What spices make you curious? When have you last experimented with flavors just for fun? No stress, no worry?

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. One pound of saffron is worth $1,000! Its high price is due to the fact that the spice is actually the stigma of a crocus, of which only three are produced. Each stigma is hand picked and it takes 170,000 flowers to create one pound of saffron!

I have wanted to purchase saffron for years now, but I couldn’t justify the price of it for the amount you get… until now. Children make us do the darndest things! Last week I spent $21 on maybe two tablespoons of saffron. I’ve always wanted to know what it tastes like and I’ve heard that the color is lovely, but I’d never experienced it myself before purchasing it recently. Now that we have a child, I felt like introducing another flavor would be reason enough to splurge.

I guess my drive to introduce flavors has me doing crazy things now. As I’ve mentioned before, I love thinking about food and introducing our child to different tastes. I fell in love with two French books that star American mothers learning about French food culture. I love what I learned from them about how to teach children to eat a variety of foods. I think our child is open to foods because we introduce her to as many flavors as possible. (Thank you, French culture.) Of course, I shouldn’t boast too much. She’s starting to show signs of being picky. Hopefully we can work on that as time passes.

There are the ten French rules that Karen Le Billon writes in her book, French Kids Eat Everything. I have been attempting to practice these rules and have found success in them. The book I have actually names them all on the back cover so if you check it out, you can refer to them quickly. And without further ado, here are the ten:

1. Parents: YOU are in charge of food education.
2. Avoid emotional eating – no food rewards, bribes, etc.
3. Parents schedule meals and menus. Kids eat what adults eat. No short-order cooking.
4. Eat family meals together – no distractions.
5. Eat your veggies. Key: think variety.
6. You don’t have to like it, but you have to taste it. Say at every meal.
7. No snacking. It’s ok to feel hungry between meals.
8. Slow food is happy food (as in – eat slow).
9. Eat mostly real food.
10. Remember eating is joyful – relax.

These rules actually fill me with hope, but to be honest, I find planning what to cook each night stressful. I hate that time of day when our daughter wakes from her afternoon nap and I have to be creative. I’m not sure if she’ll be in a good mood or a bad one, but I do know that she’ll want attention while I’m struggling to think of food to make and I know that she’ll be vying for attention when I turn my energy to cooking. If you’re wondering whether or not I’ve ever called my husband to ask him what I should make for supper, the answer is, yes.

This past week though I was at the library and happened to pick up the Moosewood Restaurant Favorites cookbook. I was excited to sit down and look at the various recipes. I noted a few that looked interesting and low and behold, I found myself meal planning! Imagine.

If you’re looking for supper inspiration, look no further. This is what we’re having this week:

• Monday: Southeast Asian rolls and sausage links
• Tuesday: Greek spinach balls with eggplant spread and homemade bread
• Wednesday: French onion soup and likely some fruit
• Thursday: West African peanut soup with salad and Japanese carrot dressing
• Friday: Tofu salad with potato soup

Hooray for a menu. A few of the recipes highlight fresh dill, which isn’t something I use a lot. The Asian rolls have fresh basil, which we haven’t eaten since summer and one of the sauces is primarily hoisin sauce, which I’ve only used a handful of times. For some people this may seem insignificant. Some people are amazing at putting three minutes into considering a menu and then, PING! they’re suddenly creating it from scratch with fancy ingredients. It’s not that easy for me. Introducing new flavors is always a small victory. Small victories these days are important and (for better or for worse) they’re what my husband hears about upon returning home.

The saffron brought a small victory, too. I made a chicken based broth soup with it last week and had fun watching the broth turn yellow. Then I added carrots, sweet potatoes and peas. I thought the peas would add color. Two friends with flexible work schedules came over and we had our own little mini adventure. Again, a small victory! 

Three cheers for flowers and stigmas, French culture inspiration and friends, Moosewood recipes and menu planning. May you have all of them at some point and some of them all the time!