One of my favorite things about parenting a toddler is the consistent and direct access to whimsy. Like this children’s television series called Waffles + Mochi, in which the eponymous characters — two inquisitive, Muppet-like puppets — learn how to cook with the help of Mrs. O (whom you’ll recognize as the one and only Michelle Obama) and her friends around the world.
The show is a spirited exploration of food for young chefs-in-training, geared toward someone a bit older than our own fisherman-in-training. But having watched a bit of it, the show now inspires me, a (somewhat) seasoned home cook, to consider how we can all rediscover the joy of cooking through learning, of allowing ourselves to tread into unfamiliar culinary territory with an open mind.
I truly feel that getting curious and having fun in the kitchen is one way that we can reset the pace of our daily lives, especially when the challenges of adulting — and, for me, of parenting — turn cooking into yet another task to mark off our lists. By having a new recipe, a new skill, or new set of flavors to play with, we can look forward to savoring a delicious challenge, rather than thinking of dinnertime as just another task to get through. In that way, cooking something new can be a creative way to tap into our inner child.
So for a little fun, I got a copy of the show’s companion cookbook, Waffles + Mochi: Get Cooking!, created by Berlin-born, Lagos-raised Yewande Komolafe. I’ve been following Yewande’s food writing and recipes for years, entranced with the way that her work leads me to discover new ingredients and flavors (oftentimes rooted in Nigerian cuisine) while always channeling the comfort of home cooking.
Waffles + Mochi: Get Cooking! features a selection of recipes that have culinary origins or ingredients that a budding cook might not be familiar with — yet all are approachable enough for a beginner to make, and just challenging enough to teach you something new whether you’re 7 or 70. It’s a wonderful addition to my cookbook library, and although I’ve already been cooking out of it, I can’t wait to discover the joy of cooking at home with our kid when he’s ready to step up to the kitchen counter.
By the way, Yewande developed a pasta recipe for us last winter, Garlicky Spot Prawns, Lemon & Herbs with Spaghetti, a delicious dish that’s since become a mainstay in our kitchen, so even if you don’t get a chance to peek at the Waffles + Mochi cookbook, you can still try out one of her recipes at home. I’m itching to try this recipe with crabs (we have Dungeness crabs on special this week!).
Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: All my prep to make “Salty’s Roasted Fish,” a recipe from Waffles + Mochi: Get Cooking!, including a bowl of torn lacinato kale leaves, a delicious mess on the cutting board, and a couple fillets of Pacific Halibut marinating in a vibrant sauce made from coconut milk and tamarind paste.
