I have this memory of sitting across the table from James at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in Saint Helena. And he’s about to take his first bite of this mile high piece of s’mores pie. Some google sleuthing has uncovered that despite having eaten this pie more than fifteen years ago, and without the other half of my brain I call James… I’ve still got it. Cindy Pawlcyn’s Campfire Pie is what after dinner Napa Valley dessert dreams are made of.
So James takes one bite of this pie and then tells me we could have weekends like this at least twice a month… for the price of daycare.
I’m fairly sure I was already very pregnant, so this was kind of just mean.
Needless to say, James appreciates the finer things in life. Particularly food. And so do our boys.
They’re adventurous eaters. Generally up for trying anything. Nate is especially interested in exotic cuisine. The crazier the better. Especially if it’s spicy. Jacob’s two favorite things are eating and sleeping. So I spend the majority of my free time bonding with Nate over soccer, and bonding with Jake over food.
As a solo working parent, I’m developing a new habit of meal planning Saturday mornings while watching the Premier League. There is absolutely zero time to swing by the store anymore. This newfound habit has resulted in me acing dinnertime. Fire. 9+ ratings from Jacob. He’s picked-up right where Papa left off. He literally just called down from upstairs to find out what’s on tonight’s menu because it smells so good. One night Jacob told me my dinner had just propelled me from “mom cook” to “chef.” But of course creative risk taking is not without its pitfalls.
And so, while the boys have generally applauded my culinary pursuits, one recent meal created a new framework for family feedback. One evening I made zucchini noodles, or as Jacob calls ’em, “noods.” Inspired by a recent Colorado lunch with Alesia and our two middle schoolers. It was delicious. The boys did not agree. And so, you get five food vetoes. That’s it. If you’re adding zucchini noods to your list, you’ve gotta put something back into rotation.
JAKE’s LIST
- lasagna: a strange lifelong veto with no clear origin story
- olives: recently replaced “bad steak fries”
- pork chops: regrettably constant
- asparagus: I’m kinda sympathetic
- zucchini noods with sauce: unjustifiably added after one creative dinner
NATE’s LIST
- all the peas: (green, English, snap, snow…) appears to be passed down genetically through the Terra family tree
- poke bowls: shocking given sushi is top of the favorites list
- zucchini noods with sauce: it was one dinner… sheesh
- two open spots that can’t be gifted to your brother
Farewell zucchini noods. Until we meet again.