I occasionally reminisce about the time before kids, only to find it’s tough to remember. How did we spend the weekday evenings before they were filled with crying babies, demanding toddlers, homework and sports practices? I vaguely remember watching Jeopardy and Friends, or shows we recorded on the VCR. I know I cooked dinner most nights, because I have proof.
Behold my dinner repertoire, broken down by main ingredient, and scribbled on a 5 x 7 sheet of paper. I created it before kids, so this slip of history is over two decades old. It still sits in my recipe folder, nestled between magazine pages of meals I’ll never make and printouts of Pinterest masterpieces I may get to someday.
If a family’s history can be told through its dinners, this page would be a primary source. I haven’t looked at it in years, as two children with finicky eating habits shrunk our dinner choices during the 2000s. Adolescence has expanded their palates, though, and I’ve opted for newer, healthier recipes as they’ve become more receptive to my culinary creations.
I read the old list now, and it’s like flipping through a photo album. Each recipe evokes memories.
The “Taco Bake” entry makes me smile; that was an odd casserole concoction of tortilla chips, ground beef, cheese, salsa and milk. It was a hit when my oldest was small, but it is now an amusing and slightly gross memory. Mom, remember when you used to make taco bake? Now one can find pages of taco bake recipes on Pinterest, but that’s one dish I’ve retired.
Most of the other recipes have been filed in the recipe graveyard, as my family’s taste buds and preferences have matured. My palate, while by no means adventurous, has expanded considerably since my mother suffered through the years of family dinners during which I pouted and pushed my food around. I’ve caught her look of amazement as she watches me bring the fork to my lips, or as she listens to me order off a menu. Where is the daughter who took the cheese off her pizza until she was ten years old?
Karma has a bite, however, and it’s gifted me with children who, when younger, were not enthusiastic about trying new foods. We used bribery as a means to coax them, and we made no apologies for trading a dollar or two for a bite of something they wouldn’t touch otherwise. Mussels are now on my son’s list of favorites due to the dollar we gave him in a Manhattan restaurant when he was eight or nine years old. Admittedly, I tried them for the first time with him, and discovered I loved them too.
Oysters, not mussels, but another food I would never have tried when I was a kid.
Our first two family cruises were fabulous vacations, and the fact that food was plentiful and all-inclusive played no small role. Every night at dinner, the menu included an “exotic” item, and we all ordered it. Sushi was not so new for us, but frog legs were. They were also a bust, but each of us tried them. That is the beauty of a cruise; we tried something new without worrying about going hungry or paying for a second entree if we were unsatisfied.
It seems ridiculous to choose a vacation destination based on food choices, but that is exactly what we did for our 2015 trip to Europe. I still make most of the pasta dishes on my list; noodles are always a winner. So we chose Italy as the majority of our European itinerary, knowing that the kids could eat pasta or pizza if they weren’t willing to try anything else. Surprisingly, they were willing to taste some new foods, and that sense of adventure is increasing as they get older. I find myself reacting like my mother did to me, eyes widening in disbelief as James orders a grilled Cuban or Gwen creates salad bowls with dozens of ingredients.
I slip my “list o’meals” back into the folder, knowing I won’t glance at it again in the near future. Those recipes worked for a newlywed couple, and for a young family of three then four. Now we are four adults/almost-adults, and our palates are nearly as grown up as my babies. Now our family dinners are a time to reconnect instead of cajole finicky children into eating what Mommy made.
Now our vacations do not have to be kid-friendly food driven; the teenagers are old enough to make do wherever we travel. This summer’s adventure will be out of the comfort food box; we are heading to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. I’m a bit uneasy about the cuisine in these cities, but I know my kids will find something to fill their bellies. At least it won’t be taco bake.
I love how food/recipes can hold so many memories!
Me too!
I made taco bake last week – after a long break. When I asked my kids if they liked it, I got, “Hmm, it’s not my favorite. I threw it up once.” Another child: “Yeah, it does taste like throw up.”
Lovely. Food definitely brings back memories. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one with a folder of recipes I’ll probably never try.
Ha – your kids crack me up! I do purge my recipe folder every so often, but I usually keep most of them thinking someday I’ll make this…
Well, you learn something new every day. I had never heard of taco bake. Who knew? But it’s awesome to see that you still have that meal prep list from back in the day. Good luck on your summer vacation! Sounds really interesting.
Thank you Alison!
Not your main point, I know, but you’re totally on to something with this primary resource concept. What a treasure to have that kind of “artifact” with no commentary on it. Just the facts! That’s really cool.
I thought so too, Nina!
