"Real" Food

I LOVE food. It is no secret, I just love food-and, sadly, I have the waistline to show it. I love to eat it, I love to prepare it, I love to play with it, and I love to watch others enjoy what I have created. It simply makes me happy. And, really, contrary to what my family thinks, I'm not too bad at it.

I am married to a man that isn't really very adventurous with food. He can pretty much eat the same 4 or 5 meals each week and be really satisfied with that. He really doesn't like to eat anything new, creamy, cheesy, saucy, from the sea, or in anyway combined. He wants to know what he is eating, and he wants to keep it separate on the plate, thank you very much. I guess you could say he is the traditional "meat and potatoes" kinda man. He would really rather stay at home and eat, knowing that I will prepare it the way he likes, than go out and get something he may/may not like.

I also have 5 of the pickiest children on the face of the Earth! (My extended family considers this payback for my childhood picky!) They also love to eat kid friendly all of the time. You know, the chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, grilled cheese etc. Nothing "good for them" in anyway, shape or form. Oh, and let it be known, I DO NOT prepare anything that would be considered unusual, EVER! Remember, I was that picky kid. I REMEMBER not liking unusual foods, so I don't prepare anything strange...no mushrooms, no hidden veggies, no liver, no sushi...none of that! Just regular, normal, all American food-nothing fancy!

I mention all of this because, although I really enjoy cooking, I don't enjoy cooking or eating the same 4-5 meals on a regular basis. Cooking dinner has become a chore for me, one that I dread every night. Daily, I call Gary and ask what he wants for dinner, knowing that he really doesn't have an opinion. One of the regular meals of fried chicken, grilled chicken, spaghetti, or hamburger/hot dogs is fine with him. Great. There is nothing that takes the joy out of preparing a different meal like hearing:

"Oh, what IS that? Do we have to eat it? Can I make a peanut butter sandwich (or cheese sandwich or bowl of cereal)?" Or "Hmmm, well, just a little for me, I had a big lunch." Or, my personal favorite "Well, it's different...Do you like it? Do I have to eat it?"

I have lost all joy in family dinners...planning, shopping, preparing, or even sitting down to eat them. I miss cooking for people that enjoy eating something other than chicken nuggets, pizza, hot dogs or breakfast for dinner. I find that I am really allowing my family to eat a lot of processed, frozen prepared crap just because I am unwilling to fight the dinner battle...it's just easier. I know it's not good for them to eat some form of pizza 3-4 times a week, I know it's not good for me, but just how much stress do I want to go through for a simple meal at the end of the day?

Needless to say, I am frustrated. I am sick of making food and then having leftovers go bad in the frig because no one wants to eat anything but pizza. The whole "you need to eat what I prepare" backfires on me because then I have kids up in the night with upset, empty bellies. Oh, I am NOT a middle of the night person! It's quite the impossible situation, and I am sick of it.

I battle this problem with going out to lunch. I go out to different places with Mom or a girlfriend and get "real food". The kids are in school, Gary's at work, and I can go and get something that I KNOW my family would never eat. Not only would they not eat it, but they would comment through the meal about how they can't believe that I would eat THAT! (Again, nothing fancy!) We go places other than Chic-fil-A, Applebees, Sonic, or the true gourmet, McDonald's. We go places that have real chefs back in that wonderful kitchen...chefs that make things other than chicken strips, chicken sandwiches, hamburgers and pizza! In other words, utopia!

Yesterday, I went out with a girlfriend, Jenny, to one of those terrific places and had a wonderful meal! It started with a herbed cheese and bread plate that I could've made into a meal all by it's self.

Then I had a crab melt (crab meat on a piece of sourdough bread covered with melted cheese!) and smashed red potatoes. OH, MY GOODNESS! There wasn't a piece of shell in the whole thing! The potatoes were amazing! I can't tell you how wonderful it was. I ended my meal with a piece of Key Lime pie. Mmmmmmm, it was so yummy, I almost couldn't get up from the table. Oh, and not one time did Jenny complain about her meal or ask for a peanut butter sandwich! Is she a great friend or what?

Since I cannot get my family to eat real food, I guess I'll just have to continue to eat some really great lunches. The food is great, the company terrific, and it is less expensive than taking the family out. Not a bad deal. Now, if someone else could just come fix dinner for my picky family tonight, life would be ideal.