I am friends with numerous people who love and adore excellent food. Whether at the perfect bistro, sidewalk cafe, or home prepared, there are never too many opportunities to explore new taste sensations, or find yet another dish that warrants truffle oil. I too enjoy all things foodie. If it is different, delicious, decadent, count me in. I'm willing to eat anything! However, as a mom, cooking can be a bit more challenging, especially a mom in a blended family.
The fruit of my loins, has a pretty varied palette. She has grown up eating all fruits and vegetables. She loves edamame, sushi, tofu, fish, duck, lamb... you name it we have tried it. Now that we have blended my loin fruit with the fiance's loin fruit (that sounds a bit salacious, even though it is not intended to be so), cooking has become quite a challenge. His lovely children are accustomed to a more plane jane food affair. All things processed or flavorless equals happy kids.
My conundrum... I love to cook, and I enjoy trying new dishes with lots of flavor. My supportive and food loving finance loves this fact. He encourages my foodie tendencies, and insists his poor kids have to eat whatever I put in front of them. Much to my chagrin, I then end up force feeding them and listening to complaints all around. Not a happy place for any of us to be in... I'm twitching just thinking about it.
I would rather just make food that everyone likes, which led me to this past weekends Mac and "Cheese." As a profound lover of cheese, there may be no more delicious food than mac and cheese. As a foodie, there are so many different ways to prepare the dish and make it quite a fancy feast. So, I ask, what would you do? Would you take the goat cheese in the fridge and start to craft a fantastic taste delight, or would you Kraft the mac in a generic Velveeta like substance that isn't quite cheese, but is supposedly related? I opted to make the kids happy, and used the Velveeta. The results... Well, I am proud and sad to say... the fiances kids were thrilled and ate with hearty and happy gusty. My foodie child took one bite and silently stopped eating. Atta girl... way to go hungry and not sacrifice your taste buds. Can mommy make you duck confit with a red wine reduction and toast points with a truffle whipped goat cheese spread?
Total empathy with you on this one. I have no loin fruit, but my husband was a plain jane eater too. The first two years of marriage were tough in the kitchen. But he agreed to try new things, slowly at first. And then one day I overheard him on the phone with his mom say, "yeah, I even eat spinach in my Mexican food now"... It was caramelized onion, spinach and goat cheese quesadillas, but close enough. Small victories.
ReplyDeleteOh, Heather, the things we must sacrifice in order to enlighten others in our lives. Where would they ever be without us!! Um, that recipe sounds amazing. I'm going to make that ASAP!
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