I occasionally reminisce about the time before kids, only to find it’s tough to remember. How did we spend the weekday evenings before they were filled with crying babies, demanding toddlers, homework and sports practices? I vaguely remember watching Jeopardy and Friends, or shows we recorded on the VCR. I know I cooked dinner most nights, because I have proof.
Behold my dinner repertoire, broken down by main ingredient, and scribbled on a 5 x 7 sheet of paper. I created it before kids, so this slip of history is over two decades old. It still sits in my recipe folder, nestled between magazine pages of meals I’ll never make and printouts of Pinterest masterpieces I may get to someday.
If a family’s history can be told through its dinners, this page would be a primary source. I haven’t looked at it in years, as two children with finicky eating habits shrunk our dinner choices during the 2000s. Adolescence has expanded their palates, though, and I’ve opted for newer, healthier recipes as they’ve become more receptive to my culinary creations.
I read the old list now, and it’s like flipping through a photo album. Each recipe evokes memories.
The “Taco Bake” entry makes me smile; that was an odd casserole concoction of tortilla chips, ground beef, cheese, salsa and milk. It was a hit when my oldest was small, but it is now an amusing and slightly gross memory. Mom, remember when you used to make taco bake? Now one can find pages of taco bake recipes on Pinterest, but that’s one dish I’ve retired.
Most of the other recipes have been filed in the recipe graveyard, as my family’s taste buds and preferences have matured. My palate, while by no means adventurous, has expanded considerably since my mother suffered through the years of family dinners during which I pouted and pushed my food around. I’ve caught her look of amazement as she watches me bring the fork to my lips, or as she listens to me order off a menu. Where is the daughter who took the cheese off her pizza until she was ten years old?
Karma has a bite, however, and it’s gifted me with children who, when younger, were not enthusiastic about trying new foods. We used bribery as a means to coax them, and we made no apologies for trading a dollar or two for a bite of something they wouldn’t touch otherwise. Mussels are now on my son’s list of favorites due to the dollar we gave him in a Manhattan restaurant when he was eight or nine years old. Admittedly, I tried them for the first time with him, and discovered I loved them too.
Oysters, not mussels, but another food I would never have tried when I was a kid.
Our first two family cruises were fabulous vacations, and the fact that food was plentiful and all-inclusive played no small role. Every night at dinner, the menu included an “exotic” item, and we all ordered it. Sushi was not so new for us, but frog legs were. They were also a bust, but each of us tried them. That is the beauty of a cruise; we tried something new without worrying about going hungry or paying for a second entree if we were unsatisfied.
It seems ridiculous to choose a vacation destination based on food choices, but that is exactly what we did for our 2015 trip to Europe. I still make most of the pasta dishes on my list; noodles are always a winner. So we chose Italy as the majority of our European itinerary, knowing that the kids could eat pasta or pizza if they weren’t willing to try anything else. Surprisingly, they were willing to taste some new foods, and that sense of adventure is increasing as they get older. I find myself reacting like my mother did to me, eyes widening in disbelief as James orders a grilled Cuban or Gwen creates salad bowls with dozens of ingredients.
I slip my “list o’meals” back into the folder, knowing I won’t glance at it again in the near future. Those recipes worked for a newlywed couple, and for a young family of three then four. Now we are four adults/almost-adults, and our palates are nearly as grown up as my babies. Now our family dinners are a time to reconnect instead of cajole finicky children into eating what Mommy made.
Now our vacations do not have to be kid-friendly food driven; the teenagers are old enough to make do wherever we travel. This summer’s adventure will be out of the comfort food box; we are heading to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. I’m a bit uneasy about the cuisine in these cities, but I know my kids will find something to fill their bellies. At least it won’t be taco bake.
Joining Finish the Sentence Friday with Kristi and Kenya.
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