I don’t know about your house but in my house it’s a vicious cycle. I feed these people every night and then the next night they just want to eat again.
I used to enjoy cooking. Before we had kids I’d look for and try new recipes all the time. I was much more adventurous about trying new ingredients. What was the worst that could happen? Every now and then we’d throw out a disaster and grab a bowl of cereal. We’d either laugh about it later or agree to “never speak of this again”. I still frequently try new recipes, but unfortunately, this is not an uncommon type of conversation in my house:
Me: "Older Son, we just finished dinner get out of the cookies."
Older Son: "I have to eat a cookie every night right after dinner to get the taste out of my mouth."
Some people would take this as an insult. Truth be told, I sure do. I used to have dinner parties on a regular basis. Is it possible that these people all ate before they came? Or went home laughing? Or agreed amongst themselves “never to speak of this” again?
Anyway, I also take this as a challenge. After all, life isn’t just about baked goods. If it were, I’d be a pretty popular Mom at meal time. But somehow, I’ve got to find some new recipes these people like.
When the kids were little, the Doctor advised a “yes, maybe, no” approach to meals. I was told to put one thing on their plate that they would eat, one they might eat and one they probably would not eat. They should be required to at least try everything, and hopefully get used to new tastes and textures. Guess whether this worked in my house or not. No way. Jason is as stubborn as… well… me. He wasn’t going to eat anything he didn’t want to eat. He lost so much weight we ended up consulting a Dietitian and adding supplements to his milk.
And then there’s Younger Son. Younger Son has a hyperactive gag reflex, lucky me. This means that if you insist that he eat something he doesn’t like (or doesn’t like the looks of, smell of, texture of…) he’d immediately shall we say "release" it. I, one year, had 20 people to dinner for Thanksgiving and made the mistake of making Younger Son try the turkey. BIG mistake, right Susan? Yup, he exploded. Right there in the dining room. My friend Susan jumped up and quickly yanked the highchair into the kitchen. Very appetizing. I had to live with Justin’s preferences or suffer the consequences. Younger Son ate chicken nuggets, pizza and lobster (well, his Mom IS a New Englander after all).
We’ve come a long way since those days. My kids can actually name (unfortunately, on one hand) dinners I make that they like. But here I am, day after day, desperately trying to feed this family and still seeking approval. Told you I was stubborn.
Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
©www.BakingInATornado.com
©www.BakingInATornado.com
1/3 cup Frank’s hot sauce
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1 cup flour
2 eggs, whisked with a little water
3 cups panko bread crumbs
Canola oil cooking spray
Directions:
Directions:
*Mix together first 5 ingredients. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put parchment paper onto cookie sheet.
*Roll chicken mixture into balls (should make about 50).
*Roll each of the balls in flour to give the egg something to stick to, then roll in egg, then in panko crumbs. Put onto baking sheet.
*Lightly spray with cooking spray to help them brown.
*Bake 25 minutes.
(Adapted from The Food Network)