Gluten Free Spaghetti and Eggs: A Homage to my Mother

This is a special dish for me. Is it a fancy dish? Difficult? Complex in flavors? No. No. No but it's a dish my mom used to make us when I was growing up. My mom was not a great cook (She is rather good now and actually enjoys it!). We used to joke that she was trying to poison us when she prepared dinner. Her repertoire included nachos, cube steaks, spaghetti and she could mix together a mean Boost Shake. Despite us making fun of her, she would cook dinner for us without complaint as most mothers do.

My mom holding me as a baby

Since I've become a mother, I've finally realized how much my mother did for me. She is an amazing woman who would take care of us during the day and work nights as a pediatric trauma nurse when we were young. As we got older and moved to Colorado, she gave up nursing and worked in myriad of different jobs: ski lift operator, uniform worker, benefits manager and software developer to name a few. There were periods of time during these years where my dad was traveling every single week for work, only returning for the weekends. She proceeded to work a full time job and raise two kids all without making us feel like she was too busy or tired for us. I can't imagine how exhausting it was!

Snuggling with Sofie so I could sleep 

My mother was and still is a Wonder Woman! Being a mom in general makes you a wonder woman. Kids require so much attention and time with mom usually stepping up to the plate to put everyone else ahead of herself. It is a selfless job that usually goes without acknowledgement except for one day a year. Did my mom require a "thank you" everyday? No and honestly she barely ever got one but she loves being a mom and would do it all again in a heartbeat! I try and make up for it now showing my gratitude for all she sacrificed for us.

While Mom eats some spiced pear oatmeal, Sofie eats her wrist :-)

She is still coming to my rescue to this day. She has been instrumental with helping me with Sofie, She doesn't live close by and requires a plane flight to come visit but she does so whenever I need it. When Sofie was 3 weeks old I had hit a wall and called her crying my eyes out wondering if I was cut out for this job of motherhood. She flew in the very next morning! Again last week I needed her to watch Sofie while I took care of some business stuff. It was very fortuitous for us because Sofie was going on her 4th week of a sleep regression and I was losing my mind again. My mom took the monitor every night and tended to Sofie without complaint. I was able to recharge and Sofie is back to sleeping 10+ hours a night!!!! Hallelujah!

Someone wants my lunch! And I'm not talking about Sophie the Giraffe

So I made this meal for lunch today with sweet thoughts of my mother running through my head. This is a dish a friend's family, who didn't have a lot of money, made whenever she went over to their house. It's an easy dish that warms my soul every time. I cannot wait to make this for my darling Sofie and tell her stories of her wonderful grandmother. I hope you make this for someone special!

Eggs going in!

Gooey cheese adds a little something special 

Gluten Free Spaghetti and Eggs

Serving Size: 4

Cooking Time: 30 min

1 box GF spaghetti
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk (any milk, just make sure it's not flavored if it's a nut milk)
salt
pepper
1 bunch of chives, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese

1. Bring 4-5 quarts of water to a boil. Add a good helping of salt and add the spaghetti. Cook the pasta to the box instructions for al dente.

2. While the pasta cooks, whisk together eggs, milk, chives (reserving 2 T for garnish), 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3. Drain the pasta.

4. Hit a large skillet over medium-low and add the oil. Add the pasta and pour eggs over the pasta. Continuously move the pasta and egg mixture around to avoid getting any big pieces of egg. This takes about 10 min. (Don't rush the process)

5. Turn off the heat and add the cheese over the pasta once the eggs are cooked. Mix the pasta together until everything is incorporated.

6. Dish out into 4 bowls and garnish with the remaining chives.

Good food feeds the soul