Single parenthood is no place for Emeril wannabes.
Younger kids, whose idea of heaven is the availability of macaroni and cheese and Spaghettios 24/7, haven’t the slightest regard for Mom’s or Dad’s culinary efforts.
Teenagers may be up for a little more experimentation on the chef’s part; but more often than not (at least in my experience), they’ll dismiss your attempts to introduce variety into the family menu with something like, “Tomorrow night, can you make something good for dinner?”
Meal planning and preparation are tough when you’re the only adult in a family. Maybe “tough” is the wrong word — “pointless” is probably more accurate. Here’s the usual scenario:
1. The kids generally have a few favorite meals.
2. You’re bored silly with their favorite meals.
3. You believe that variety is the spice of life, but your kids don’t share your desire to try new things.
4. It’s not much fun to prepare new dishes only for yourself.
5. You end up eating the kids’ favorite meals — over and over and over again…
Since I live this very scenario more often than I’d like to, I decided to look for a solution.
What I found is the aptly-named “Beyond Macaroni and Cheese,” a paperback cookbook by Mary Beth Lagerborg and Karen Parks. The book promises tasty recipes — from appetizers to meals to snacks to desserts — that will be enjoyed by parents and kids alike.
I was skeptical that there could really be enough flavor and variety in a cookbook that guarantees that kids will like the recipes. Since I frequently use chicken when I cook, I decided to see what “Beyond Macaroni and Cheese” provides in the way of chicken offerings.
Here’s what’s listed in the Index under “Chicken”:
A la King
Apricot
Baked, and Stuffing
Baked, Crispy
Baked, Greek-Style
Breasts in Cream Sauce
Breasts, Cantonese
Broccoli Casserole
Casserole
Cheese and Pasta
Chinese
Croissant
Dip, Hot
Divan
Emilie’s Favorite
Enchiladas
Fettucine
Gumbo
Honey Barbecue
Honey Lemon
Hunter
Italian Microwave
L’Orange
Marinated Grilled
Onion and Cheese Bake
Pot Pie
Rice Casserole
Rice
Rolls
Salad
Shells, Stuffed
Soup
South of the Border
Spaghetti
Supreme
Tortellini Soup
White Lasagna
I don’t know about you, but I’m salivating just reading this tempting list of chicken dishes.
Excuse me one minute.
OK, I just went to Amazon.com and plunked down my $10.19 for “Beyond Macaroni and Cheese.” I’ll let you know if it really does contain the keys to parent-child kitchen compatability!