by Evelyn Griffith

Created on: July 30, 2008

I grew up in a large house , 7 in all, money was often tight and my mother was always creative with flavor and taste with the sometimes little we had to pass around. Needless to say not all in the house were thrilled with the meal that was prepared and you would hear "I'm not eating that!" Most quickly you would hear the response "then go hungary, I am not running a restaurant." Wow, the dynamics of the dinner table, how quickly it can divide or draw together.

I have my own family now, so I can truly appreciate the energy my Mother had to find to please all of us with her cooking creativity. Not everyone loved chicken stew or beef-a-roni again, but how do you please that many people 365 days a year. In my own home, I have developed the try it plan. My own children must try everything once, from Sushi to vegetables. I have them crack eggs with me for the omelets that my family will eat at breakfast on Saturday morning and we serve breakfast in bed on Sunday morning were we eat together watching cartoons. Yes, there are crumbs on the sheets, but it is not the cooking to please others, it is the mood that creates a love of food. If you feel secure with one another to have fun and get messy while frosting a new flavor cake, then you own it, eveyone is a part of the processes and that is were pleasure stems from, not who ate what and who got their chicken nuggets instead of the meal set out.

I have learned that working a full time teaching job, being a full time wife and mother and living the life I want can be crazy but if I try to please everyone all the time, you miss the good stuff, the simple joy. Cooking is a connection that brings all people together, we need to eat for survival, that is common sense. If we keep dishes simple yet flavorful and colorful, and apply the "try it" rule even for ourselves, we may find that life offers awesome temptations with little to no effort. Keep the pantry stocked with basic staples of seasonings, always have fresh milk, bread, and eggs. Never be afraid to sample a new flavor of bread crumbs or use the leftover bread and grind your own, it takes seconds. The kitchen is one big play lab, experiment with your mood, there are to many choices to not allow everyone to choose a night of the week as their theme. Monday could be Asia flare, Wednesday, Southern Homestyle. You may be driven to new locations in your home by creating glorious visual settings and table layouts that your children are in involved in making.

We should eat together for pleasure and involve each other as much as possible. When you are a part of the process you enjoy it so much more and if not not apply the JUST TRY IT RULE.

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