I’ve been quiet the past few days, I know. It’s been a busy week/weekend/month/life. More than anything I’ve enjoyed some time cooking and not having to think about how the dish comes out, how well it will photograph, or well I can optimize a post and tags. Because that’s what we do as bloggers. We’ve subconsciously learned to think of anything that could possibly relate to a potential blog post in just that sense. But sometimes you need a break. I’ve been preparing for Mother’s Day, and while I’ll probably still share a few recipes, they may not be as step-by-step detailed as they could be. Sometimes you just need time to focus on cooking. Especially for such a special holiday. To make sure your energy is not spent on perfect photos (or in my case the effort to achieve semi-passable photos) but on forcing every ounce of love into the dish you can.

Do you ever notice that? How food is practically centric to any event? We use it as a celebration—birthday cakes, wedding cakes. We use it as apologies—a batch of homemade cookies to say “I’m sorry.” We use it as an agent of health—chicken soup heals anything—and as a thank you for a small deed like helping to paint a room, or a big deed, like helping to grow up.

Mothers deserve a lot of thanks. Their big deed of raising us is a combination of millions of tiny deeds, helping us through each step of live (whether we want them to or not). So how many batches of cookies are enough? How many tiers on a cake? Luckily I’m a bit off the hook this year. My mom (along with my brother and stepfather) is in Belgium. Without me. I do think it’s a bit of a double standard that she’s allowed to travel on Mother’s Day and I’m not, but that’s beside the point for now. I don’t have to cook for her. But I did just cook for her on her birthday—three courses topped off with that beautiful lemony violet cake, so that has to count for something, right? Today I’m cooking for my husband’s family. In the past we’ve gone out for Mother’s Day, but this year I wanted everyone here. To celebrate in a home together, where Mom isn’t allowed to do a thing.

I don’t think a dozen freshly baked cookies a day for the rest of our lives could make up for all our mothers have done for us. And of course, we’re not talking about just mothers here, are we? We have stepmothers and grandmothers and godmothers and aunts and people in our lives that might not even have a conventional title but have been there just the same, for all these years. But it’s the effort that counts. So today on Mother’s Day, show your gratitude with food. Don’t let mom lift a finger. Bring her breakfast in bed. Or prepare an elaborate meal (complete with a three day long short ribs recipe). Or even bring her a peanut butter jelly sandwich, if that’s the extent of your cooking skills. But be sure to say thanks, for all the things she’s done for you, some you might not even realize. And be sure to share a hug and a kiss. Because while food fixes most, those two things can truly cure all.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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• Happy Mothers Day-Chiffon Cake with Roasted Strawberries and Rhubarb (apuginthekitchen.com)