Menus for this week:
Monday – chicken potato soup, corn bread, salad and grapes (yummm, sounds appetizing … okay, maybe not so much on a beautiful spring day). It really doesn’t matter. The cooking kid has soccer practice, so he will be introduced to the item of necessity in the large family … yes, the croc pot. After the pancake experience, I’ve learned that Slow Walker does much better with assembly meals vs. actual recipe cooking. This soup choice is usually a crowd pleaser. (Check out “The Pantry” for the recipe.) All he will have to do is combine things. Except for the cornbread, which we make from scratch. Almost easier than a box (just like the brownies) and much tastier.
Tuesday – The 11-yr old is pulling her favorite meal again. She hit us week 2 with pasta tossed in a little butter and parmesan. Knowing it might barely float, she wisely capped it off with crowd pleasing dessert. But, she won’t get that opportunity this week. It’s the teen’s turn. Even though her audience was slow to complain (lest someone dish it back at their meal), I’ve noticed a few more comments lately. I’m hoping her menu choice won’t be a lead balloon. She can be a little sensitive these days … or happy … or crying … or laughing… or furious. Well, that’s an entirely different story.
Wednesday – Not pizza!! The 9-yr old and I have killed ourselves twice. I’ve had to pitch in to help her with the dough. It’s so much harder than you would think. We even bought a pizza stone last week in an effort to get the perfectly cooked crispy pie. Her sauce and toppings were much better than the last time, but it still wasn’t what she hoped. Sweet thing, she so wants to do the whole thing alone … so the jury is still out on her menu. We’ll hit the store Tuesday.
Thursday – Teen Takeout may have seen its last day. (For those new to the blog, the kids are responsible for the meal whether they cook or buy it for everyone. No matter the choice, they still have complete kitchen duty.) I think he’s sick of watching everyone else do their thing… and, much to his disappointment, no one cares about his “purchased” meals. Or at least no one is as excited as he expects them to be.
… Aahhh. He feels our pain. He may not have connected the dots, but hopefully this might help him understand why it can be incredibly frustrating sitting as a family in our driveway on a Friday night trying to decide our destination. Paralyzed by differing opinions, and whining, we struggle to decide where to eat out. Yes TO EAT OUT! Eating out was such a treat for us as kids. It leaves Jon & I speechless that our children could complain about where we are purchasing a meal.
One more thing I’m adding this week … coupons. Whatever amount they save in buying the goods, they keep. We’re surfing the net and learning about an entirely new world for them.
Our Guest blogger for Wednesday is Ruth Meek. Her feature will be one of a few installments from “Meek’s Manners”. We can always use a little help with that in our house … especially as the kids deal with each other!
Thanks for walking the road with me.
-Kay
