I love Food Friday! It's the day I clean the house, plan the meals for the next week and see a movie and go out to dinner with my sweetie. Having a new baby could be a problem when seeing a movie but as of last week Halle has seen 11 movies. She is incredibly pleasant and sits or sleeps most of the time. I enjoy the early showing and prefer to go when the movie has been out for a week or two, there by avoiding any crowds.
Since I am shifting my creative energy into other avenues this week, I am going to refer to the archives for ideas on meals this week. Having one meal each day at the table with all of us has been a priority of mine and by planning meals each week, we have pretty good success!
A family of seven is in many ways easier to cook for than a family of 3. If I make cheeseburgers for dinner with all of the toppings- bacon, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions and pickles- it can cost around $30 to get everything from the supermarket. We can pick up a burger, fries and drinks for around $18 for all of us and I don't have a mess to clean up. However that same $30 can feed 8 people but a night out for burgers with the same size family can be well over $45. I don't think I will have many ways to save money by using coupons on this blog or "healthy cooking at home" tips. I will leave that to the experts. I have been cooking for as long as I can remember beginning with grilled cheese sandwiches, bean and bacon soup and cans of raviolli. I like real potatoes, butter and whole milk in moderation. I will eat almost anything except raw oinions and peppers. So will my guys. They are pretty good about eating anything I cook. It hasn't always been that way.
My sweet loving son has the best manners when it comes to eating. I don't mean his physical manners. D has spilt his drink at almost every meal since he gave up his sippy cup. It doesn't matter if it was at home or a four star restaurant. If there is anything that is a sauce or a dip it will land on D's shirt and almost inevitably he wipes his hands on his pants. But as uncordinated and messy as he is, he overcompensates in compliments. There have been numerous times when he has come home from havng a dinner at a friends house only too excited to share with me how she made the BEST cheesy potatoes, or it was the BEST ranch dressing or her chilli dogs were AMAZING. I am always pleased that he is not a picky eater and can imagine how good the mom must feel to have someone other than family enjoy her time and efforts spent in cooking a meal. Secretly, I am burning with the desire to google a better recipe so he will never say that again. Just once I want to hear, "Tammie's grilled cheese was good mom, but nothing like your's."
I have a few meals I cook regularly and all of the kids request them when they come to visit. Biscuits and Gravy, recipe compliments of my Aunt Nancy. Shepards Pie from my mother, ham fried rice, courtesy of Dave's mom and Chicken Enchiladas, my own personal creation. About a week ago, my nephew, Mason, asked my to make enchiladas. I was flattered and nervous at the same time. His mother, my sister, is the "cook" of the family. Everything she makes is savory and well prepared. There are never any left-overs. I have on several occasions been able to get my kids to try something new if I tell them it's Aunt T's recipe. I got a list of ingredients from Aunt T and google and proceeded to make the beef enchiladas. I always make chicken so this was new for me, Dave and D. They looked beautiful, but as I served them to the family, I could see the uncertainty from my guys that this was not our traditonal enchiladas. They only took small portions and smothered them in sour cream and guacamole. I could not deny it any longer, "What's wrong?" I asked. Dallen as cute as can be, "these look different, " "I know they're beef, not chicken." Mason as innocent as ever said "don't worry, she got the recipe from my mom." No left-overs.
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