Becoming a "foodie"

For those who have kids, don't you just love the stages of their growing up years of the picky eating? Do your kids no matter their ages still tend to be picky on what they like and don't like to eat? I have two boys, one almost 17 and one almost 14. My 17y/o is SUPER picky when it comes to the foods he eats. I can't cook onions down enough that he doesn't notice. I've said over and over again, "you have to cook with onions, it's what gives food flavor." And don't even mention corn.....the gag reflexes start almost immediately. LOL And the list goes on with his liking/disliking of foods. But, I love that about him....

Then you have my youngest son. He started off an incredibly picky eater when he was little. For example....we went to Krispy Kreme Donuts to get their mouthwatering, melt in your mouth, hot off the belt glazed donuts. At first Ben didn't want to even touch the thing and refused to take a bite. We kept telling him how much he is going to love it and he should take a bite. To much of his refusal and whining about us not giving up on the pressure for him to take a bite, we shoved the donut in his mouth. You'd think the heavens opened up and a flood of white doves were floating down out of the sky and you were hearing the Sound of Music playing in the background. The kid thought he died and went to donut heaven. BUUUUT, because he's so much like his mama....he has a bit of a stubborn streak in him. He refused to say how good it was and wouldn't eat the rest. Even though we knew he loved it, he would have rather passed on eating anymore. LOL  Oh that kid! Never a dull moment.

Fast forward some years and Ben, our youngest, has become quite the foodie. Much to our surprise he has turned into quite the food connoisseur. Everyday, if I don't have my menu board written out for the week, I am asked what the meals are and how he can help me in the kitchen. It has become that special thing between us. With my husband and I already being foodies, I am crazy loving the fact that Ben is with me in the kitchen and that we get to spend that special time together. He's talked about becoming a private chef someday and I think that is pretty darn cool.

Last week, he was hankering for some fish tacos for lunch. He got busy in the kitchen with whipping up the baja sauce and putting together all the fixins to make him some mean fish tacos. I couldn't resist on taking a picture of what he ended up with. Now, we cheated a little bit by buying already breaded frozen halibut fillets from Trader Joe's but if you haven't tried them.....run to your nearest TJ's and get you a box or five and freeze them for a later meal. They are SO SO yummy! And makes for a deliciously easy meal.

I am truly inspired by my boys and times we spend together as a family in the kitchen and even at the dinner table those first few bites of our meal together and hearing the "mmmmm's" over how good the food is. I will miss those days when they are both grown and out of the house. I will miss the regular, nightly meals together. In the meantime, I will bask in the time we have together.

Until next time,
Heather



Ben's Version of Baja Sauce:

Equal amounts of:
*sour cream
*mayo
(he did 1/2 c. each) but you can do more or less just as long as they are equal parts.
* 1/2 bunch of fresh chopped cilantro
*1 lime, sliced in half and both halves squeezed into mixture
*1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
*1 tsp. chili powder
*1 good squirt of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce for an added flair (more or less, depending on your liking)
Mix all ingredients together and keep refrigerated until ready to serve with your meal.

Fish Taco's:
Trader Joe's frozen halibut fillets
small yellow or white corn tortillas
shredded green cabbage
queso fresco cheese (crumbled on top)
chopped cilantro
Ben's version baja sauce
Fresh lime wedges on the side

What Inspires you to host a gathering in your home?

Have you asked yourself "what inspires me to host a gathering in my home?" Is it when you are hosting a big event/celebration like a 40th birthday party, a baby or bridal shower or more of the casual "hey you have dinner plans tonight, come on over, I've made a lot of food" type of gathering? Or are you "all the above?" That's me! I LOVE to host gatherings in our home. Give me any reason to have people over and I am all over it. 

My mind starts going a mile a minute with planning ideas. However, I tend to start to get a little overboard with ideas of how to make this grand gathering to which my budget usually doesn't allow.  If my budget would allow, I would have people over almost weekly for dinner parties. I just love to host. And it doesn't have to be fancy and extravagant, simple is good too. I love to be in the kitchen, cooking while friends and family are enjoying themselves over a glass of wine or favorite beverage, engaged in laughter, story telling and eating. 

But when it comes to hosting, it's not always about having people over to eat. Even though coming together with food involved is the majority of why we open our home to host a get-together anyways. But, I am a firm believer that a home needs to be a place that is always inviting to the ones who come to our door whether they are coming for a meal or just popping in to say hi and visit over coffee or iced tea. 

You might be saying to yourself, "I don't know how to host a get together, I don't have a house that is nice/big enough, or how do I even put something like that together?" Well, I am hear to tell you that I have had those same questions rolling around my brain from time to time and you know what.....it doesn't matter how "nice" your house is or isn't. You don't have to have the latest remodeled kitchen or all the fancy tableware to put together an enjoyable gathering in your home. Sure, those things are nice, but they are just that....things! And of course we do want to take the time to clean up and have somethings prepped and ready but there will be times that we may have surprise company show up at our door. We will get to that in a future conversation. 

When it comes to hosting a gathering, I firmly believe having a willing heart and open mind and open door to those you invite in, is the first and most important. Everything else comes secondary to that. I will be sharing ideas on how to set up your table or island of food items and how you mix and match your textures. I will also share my must haves on my own table and what I have learned over the years on how to do a quick clean up to be ready for your company. 

Join with me as I share with you in my future posts my own journey of opening our home and how I am inspired around our table. 

Until then,
Heather