I know men can cook...just not mine.

Before I begin, here's the train of thought for today's entry:  I'm having a get together at my place the first Friday of Spring Break, it will be a make your own pizza party, I'm going to take a stab at making my own salsa - not following a recipe either, I've got a few ideas that have been running around in my head - and I'm making hummus.  I was discussing the menu with my husband and as has been the case for the last 18 years, he got bored with the discussion, waved me off and gave me his classic, "I'm sure whatever you put together it will be fine..."

The first cookbook I ever read was written by The Frugal Gourmet.  I used to bore the heck out of him by reading ingredient lists from the cookbook early in our marriage to try to get a handle on what he might or might not eat.  His mom pretty much fried the crap out of things or threw a bunch of crap in a pot and cooked it low and slow for the entire day.  I had eaten at her place and hadn't been impressed and had experienced indigestion for the first time, so there was work to do with his palate. 

So, I'd read the book, find a recipe I felt I could tackle and read the ingredients.  He'd get bored, walk away, and I soon realized the kitchen would be totally my domain.  It was tough though...that palate was a picky place.  No mexican food, no chinese food, limited spices and vegetables...I had work to do.  I also didn't realize when I took the reigns in the kitchen that it would mean complete and total ignorance in the kitchen.  To this day when he unloads the dishwasher, there will still be two or three items whose locations completely confound him because he'll just leave them on the counter.  Years later, I've got the boy eating lots of different foods.  He will eat spicy food and actually prefers it.  I've been able to season and cook meat to the point where he doesn't feel the need to smother it with A1 sauce - a necessity at his mother's.  He will eat my chinese stir fry, and I've gotten him to the point where he'll eat at PF Chang's.  Vegetables remain dicey...he has expanded from corn to beans, sugar snap peas, peas - in recipes - broccoli, cauliflower and a few more things.

I'm all good with the division of labor around the house and the fact that the menu and grocery list is completely under my control...he'll totally clean the basement, organize the fridge the day of the party and I'll be able to focus on the fare for the friends.  But I do wish he'd care a little more. 

On Friday, he had to do the grocery shopping for the week.  The great white death was approaching and I had to go to school until my admin finally decided to allow us an early release.  Before the roads got bad, I emailed him the grocery list and asked him to go off with the kids.   He did so, but the quotes I'm hearing from the kids from Friday's excursion are hilarious.

From the little one:  "Daddy had fun shopping with us, it was kind of like he had never been to the Jungle before"

and..."Daddy didn't know where the fruit roll ups were, so I helped him"

From the oldest:  "Dad had no idea what you wanted when you asked for hummus.  That was fun."

"How can he(dad) not know what kind of yogurt I like?  I've eaten it every day since kindergarten!"

There are days I wish he paid more attention to what goes on in the every day in the house...but then that'd mean I'd have to let him help instead of doing it my way.

He also took this video of the oldest in the blizzard yesterday...good times.