My Little Kingdom

A day in the life of me and my kingdom. Thoughts of a mother of four amazing little boys, a wife of an incredible husband and a woman trying not to forget about herself.

January 27, 2007

Dinner & A Show

Yup, it’s another night at the Moll home. Ok, so I gave Cameron a Mexican cookbook for Christmas (among other things of course). Why, one may wonder. He lived and served among the Mexican people for two years. He grew to love some of the dishes they served down there. Any time we go to a Mexican restaurant (which is often) he tries the Chile relleno. He tells me how authentic the place is from the way they make their refried beans ,guac and their chips and salsa. I’ve always had a liken’ for Mexican food myself so naturally it became my quest to learn their ways of cooking it. I’ve already mastered the guacamole. A recipe Cameron brought back from Mexico himself and taught me. I will be honest I never touched guacamole until Cameron made it and it’s the only guacamole I will eat.

Today I braved it. It was grocery day and I bought for the first time ever an aneheim chile. Ok, two of them. The recipe called for six, but I know we wouldn’t eat six and I’ve never really eaten one. So, I bought two. It felt pretty cool. Especially since those peppers are always sitting high on their shelf in the produce section taunting me. Laughing at my tried and true dishes that I can make blindfolded with my arms tied behind my back.

In case you didn’t know dinner making time at our home is a bit chaotic to begin with. My oldest is just home from school and all that energy that he’s had to keep pent up all day well you guessed, it’s being unleashed in monumental proportions. Everyone is looking for pre-dinner snacks and has the late afternoon fidgets. My youngest times it so that everyday at this time he reeeeally needs me to carry him and hold him and right now. So trying to make dinner is like trying to win the Olympic’s triathlon with one arm tied behind my back, a cement block secured to one of my legs, a 25 lb octopus clinging to my side and don’t forget to spin me in circles until I can’t see straight let alone think straight. Needless to say trying something new, something I’d actually have to follow a recipe to, that doesn’t happen very often. And that’s what I dared to attempt today.

So, the boys are creating their own recipe of fun, Hudson is clinging on to my pant leg pulling me down to sea level and I have ingredients all over the counters, floor and me. Now where did I put that cookbook, it was just right here? I haven’t used a cookbook in who knows how long. Come to think of it, it was kind a fun. Now, that’s not to say I can’t cook, I just stick with what I know it’s easier and safer that way, under the circumstances. Ok, so there is a fruit salad being made to the left of me, guacamole directly in front, ingredients for taco salad to the right, a homemade chile relleno sauce bubbling behind me and the big chiles in my grip. First I learned that you really do need to char the whole pepper pretty good to be able to peel the tough outer skin off. You live and learn and now we’re down to one chile. Good thing we’re having taco salad stuff to go with it. I continue juggling Hudson from my hip to the floor, to the counter and back around while finishing up the other items on the menu. I stuff the chile, batter and swing it goes into the hot popping oil for a quick golden brown fry and into the oven. I hate popping hot oil and that’s what I was doing to avoid getting splattered by it’s sting. Ah, what a relief the chile relleno was in the oven and I had ten minutes to finish getting everything on the table when I realize I forgot the refried beans. A close call, but I slid them in too.

Sitting down to eat in a very un-orderly fashion I think I let out a sigh and we began our meal. Cameron loved the Chile Relleno. It was a homerun! I scored big time. He said it tasted just like the ones he had in Mexico, along with the beans (I used my secret method of preparing for an authentic flavor), double whammy! Not to mention the authentic guac and homemade lime aid. It was a pretty darn good meal, for him at least. The boys managed to pick at what ever appealed to their taste and doused the rest with ketchup. Cameron enjoyed it so much that he complimented, “we don’t need to go out for good Mexican food when we can get it right here.” Well, maybe. It was no easy task all for ONE chile relleno.
So not only did I dare to attempt, I conquered with loud roars of approval.

Ok, so you thought that was the show, not quite. During dinner our oldest was picking through his dinner plate taking bites only a flea could see while whencing and seizuring with every ‘bite’ while at the other end of the table his brother had his pant leg pulled up to his thigh making the cut on his knee (which was in the shape of an angry face) talk in a grouchy voice and say, “look, I’m angry”. We’re not done yet, on the other side of the table yet another brother was rolling around doing summersaults in, under and around his chair and on the very far end in the highchair the very youngest who is the next greatest magician managed to somehow get his shoe off and in his salsa, get out of his seat and was hunkered over like an old man doing some strange little dance humming some strange little tune with his diaper and pants down around his knees.

And there you have a dinner and a show at the Moll home. And for those of you wondering what’s on the menu for the next showing, it’s best if you just show up unannounced to enjoy talent in it’s greatest and rawest form.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm laughing so hard, I keep going back and reading your adventure. Thanks for writing this down, it's your style that makes it so fun. It helps to remember that this family stuff is funny, even when it is terribly stressful at the moment.

10:36 AM  

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