Dinner Guest #9 - The S Family

I admit it.

I’m getting tired.

On Saturday, I dragged myself to Wal-Mart, three kids in tow, to shop for Sunday dinner and this next week’s groceries.  Throughout the store I chanted,

“This too shall pass. This too shall pass.”

along with

“Today is not forever.  Today is not forever.”

I tried to deep breathe as my kids whined and begged for Go-gurts, marshmallows, and Pillsbury crescent rolls, pulled food off the shelves, and jumped on and off the cart.  As we left the store, I opened a bag of Oreos and downed five before we left the Wal-Mart parking lot.  Later that night, after the kids were in bed, I walked into the kitchen to prepare my favorite chocolate pie for Sunday dinner.  I looked around with heavy eyelids, turned off the lights, and went to bed.  I couldn't do it.  Turns out, it didn't matter anyway.

This Sunday we had a fun and relaxing dinner with The S. family.  Mr. S. visits our home once a month as part of our church’s "Home Teaching" program.  Mrs. S. worked in our church’s nursery when Jack and Rock were younger and has a great rapport with them.  Many years ago, I taught their daughter piano lessons.  Their teen-age sons are good-looking, athletic, kind boys who can hold an intelligent conversation with adults and look you in the eyes.

Just plain good people.

For the meal, I made a chicken crock-pot dish known as “Heavenly Chicken” served over angel hair pasta, sweet potato casserole, and parmesan rolls.  These recipes are so easy I can whip them out quickly without a cue card.  The S. family brought a fruit plate and dip.  Lacking dessert, my husband cut up some of his amazing homemade caramel and nobody missed the chocolate pie.

Between our two families, I needed to seat nine people, so I set up a kids’ table.  Kate (7) was a little big for the miniature chairs, but Jack and Rock fit it perfectly.  It wasn’t long before the kids finished their food and joined the big people by sitting on our laps.  All three broke out their usual questions:

What is your favorite candy?

What is your favorite restaurant?

What’s your favorite movie?

The S. family stayed a few hours talking around the kitchen table and then drove off while my kids stood on the front lawn and waved at their car.  In spite of my exhaustion, all I could think as I scraped the food off the plates, wrapped the leftovers in foil, and wiped countertops was,

“I like those people.”

Dinner Guest #8 - The B Family

Week after week, our children have sat patiently through Sunday dinners while adults talked about adult things.  They often made attempts at conversation, asking our guests questions like,

“What is your favorite princess?”

“What is your favorite kind of candy”

“Where were you born?”

Questions with one-word answers, while entertaining, are hard to build on.  My cute children just haven’t developed the conversation skills of a long-winded adult.

It was time to throw our kids a bone. 

This Sunday, we invited the B family to dinner.  We have much in common with the B family:  three kids, a stay-at-home-mom, a self-employed dad working in the medical profession.  We met the B family at church several years ago however, tonight was our first get-together.

Dinner with six children ages one to seven calls for simple foods.  I served shredded pork barbecue sandwiches, macaroni salad, corn pudding, potato chips, and grapes.  Any parent of small children knows the unwritten rule of meal serving:  fill plates of food for the kids first, get them seated and eating, and then go fill a plate for yourself.  The downside to this feeding method is that the kids will often finish their meal long before the parents. 

Tonight, the kids’ dinner lasted three minutes. 

Just as we parents sat down with our plates, one child announced he was done.  Another child followed.  Jack immediately moved to my side asking for dessert.  When I told him it wasn’t time yet, he instructed me to set a timer so that when it beeped, we would have dessert.  I shooed him and his idea away and enjoyed my meal. 

After asking the usual questions of hometowns, dating stories, and college, much of the dinner conversation was spent commiserating the life of a small business owner in a medical field:  dealing with difficult employees, the ugly side of insurance, and working six days a week.  Ryan and Mr. B. had so many similar work challenges, it was a little depressing.  I was glad when the conversation changed to diet and exercise.

While the other kids played, Jack sat by my side while I ate my meal, asking for popsicles and croissants.  His questions finally stopped when I brought out red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for dessert. 

The evening came to quick close when Jack asked to go to bed and the B family’s little girl had a potty accident and no clean clothes to wear.

Having the B family to dinner gave me a little more confidence at entertaining larger groups.  It was really no problem to set up a kids’ table, use paper plates, and make simple, low-cost foods. 

After eight Sunday dinners, I’m learning that all my former apprehensions on entertaining:  our furniture-less, undecorated home, a limited budget, and my introverted personality are unimportant excuses compared to the blessings of friendship.

Dinner Guest #7 - Mr. and Mrs. C.

Like any kid growing up, I had a lot of nicknames.

Kimba

Kimber

Kimchee

Kimmie

KP

Then there’s my maiden name:  Potter.  Those nicknames were usually not as kind.

