-ingredient soup that you can make all year long, changing out ingredients to fit the season’s harvest. I’ll be sharing that recipe in my next newsletter, so be sure to subscribe with your email address to ensure it makes it to your inbox. It’s really hard to beat a 2-ingredient showstopper, am I right? Coming soon.