crepes

Tonight I made my family crepes for the first time. The boys had never had them before. I explained to them that this was a treat my mom used to make for my family sometimes on Sunday evenings. (We had our dinner early, thus prompting the occasion, even though we had a lovely roast and potatoes and veggies, all courtesy of HH, who makes Sunday dinner >90% of the time. He is so nice and lovely that way.)

They weren't sure about them at first, but N3 quickly got into the swing of things. I made a peach blend I wanted them to try; L balked at it most strenuously, which I thought was a little sad, considering how much he likes peaches and everything else that was in there. In the end, he did try it, but rejected it in future crepes in favor of other fillings, and ended up eating the maximum amount I allowed (a very generous six. What can I say? Sometimes I'm a softie.).

I have been introducing more new things to the boys that I had when I was younger: my siblings might remember carrot-and-pineapple salad, marshmallow banana pineapple slaw, turkey tetrazzini, and hamburger bean bake, to name a few. Some of them are better left in the past, but I have enjoyed telling the boys about the recipes and times we ate them when I was kids. I tell the kids stories of my past as often as I can so they can feel close to me and remember that I am not just a parent, but I was once a kid, too. Sometimes I found it rather hard to believe my parents were ever children. ;) Maybe that's true of everyone? I wish I knew more about the childhood years of each of my parents. I would probably relate even more if I did.

I found a new crepe favorite: honey butter. A friend of ours made some and gave Tyler a jar as a thank-you for favor he did her. We have used most of the jar on fresh bread, but there was just a bit left and we used it as a treat. Sadly, we had no whipped cream or fresh bananas. Perhaps that's just as well, as it kept my crepe consumption down.

I am so grateful for the love and appreciation my family shows me and that they are more grateful now than they ever have been for all the efforts I put into feeding them treats and balanced meals. Something that has really helped is having them mostly make dinner (especially simple dishes). Knowing the work it takes to make dinner happen has made them even more grateful for each night they don't have to do it - a sentiment I am familiar with. I do enjoy cooking, but when I was single I didn't have to do it every single night, as there were often leftovers. Now, I estimate I spend approximately 25 hours a week preparing and managing my family's food. If I didn't work, I would probably spend a lot more than that. It's a task that is time-consuming and sometimes seems thankless, repetitive, and (sometimes) frustrating, but I am grateful I learned so much about how to manage food resources when I was small. I hope I can teach my kids that lesson, too - but, for now, it's one lesson at a time, and tonight, the lesson was that eating treats together on Sunday night can be a boon for all in both bonding time and pleased tastebuds/tummies.