I have, no doubt you were not a picky eater when you were young.
You’re sorta right. I wasn’t a terribly picky eater, due mostly to my father’s flying fist if you complained. I did have my moments, though. I was told to eat my one most absolutely hated meal on my fifth birthday, beef stew, starring the cheapest cut of beef you could ever find, and every vegetable that I hated, carrots and peas. And The Wizard of Oz was on tv that night. Couldn’t watch until every bite was eaten. Boy did I try to not eat those peas and carrots. I never forgot that lesson. My whole family has heard the story over and over.
However, when I was a mom, I would pore over cookbooks and recipes in order to feed my family delicious and nutritious meals. My oldest would often complain. I admit there was a time when I absolutely refused to cook dinner at all. Either we went out, hubby cooked, or the kids cooked, or they went without. It didn’t take long for me sticking to my guns on the issue. Lasted just a week or so.
For the record, I’m not a poor cook, not at all. Just there were a lot of kids in the neighborhood who liked chicken nuggets, and my kids wanted to be like them. I would make things like creamy chicken with wine sauce over noodles, beef stroganoff, or chicken cacciatore.
Yes, that son has apologized. He’s a dad now, and is very understanding of where we were, and how sometimes he wasn’t grateful for that absolutely delicious meal in front of him, no matter how much love/work I had put into it.
Amazingly, or not, each of my kids is a proficient chef in one way or another. That son is a pretty darn good BBQer. I think you might call us a foodie family. Always trying to outdo each other.
Holiday cooking is absolute craziness, and the best meals you’ve ever had. Ok, the best meals we’ve ever had.
We had killer Beef Wellington from scratch for Christmas dinner last year, including the homemade puff pastry part. It was excellent. I don’t know if we will ever outdo that meal. Hard to beat.