Monday 19 September 2016

Favourite Family Meals







Meals are my favourite times of the day. It's a shame I have to cook them. But for some reason the pesky old dinner fairy refuses to show up.  In fact, my life pretty much revolves around eating. Sad, but true. 






The favourite crowd pleasing meal around these parts would have to be the old bog standard roast.

Otherwise it's anything chicken. Roast chook, drumsticks, schnitzel and the good old bbq chooks from the supermarket when I'm too lazy busy to make anything. 







In fact Mr 12 once referred to himself as Chicken Connor. But he probably wouldn't like me telling anyone that. Shhhhhh, don't tell him I told you. 

When I was growing up my favourites were baked chicken or spaghetti bolognaise. Clearly my boys inherited my originality. 

Well, actually only one boy out of my three will eat spaghetti bolognaise or anything with a sauce. My younger two detest all sauces. They don't even like tomato sauce with chicken nuggets or sausages, like most kids. Weird.

Truthfully my seven year old exists on chicken (which has to be the pure white breast part only; or schnitzel), potatoes, boiled eggs, tuna, fruit and the smell of an oily rag. That's another one of my Mum's sayings.  I forgot about that one. 

I'll pretty much eat anything that isn't nailed down and most likely have a go at the nailed down stuff as well. This is interesting because as a child I was somewhat picky. I only liked my Mum's cooking. Related: my Mum is a superb cook. There was even one instance as a child when a former family friend wondered if I may be anorexic. I can hear all the hysterical laughter. Sniff. How times change. 

When it comes to cooking I am this weird sort of dichotomy where one night I can make something fabulous and delicious, the next something even my dog wouldn't eat. I have fits and fancies. Sometimes I'm really motivated to cook and into it. Other times I'd rather poke my eyeballs out. I prefer looking up new recipes and trying different things. But the whole cooking-for-a-fussy-family-throw-some-sausages-in-a-pan-thing bores me shitless and makes me stabby. 

There is also the sad truth that my kitchen is approximately the size of a postage stamp. We also do not possess a dishwasher in 2016. What are we like? I'll tell you: broke economical. So ner!


And don't get me started on the other phenomenon where everyone insists that you should get your kids involved in the kitchen.  Not spectacularly easy when a) you have a tiny kitchen, and b) you're not particularly wonderful at the thing you're trying to teach some one else to do and c) the person you're trying to teach isn't totally into it. My boys enthusiasm for learning to cook is in direct contrast to their desire to eat, which is constant. Hmmm, wonder where they inherited THAT from...

I only really learnt a few bits and pieces about cooking during high school home science classes. The rest I made up as I went or learnt from The Women's Weekly Basic cookbook. It is exactly that. It tells you all the basics from how to boil an egg, cook a roast and make scones. My boys love my scones.





 Anyway, I used that book until it fell apart. Luckily I was able to get another one, but now that is also falling to bits. I'm hoping I can find another one on Evilbay. 

Apart from all of that there's always the true Dinner Fairy. Meaning, take away.  And I must admit, sometimes that is truly my favourite. 

Linking up for Life This Week , Open Slather and Mummy Mondays.




What are your favourite family meals? 

18 comments:

  1. Kids are darn fussy types. Mine hate bolog and just about anything. They like my cooking though because my specialty is sweets! I prefer to bake cookies, scones and cakes than boring meals. I struggle with finding any appetite at all these days and have been fairly absent in my kitchen. I am only in there to clean lately. You must get a dishwasher girl! It was the best purchase I ever made. We got a Bosch Slimline as our new kitchen (installed by previous owners) only had a tiny space allocated. Brilliant inventions!

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    1. Oh yes, cookies, cakes and scones are THE BEST! I have the opposite problem with my appetite. Hope yours returns very soon. Thanks for the tip on the dishwasher xo

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  2. I love to eat and I too hate that I have to cook it. haha. You would never think that as I was a chef but it is so very true.

    Thanks for linking up to #MummyMondays blog linkup!

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    1. I could imagine that if you're a chef the last thing you'd want to do at home is cook! Thanks for reading x

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  3. It's interesting the kids are such chicken fans. In my family growing up neither my brother or father really liked fish or chicken. Whereas they were my mother's favourites. As for me, I'm somewhere in between!

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    1. It does make it easier when everyone likes one thing. Thanks for reading x

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  4. Speaking of bog-standard meals. My dad is the classic meat and three veg kind of guy so when I moved out of home I was so excited to cook a million different things. And the other day I found myself wanting steak and three veg.

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  5. Special kind of stupid...hehe. I fell in love with a girl at the next table when I over heard her say "I really want to go to Taiwan. There's lots of things to eat there". I thought that was a great reason to travel. Anyway, diets are too boring for words. I don't have the answer but I know I like what I like...

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    1. Yes, boo to diets. Foodie traveling does sound fun xo

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  6. I think all families have the standard meals and then vary it because of kids who are fussy. I recall being one of those people for some meals mum would cook that I didnt fancy as a kid. I also recall doing it for my kids too. We are short-order cooks in the end aren't we? My grandkids would always appreciate and eat my swag bol and as they got older my chicken schnitz with parmesan cheese added to the breadcrumbs. YUMMO. Thanks for linking up. Denyse

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    1. Yes, exactly! Short order cooks. I should start charging!

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  7. Spag bol is one of those meals I love to make, not that I like it especially, but because everyone else will eat without complaint!
    I'd be happy with chicken every day if it was up to me.
    I don't think I call on the Dinner Fairy near enough as I should :)

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    1. It's good to have one of those stand by meals! It's chicken every other day here xo

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  8. My meals sound very much like yours Ness. Together with the judicious use of takeaway, oven baked goods and the endless desire for the dinner fairy just to appear already!!!

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  9. I love cooking but it's being sorely tested by one kid who loves solely on peanut butter sandwiches and refuses allllll else *cries*

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