Little Pot

Pothead

Potty

The least offensive was:  Potsie. 

My childhood friend Barbara named me Potsie sometime in my high school years.  A logical variation on Potter, I think she stole the nickname from Happy Days, one of my favorite sitcoms of the 1970’s.  I can still rattle off all the characters’ names:  Richie, Joanie, Potsie, Ralph Malph, Chachi, and of course, the show’s heartthrob, Fonzie.  Fonzie always referred to Richie’s parents, the Cunninghams, as Mr. and Mrs. C.

This Sunday, we had our own Mr. and Mrs. C. for dinner.

The parents of six children, 26 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren, Mr. and Mrs. C. have been married for 58 years and have an endless supply of interesting anecdotes.  I would generally be bored and slightly offended at dinner guests who talk about themselves for too long.  However, Mr. and Mrs. C. are a unique exception.  I could have asked them questions for hours.  Mr. C. spent a year in his 20’s on an island off the coast of Alaska translating Russian communications for the US Army.  Mrs. C attended Northwestern University.  While raising their six children, their family had a tradition of clapping at the end of dinner.  While Mrs. C. interpreted the applause as a compliment to her cooking, Mr. C. explained to us that the clapping was happy relief that nobody died as a result of eating her food.

I kept the dinner very simple:  grilled chicken, sweet potato casserole, sautéed brussel sprouts, and parmesan rolls.  For dessert, I served key lime pie.  My kids love parmesan rolls.  They’re just frozen bread balls rolled in butter and parmesan cheese and set out to rise for 5 hours.  The downside is, when I make parmesan rolls, that’s all my kids want to eat.  Throughout the meal, I kept feeling little fingers tapping on my arm and shoulders asking for another roll.  After the meal, Kate (7) and Rock (3) were wise enough to leave the table and play.  Unfortunately, Rock entertained himself by coloring our leather ottoman with a black, dry erase marker.  Lucky for him, my reaction was unusually mild since (1) Mr. and Mrs. C. were there, and (2) I was too tired to pitch a fit. 

Tonight it occurred to me that I must be getting more comfortable with having dinner guests.  Years ago, I would have concerned about coordinating dishes, placemats, cups, and utensils.  After Mr. and Mrs. C. left, I noticed our unconventional hodge podge of table goods spread out on the table and counters.  The kids ate on home made, relatively unbreakable, acrylic plates decorated with their drawings.  The adults ate on our three remaining Modigliani Tuscan pottery plates (the other five broke).

Viewing my mismatched table, I reminded myself that our Sunday dinner tradition is about friendship, not the décor.  The beautifully decorated tables at Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, and Pier One are nice to look at, but they are lacking the most important element:  people.

Dinner Guest #6 - Ms. T

Trying to find a dinner guest for Superbowl Sunday is next to impossible.  There just aren't that many people I know who, like us, (1) don't have cable TV in their home, and (2) aren't seriously interested in watching the Superbowl.  Luckily, Ms. T. fit this description.

I want to be Ms. T. when I grow up.

She prefers vegetarian food, takes good care of her body and is an amazing cyclist.  She loves her three beautiful children and is a hard working Mom.  Inside and out, she is a beautiful person.  The little I know of her personal life, over the last few years, Ms. T. has faced some challenges and handled them with class and grace.

I knew that I had to cook something healthy for Ms. T.  There would be no fatty pot roast, heavy-cream mashed potatoes, and veggies bathing in butter tonight.  However, I couldn't go too crazy with kale, spinach, broccoli rabe, and other green-colored dishes.  I had to serve my three picky children something they would actually swallow.  It's always unpleasant to watch Jack (4) run over to the trash can and spit out the contents of his mouth.  Therefore, I stuck with what is rapidly becoming a cheap and easy old reliable.  I cooked up Brazilian fare:  rice and beans, pao de quejo, and fried bananas.  For my children, I included grilled chicken.  Ms. T brought a colorful fruit plate. 

For dessert, I served black bean brownies.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Brownies made from pureed black beans and completely gluten free.  I tried to hide the mystery ingredient from Ms. T., but my children couldn't keep the secret longer than three seconds.  On a side note:  never tell anyone under the age of five to keep a secret.  It's physically impossible.  Ms. T. loved the brownies, asked for the recipe, and took home a plate for her children.

Like our other dinner guests, Ms. T. is a warm and interesting person.  She can talk intelligently about a wide range of topics:  yoga, nutrition, personal fitness, spirituality, politics, parenting, books, and managing a business.  Ms. T. is a good friend and neighbor.  I hope she has no plans of moving anytime soon.  I need her commitment to healthy eating and exercise to magically rub off on me.   It helps to be inspired by someone like Ms. T.