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The other day I received the very coveted “Mother of the Year Award” from my son of 7. It was completed in his first-grade classroom with much thought and love.

I was drawn out in crayons with a large, yellow head, green eyes, a purple top and a bright purple smile. On the award were the letters “M-O-T-H-E-R” vertically which stood for: Mopping, Ocean, Tea, Hugs, Exercise, Running.

I’m doing a good job with this one. Mopping is something I’d like to give up. Ocean is the place I’d like to be at this very moment. Tea is something I will always enjoy over the course of my lifetime. Hugs — who couldn’t use more of these? Exercise, I worked out so hard yesterday I hurt everywhere (thus the need for a hug). And running that has to do with exercise and my need of the hug.

The coupon clipper states in his handwriting the following: “This coopon is good fore moping, Dusting, sweping the flor.” The next part of the award states the following: “Precious Moments: I remember when we went to the wisckts dells. and we went down the yellow slide.”

I almost missed out on being a mom, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to put myself second and pour all that I had into being a parent. I was recently trying to measure my success and I was feeling as if I failed myself. But no, I’m really successful I have the award to prove it. It’s an award that I will treasure the rest of my life. I’ll actually keep it until he’s a teenager and pin it on his door when he decides I’m not as cool as I was when he was 7.

I hope you had a great Mother’s Day and I hope you feel as special as I do this week. Have a great week in the kitchen and enjoy my mesclun with berries and pecans. Raspberries add bright color and several good-for-you nutrients like fiber, antioxidants and vitamin C. Chives, which are a member of the onion family, add phenols and flavonoids. I love to make my pecan with a gooey coating but they are fattening, so we’ll leave them as they should be eaten: organically.

Kimberly’s Mesclun Low-fat Salad

6 cups gourmet salad greens

1 3/4 cups raspberries

1/4 cup fresh chives

3 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon country-style Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

8 tablespoons Pecans

3 pieces of bacon cooked and chopped into bite size

Combine first three ingredients in a large bowl. Combine vinegar and next four ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl. Gradually add oil, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over lettuce. Top with warm bacon. Make sure to wash all produce and spin your lettuce through a salad spinner to reduce too much moisture.

If you have a question or comment about a recipe in this column, e-mail Kimberly Edwards at kledwards68@ yahoo.com. Kimberly also teaches a monthly cooking course; for more information call (608) 399-4349.