Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Anachronism and Cooking
We've been taking it easy for the last couple of days, and waiting for our colds to blow over. After a very lazy day (spent primarily on the couch) on Saturday, my cold was practically gone by the next day, but Ms Nearly Nine's is hanging on. Probably because the only way to get that girl to spend a quiet day on the couch would be to break both her legs first *g* So circus was a no-go this afternoon, although we did wrap up warmly at lunchtime and wander down the road for half an hour on the playground. Then in the evening, Dh took both girls over to his parents' place while I was getting dinner ready, partly for general granddaughter-appreciation time, but also for Ms Nearly Nine to rendezvous with her Auntie A's cardmaking supplies in preparation for Mother's Day...
DH took the elder daughter to a feast in a neighbouring shire on Saturday night, and, as a result of networking there, it looks like he'll be involved in organising a demonstration feast in a nearby town which doesn't yet have its own group. He has run one or two events in the last year or so, and Ms Nearly Nine has been free to help out as much as she wants. While she's not really all that interested in the minutiae, I guess she already has a better view of what's involved in running one than most people! Miss 1 and I might go along to this proposed feast if we can get accommodation overnight, otherwise DH and Ms Nearly Nine will go by themselves and drive back afterwards. I haven't yet taken Miss 1 to a feast, so I wouldn't want the first one to be at a town an hour's drive away without giving myself the option of retreating to a quiet bedroom when it all gets too much! On Sunday, we kitted out Ms Nearly Nine's best friend in medievalish garb (difficult, in that she's quite a bit bigger and more heavily built than Ms Nearly Nine and none of the actual garb fit her) and took her with us to what was supposed to be an informal garbed event, with the usual fighter practice, dancing, singing and general anachronism. Unfortunately it got rained out, and turned into a bit of a political gabfest in the hall in front of the fire (well, heater), so I took the three girls home after three quarters of an hour or so. Dunno when the next event is scheduled, although I'm in the early stages of organising a demo for the local homeschooling group (if it eventuates). We shall see...
Yesterday was almost entirely devoted to menu planning and shopping (I do my major grocery shop monthly, and write my menu plan accordingly). For some reason I was feeling very uninspired, and had to go through most of my cookbooks before I could find enough recipes which a) appealed to me and b) looked like they could possibly be modified to make them acceptable to Ms Nearly Nine. Menu-planning in our house is interesting, as, while DH and Miss 1 (so far) are happy to eat just about anything, I would prefer to eat vegetarian most of the time, and Ms Nearly Nine is just as enthusiastic a carnivore. The answer, more and more, seems to be offering buffet-style meals a couple of times a week. Tonight we had nachos, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options; on Sunday night it was pasta with cheese sauce and a selection of vegetables, tuna, pinenuts, etc. It seems to be working out quite well. The rest of the time I try and either find meals we'll all eat, or provide Ms Nearly Nine a substitute (I save our hardcore tofu or other vegan delights for Wednesday nights when Ms Nearly Nine is visiting grandparents *g*) It means I end up eating more meat dishes or doing more cooking than I'd otherwise choose to, but at least we all have something we like, with absolutely no dramas or recriminations about "eating what's on your plate" or other such rubbish!
Another option, of course, is letting Ms Nearly Nine cater at least one night a week. Last night was her night to cook, and since she wanted chicken schnitzels it meant I actually did have to finish my menu plan and shopping list so we could go and buy them. It was a hard slog, but we made it to the supermarket, and even had fun! Ms Nearly Nine helped me find things on the shelves, and happily scooted hither and yon as I worked through my list with the inevitable recollection of something I'd forgotten two aisles back... She was also busy comparing items to see which was best value for money, with various interesting discussions ensuing. As it happened, she had more of an advisory role during the actual meal preparation, as she had her kitchen hand (me) busy chopping up vegetables, and another kitchen hand (DH) actually frying the schnitzels, while she prepared the garlic bread. But (despite the fact that she then decided she didn't like her schnitzel, LOL), she was very pleased with her efforts.
DH took the elder daughter to a feast in a neighbouring shire on Saturday night, and, as a result of networking there, it looks like he'll be involved in organising a demonstration feast in a nearby town which doesn't yet have its own group. He has run one or two events in the last year or so, and Ms Nearly Nine has been free to help out as much as she wants. While she's not really all that interested in the minutiae, I guess she already has a better view of what's involved in running one than most people! Miss 1 and I might go along to this proposed feast if we can get accommodation overnight, otherwise DH and Ms Nearly Nine will go by themselves and drive back afterwards. I haven't yet taken Miss 1 to a feast, so I wouldn't want the first one to be at a town an hour's drive away without giving myself the option of retreating to a quiet bedroom when it all gets too much! On Sunday, we kitted out Ms Nearly Nine's best friend in medievalish garb (difficult, in that she's quite a bit bigger and more heavily built than Ms Nearly Nine and none of the actual garb fit her) and took her with us to what was supposed to be an informal garbed event, with the usual fighter practice, dancing, singing and general anachronism. Unfortunately it got rained out, and turned into a bit of a political gabfest in the hall in front of the fire (well, heater), so I took the three girls home after three quarters of an hour or so. Dunno when the next event is scheduled, although I'm in the early stages of organising a demo for the local homeschooling group (if it eventuates). We shall see...
Yesterday was almost entirely devoted to menu planning and shopping (I do my major grocery shop monthly, and write my menu plan accordingly). For some reason I was feeling very uninspired, and had to go through most of my cookbooks before I could find enough recipes which a) appealed to me and b) looked like they could possibly be modified to make them acceptable to Ms Nearly Nine. Menu-planning in our house is interesting, as, while DH and Miss 1 (so far) are happy to eat just about anything, I would prefer to eat vegetarian most of the time, and Ms Nearly Nine is just as enthusiastic a carnivore. The answer, more and more, seems to be offering buffet-style meals a couple of times a week. Tonight we had nachos, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options; on Sunday night it was pasta with cheese sauce and a selection of vegetables, tuna, pinenuts, etc. It seems to be working out quite well. The rest of the time I try and either find meals we'll all eat, or provide Ms Nearly Nine a substitute (I save our hardcore tofu or other vegan delights for Wednesday nights when Ms Nearly Nine is visiting grandparents *g*) It means I end up eating more meat dishes or doing more cooking than I'd otherwise choose to, but at least we all have something we like, with absolutely no dramas or recriminations about "eating what's on your plate" or other such rubbish!
Another option, of course, is letting Ms Nearly Nine cater at least one night a week. Last night was her night to cook, and since she wanted chicken schnitzels it meant I actually did have to finish my menu plan and shopping list so we could go and buy them. It was a hard slog, but we made it to the supermarket, and even had fun! Ms Nearly Nine helped me find things on the shelves, and happily scooted hither and yon as I worked through my list with the inevitable recollection of something I'd forgotten two aisles back... She was also busy comparing items to see which was best value for money, with various interesting discussions ensuing. As it happened, she had more of an advisory role during the actual meal preparation, as she had her kitchen hand (me) busy chopping up vegetables, and another kitchen hand (DH) actually frying the schnitzels, while she prepared the garlic bread. But (despite the fact that she then decided she didn't like her schnitzel, LOL), she was very pleased with her efforts.
# posted by Liz @ 8:20 PM 
