hide-n-(sensory)-seeking

  Welcome to my new feature, Le Petit Gourmet , starring Grace , one of our resident foodies and aspiring chef. Grace loves to help in the kitchen, she asks frequently to pour, stir, and her favorite, taste test. So in my efforts to help her find her groove, I am acting on one of my goals to really get her more involved in cooking. We can't do this for every meal, sometimes things are just too chaotic, or rushed. But some evenings are much more laid back, especially if Kit had a decent nap in the afternoon. So my goal is to have at least one cooking project a week in which Grace is involved almost in every step. Then she can continue to help with the other meals as life permits. This by no means leaves out Zak. Zak spends a lot of time in the kitchen as well. In fact he makes a mean batch of mac-n-cheese with only us on stand-by these days. And eventually, we plan to assign him one night a week that is his night to cook. So he is getting a well rounded kitchen education. B...

Recently there's been another area where I have let my resolve slip. A lot. I love real food. I also love French fries.  And burgers. The downside to eating real food all the time is how much time one has to spend in the kitchen on a daily basis. A significant amount of time for each meal, which also usually means time must be dedicated to clean up as well. Due to my heightened levels of stress and exhaustion, I have gradually done less and less cooking over the course of these last few months. Many nights over the last couple of weeks I've let Victor do the "cooking" . AKA hitting a drive through (like BKs 2 for $5 sandwich deal), or pizza, or take-out. Definitely not real food, and certainly not healthy. :( We do still keep healthier items in stock at home. Lots of fruit, yogurt, fresh salad greens, frozen and canned veggies for quick prep, as well as frozen shrimp, chicken, and cheeses. For a while I was making my own broth (leftover chicke...