I haven't had time to do any cool cooks - 2nd job etc. so just doing cooks for regular meals. But have been thinking about what I will do when I actually get home before 10pm. Also made me think about what my family likes and doesn't.
When I met my future wife she only liked pizza (with about 700 toppings), steak (well done), potatoes (twice baked with everything in the kitchen on them), mushy veg (if she HAD to eat veg), salad drowned in Ranch dressing, fettucini alfredo, and copious amounts of beer. I am not complaining - I knew what I was getting into. However, it was my goal (when we were just getting to know each other) to expand those horizons. I decided to start with mushrooms. YIKES, that took more time than you can imagine...
So, fast forward to today. She loves sauteed mushrooms in red wine sauce. Steaks are rare to medium rare. Grilled asparagus. Grilled / sauteed onions. Garlic. Homemade pasta. Shrimp - any which way. Crab - any which way. Lobster - NO! Chicken wings - not TOO spicy (see Taco Bell comment.) Brats - grilled and drowned in beer (no peppers though...
) Thai Pad, Lo Mein, Sweet & Sour Pork, Hot & Sour Soup, Egg Fu Yung.
So, some really good progress...
But....
She will NOT eat fresh or frozen beans - only mushy canned beans. She will not eat fresh or frozen peas (SHUSH muebe & Pappy!)
Taco Bell (with no sauce) is SPICY!
Fresh fish other than walleye - no!
Interesting things like capers - no!
Lettuce other than iceberg - no!
Radishes, etc. no!
BUT - she likes smelt fries (I grew up in North Dakota - smelt was bait for big northerns and muskies - not people food!)
Lutefisk - seriously? If you like lutefisk how can you NOT like anything else? Even Andrew Zimmern is not a fan of lutefisk!
Do not get me wrong - I love her dearly... but I continue to try to re-shape (ok, adapt to) her tastes...
The good news - our youngest daughter (now 16) was with us in Thailand 6 years ago. She kept up with me - we had goat head soup, silk worms live and preserved, fresh water shrimp (alive) on lettuce with lime juice, and barbecued rat. This is MY kid!
Bad news - oldest daughter - still likes her steak well done (might be the milk man?
) The good part of that, I can buy the cheap steak for her!
Just a fun observation of tastes... it's all good!