Always a list maker! 😉
My kids were very picky eaters growing up. My son is famous in our family for his childhood preference for beige foods. Once at a restaurant he ordered potato-crusted chicken with sides of mashed potatoes and friend. I kid you not. Now both will try just about anything. I credit their spouses (both foodies and excellent cooks) with transforming my kids into adventurous eaters.
Your summer trip sounds fabulous! I can’t wait to read about it!
David & I went to Paris in 2012 and loved it, but the food was interesting and we spent a lot of time thinking “our picky kids would never survive on the menus here!” As they’ve gotten older, they have gotten little better, but there is still MUCH room for improvement. I have a list kind of like yours my iPad – the family menu “regulars.” It has changed over the years and, I hope, it will continue to evolve & improve!
You’re giving me hope. Although I do see Zoe’s tastes evolving. She actually likes this kale salad I make, though I think it’s just the cheddar cheese and apples part! And she still prefers processed chicken nuggets to chicken I bread myself. Someday!
Someday, for sure! My 16 year old still prefers when I make homemade Chick-Fil-A nuggets instead of plain old chicken – I’m fighting an uphill battle.
I make this list every Sunday prior to grocery shopping. Makes my life so much easy not planning on week nights and just blindly following that list with the essential ingredient in the fridge.
Food has been an important planning for my family too esp on holidays and esp since we are vegetarians. But, we have survived so far and the lovely concoctions we make during that time surprises us too!
I’m sure they have! I need to go back to making a list – it makes life so much easier!
My mom had something called “Taco Casserole” with leftover taco ingredients. It was good but I remember waking up sick in the middle of the night after I had it, and I was fine the next morning. So it wasn’t a virus.. was it??
I love your organization. I’ve never had it. Cassidy is a cook and I’m fairly useless in the kitchen unless it’s for a blog post. I really do make most of what I post! Not all, mind you. I have “contributors” – like my mom, my husband, and my chef friend, Tara.
I’m not a big cook, either. My kids will not remember me for my prowess in the kitchen, that’s for sure! But they are fed, so I consider it a win.
You were so organized as a newlywed! I didn’t know how to cook much at all, and my husband and I subsisted on tortilla chips with melted cheese more often than not. Until my second child was born, the only vegetable I cooked regularly was broccoli. The turning point for us was joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) cooperative and getting a box of vegetables from a farm every week. We had to learn to use the stuff we got or it went to waste — and it was expensive! Much like your travels and your restaurant bribery, we found ways to force variety into our diets. Now, no one would recognize the former me — I’m a really adventurous cook, and my kids eat all kinds of things no one else does. Your post is such a cool way of seeing how far you’ve come!
I joined our CSA too! I was a member for three or four years, but I’ll admit it didn’t expand my cooking repertoire as much as I had hoped. Good for you for getting more adventurous in the kitchen!
Looking forward to your vacation posts. They sound lovely. We don’t have anything major planned this summer. I tend to try different foods on vacation because it’s part of the experience and when I go to restaurants I try to get something I don’t cook at home because of my finicky eaters – no mushrooms or tomatoes or salmon. Christopher likes mussels, I don’t remember where and when I got him to try them. Under pasta does that say Furious Man?
Ha – it does! It’s a pasta dish that has a kick (spicy=angry=furious). That’s the name of the dish in the cookbook, and it’s still one of our favorites!
Ah yes, the chronicles of feeding children (and ourselves) through the years! It’s so interesting to see it evolve and we are in the bribing stage for most meals with the kids, otherwise it’s mac and cheese, pasta or chicken. Ugh. When we traveled to Spain when they were four I was worried about what they would eat and I swear they subsisted on bread and cheese alone but Miles tried squid (he called it “alien food”) and now eats mussels and calamari.
Maybe I’ll try the taco bake 🙂
We are still in the bribing stage sometimes! It will be interesting to see how the kids (and I) do in Europe.
I sometimes look back through my collections of recipes that I have copied from magazines, or have been given by friends. There really are so many memories that come to mind during that time of looking at all these old recipes.
Your summer plans sound exciting. It will be interesting to hear about all the different foods and meals you have when you are on your trip.
I’m looking forward to sharing, Pat. We are going on a food tour in Budapest and in Prague, so I will have lots of information!
I’m a little curious about taco bake as I just saw something on Facebook about it and was like “hmmm Tucker may eat that!” It was a taco bake pasta though, but had milk (i think 5 cups???) as did yours. And I love how this prompt took you from pre-kids to toddlers to now. So cool, how these things change.
Taco bake really wasn’t that bad; it was just kind of gross to make.
Wow to this summer’s vacations and we are heading back to Disney, because well you know our love of Disney. Oh your meals years back sound similar to how we spend our school night dinners here right about now, too!
I’m sure you do! And you guys have certainly become the Disney family!