I could use my column this week to urge all readers to vote. I hope you do and I hope we’ve provided you with some good information from local candidates to help you make your decision. …
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I could use my column this week to urge all readers to vote. I hope you do and I hope we’ve provided you with some good information from local candidates to help you make your decision. I’m grateful to those who responded to the questionnaires and disappointed with those who didn’t. Maybe they had a good reason for not doing so, but it would’ve been a chance for them to connect with voters.
I’m sure we’re all pretty burned out with politics, so that won’t be the topic of my musings this week. We all need a break.
Do you know what else I need a break from? Trying to figure out what to make for dinner every night. I know I’ve talked about this in the past, but it’s still a mystifying task. When the subject enters my brain, my mind goes completely blank and it’s like I’ve forgotten every meal I’ve ever made.
During the week, I try to come up with things that are easy, liked by all and good for you. I also strive not to rely on fast food or processed junk out of a box, but who has time to be Betty Crocker when you’re at a kid activity every night? My husband’s football team is in the playoffs (they play Ellsworth this week in fact), so he’s no help. My sons went right from football practice every night to basketball practice, so no room to breathe there. My oldest is in his school musical, so practices are in full swing. Thank goodness for Carolina, who helps me decide things to make when my mind is blank. Her softball and volleyball seasons are finished, so she has a break from everyday activities.
We’ve been making a lot of meals from the 2018 Pierce County 4-H Cookbook. I’ve been drawn to the hotdish/casserole recipes, because they are easy to throw together and can bake in the oven while I do other things. And you can hide vegetables in them so the kids consume them without noticing. So far, the definite favorite has been Evy Johnson’s Chicken & Broccoli Bake. I’ve made it at least once a week for the past two months and no one ever gets sick of it. So thank you, Evy! Your recipe is a huge hit in the Nigbor household.
Another thing that makes cooking a challenge is dealing with teens’ constantly changing tastes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a believer that kids eat what is set before them, whether they like it or not. I take the time to cook it, you eat it. But I do try to make things I know they’ll like. However, that’s hard to do when one minute Ethan hates toast, the next minute he loves it. Or if Carolina declares war on corn one week, but can’t live without it the next. I’ve had Dawson at the table weeping over the thought of eating a tomato, yet he loves salsa and pizza. And don’t get me started on Lincoln’s sheer hatred of vegetables. If you want to see someone howl, set cooked carrots in front of him. He’d prefer if all vegetables were made of Skittles.
And so the mealtime battle rages on. I thought this would get easier as they got older. One child declared, “If I were president, I would make it illegal to force innocent children to eat cabbage.” If you’re looking for a write-in candidate, perhaps this is a platform you can get behind.