What's for dinner?

Ugh! As I’ve clearly stated in past posts, day in and day out … I no longer (if ever) enjoy being in the kitchen. I daydream about what it would be like to have someone else cook me dinner (um, I believe that was supposed to be my husband when we hit year 25, still waiting ...). I’m burnt out. Not inspired. Don’t care. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true, I do care enough that I still make dinner and we haven’t become part of the fast-food nation.

The question of “what’s for dinner?” I’m sure is an innocent one, coming from my 2teensandatween, they’re home from a sports practice, needing to desperately refuel. For me however, it’s like an immediate trigger for resentment. “Why do I have to always be the one to cook dinner?” I’m thinking in my most whiny mom-victim voice. And for a brief, glorious time this past summer I didn’t have to cook dinner – I informed our children that with no school, no sports, no excuses that they were on cooking duty. Surprisingly, there was no eye rolling, no heavy sighs – I got instead “o.k. – how’s this going to work?” So each child took a week, rotating through twice and for 6 weeks all I had to do was help them menu plan, purchase the groceries, and answer the occasional culinary question. It was a slice of heaven.

Once upon a time, when the boys were little, I was working full time and Jeff was in med school (yes, it was crazy; no, it’s not impossible – we managed somehow) I feel like I was more organized with our dinners. I voiced this observation with my mom once and she pointed out that I probably was – I had to be. You can’t pick up twin boys from daycare at 5:30, come home and then wonder what you have in the cabinet to make for dinner. I spent Sunday afternoons in the kitchen, the boys played, I listened to Prairie Home Companion (and Jeff was sure to be no where around since he can’t stand listening to this show), and I made dinners in advance. I was organized (or at least with time and distance that’s how I remember it) and it was nice – there was a rhythm to family life.

Fast forward, 12 years and I’m still in the kitchen – but definitely not organized, every night. I used to have a grocery list clipped to our refrigerator, most frequent items organized by aisle (I reordered the list every time we moved as I had to become familiar with yet another commissary). Yes, yes, I know … so I can be at times a bit well, a-r and yes that’s with a hyphen (Dear Japanese students, please do not ask me to explain this one … here is a link that will give you a good sense of this common slang term http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/top-5-signs-you-are-anal-retentive/). Over the past month or two I’ve noticed hfv (high-frequency visits) to the commissary – at least once a day, M-F. And inevitably, as soon as I’d walk through the door someone would say … “did you know we were out of …” – sigh. Aside from the kitchen, the commissary is probably the next least favorite place for me to be. Domestic Diva, I am not. Clearly a re-evaluation was in order.

I spent the better part of the day last week, combing through my cookbooks (I brought only a few) and recipe clippings (I brought them all – the idea that while in Japan I would use them or lose them). I came up with a 12-week menu plan.* No repeat recipes, because I am so tired of the peanut gallery voicing “but we just had x” or “I’m tired of eating y.” That is about the extent of complaints I will get though, because with one very steely look they know the retort “you don’t like it, you know where the cereal is – I am not a short-order cook.” I do have some family food challenges to consider – 2 have nut allergies (all tree nuts, peanuts and coconut) and now 3 out of 5 of us are pesco-vegetarians. It’s hard to make everyone happy. But darn it, with planning, a revamped grocery list (yes, of course by aisle – no circling back for forgotten items), and advance preparation on Sunday’s, 2011 is going to be a different year! The ultimate goal is less time in the kitchen, less time at the commissary – more time for things Japanese. I’m motivated and for the first time in years I’m actually inspired … in the kitchen.

* I had some friends here voice their astonishment that I could come up with that many menus and I offered to post the weekly menus with reviews. Check in on Sunday evenings for the reviews of the previous week and the upcoming weeks menu.