Buffet!

Dinner time around here is always an adventure. You never know what you are going to eat or when. Last week we had roast chicken, eggs and homefries, lobster (yes...lobster...you would be surprised at how inexpensive they are), and finally, on Thursday, the kids and two of their friends had homemade meatballs and sauce....Our dinner times...in part due to my unpredictable work schedule can be as early as 6:00 and as late as 8:30....please don't tell my kids' mother.

As an aside...it has been pointed out to me that cooking is not the most masculine of pursuits...anybody can cut grass or change a tire or cut down a tree...it takes a man of true talent and ability to do those things while having a pot roast slow cooking in the oven...just saying...

Anyway....I decided that there were too many leftovers in the fridge to make still yet another dinner...besides...a number of my fridge's residents were approaching their edible half life so something had to be done.

The thing about kids...and most people...is that they will buy almost anything is they are sold properly...so I knew if I labeled last night "leftover night" it would go over like...well...like the way leftover night went over when we were kids...so instead of leftover night....we had Buffet! (the exclamation mark is key)...

Not quite trusting my kids...I put out selected leftovers on the kitchen island...tacos, refried beans, black beans and rice, meatballs, bread, carrots, celery, tomatoes, dressing, bread, chicken soup, and cheese...four different kinds...Anyway...Aidan and Fiona made themselves a beef taco with cheese...and that was it....Oliver...God love him...tried a bit of everything....He even asked if I could leave out the vegetables for him to snack on later on....

I remember meals...my kids do too....two of the best meals I have had in the last year were ones where friends and I explored the edible layer of my refrigerator to find what was good...Easter dinner last year was marked by leftover mashed potatoes and gravy, marmalada, rolls, and cheese....and earlier this month, on my first night home from the hospital we had pizza, cheese, shrimp, and olives...

For a few reasons, last night's experience was useful and insightful...it gave my kids some choice as to what they would eat at dinner time...it also reminded me of the importance of exposing my kids to a range of foods...and it also showed me that Aidan and Fiona will get scurvy unless I get some fruits and vegetables into them.