Tyson Cooks Chicken Shwarma
I spent Memorial Day weekend in Iowa with my friend, Jeanie and her family. My oldest daughter, Molly, and her family were also there. That meant 8 kiddos, 6 of Jeanie's 8 grands and 2 of my 6,(in total ages 2-8), in constant--and I do mean--constant motion. The weather cooperated. Hank only ran out once and actually came trotting back to Jeanie's in short order. Communal cooking equated to fabulous meals. I posted on Facebook that I LOVE the Come to the Table service that St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in West Des Moines, where Jeanie is a Deacon, offers on Sunday night at 5 p.m. Regardless of your religious denomination, if you live in the Des Moines area, be there on Sunday night or be square.
On Monday, I drove over with the Smiths to Iowa City where Jeanie's son (and my son from another mother) Tyson and his family live to celebrate Eleanor Smith's 6th birthday. Still 8 kids, still constant motion, still loads of love.
Tyson has not been known for his culinary prowess but here he was, in the kitchen when we arrived, marinating chicken for Chicken Shwarma, of all things, a Cooking with the NY Times recipe! Seems he's been inspired by a friend who is into cooking to ramp it up in the kitchen. Needless to say, I was impressed and his wife is delighted.
In fact, much of the cooking over the weekend was conducted by the Next Generation (a la Star Trek: The Next Generation). Jeanie and Bill used to very lovingly refer to their parents as "The Olds." When my aunt died, her son, my cousin John said to me, "Well, this just moves us up one more rung on the ladder." Now this is us. The Olds, one rung higher on the ladder.
Which is excruciatingly, exhilaratingly, precisely where we belong.
We are all asked, nay, required, to make the hand off to the next generation. As President Kennedy said in his inaugural address, "the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans." (He also said that this new generation was "...unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world." As The Olds, this is also our work--to ensure that the next generation understands their responsibilities. End Political Statement).
We do this by stepping back. Not inserting ourselves into conversations into which we were not included. When the cooking begins, we pour ourselves an Adult Beverage ™ and hie away from the kitchen or barbeque or wherever the meal preparation may be taking place. No back seat driving. We graciously accept the challenge of not weighing in on how the Next Generation is choosing to parent our beloved grandchildren--at least not until we are well out of their earshot.
Remember the old saw about giving your children roots and wings? In essence, that's what this is all about. And as with so many things worth doing, boy, is it hard.
Dan is hanging on to his well deserved pinnacle atop the Breakfast Parent ladder. The day is coming, however, when he will ease down a rung as one of the Next Generation takes a step forward.
Cooking:
This past weekend I finally found a nearby grocery store that sells pappardelle so I prepped to make Pappardelle with Greens and Ricotta. We were invited to our son's for dinner, so I offered to bring along the ingredients for this dish which we served as a side. Rating: delicious. There were leftovers, so the next night I sauteed some onions and broccoli along with ground pork, then added that to the remaining pasta dish. That also merits a delicious. For the record, I am fond of anything that can be combined and eaten out of a bowl and this fit the bill perfectly.
As I was cooking the dish, my son noticed I was reading the recipe off my phone. "Is this one of your New York Times things?" he asked. When I replied that it was, he said, "I suppose this is going to be in your blog. Don't mention me by name. Just call me Voldemort."
The son remains anonymous and I'm not sure he would answer to Voldemort if you saw him on the street, but then again, how are we Olds to know what the Next Generation might do?
On Monday, I drove over with the Smiths to Iowa City where Jeanie's son (and my son from another mother) Tyson and his family live to celebrate Eleanor Smith's 6th birthday. Still 8 kids, still constant motion, still loads of love.
Tyson has not been known for his culinary prowess but here he was, in the kitchen when we arrived, marinating chicken for Chicken Shwarma, of all things, a Cooking with the NY Times recipe! Seems he's been inspired by a friend who is into cooking to ramp it up in the kitchen. Needless to say, I was impressed and his wife is delighted.
In fact, much of the cooking over the weekend was conducted by the Next Generation (a la Star Trek: The Next Generation). Jeanie and Bill used to very lovingly refer to their parents as "The Olds." When my aunt died, her son, my cousin John said to me, "Well, this just moves us up one more rung on the ladder." Now this is us. The Olds, one rung higher on the ladder.
Which is excruciatingly, exhilaratingly, precisely where we belong.
We are all asked, nay, required, to make the hand off to the next generation. As President Kennedy said in his inaugural address, "the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans." (He also said that this new generation was "...unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world." As The Olds, this is also our work--to ensure that the next generation understands their responsibilities. End Political Statement).
We do this by stepping back. Not inserting ourselves into conversations into which we were not included. When the cooking begins, we pour ourselves an Adult Beverage ™ and hie away from the kitchen or barbeque or wherever the meal preparation may be taking place. No back seat driving. We graciously accept the challenge of not weighing in on how the Next Generation is choosing to parent our beloved grandchildren--at least not until we are well out of their earshot.
Remember the old saw about giving your children roots and wings? In essence, that's what this is all about. And as with so many things worth doing, boy, is it hard.
Dan is hanging on to his well deserved pinnacle atop the Breakfast Parent ladder. The day is coming, however, when he will ease down a rung as one of the Next Generation takes a step forward.
Cooking:
This past weekend I finally found a nearby grocery store that sells pappardelle so I prepped to make Pappardelle with Greens and Ricotta. We were invited to our son's for dinner, so I offered to bring along the ingredients for this dish which we served as a side. Rating: delicious. There were leftovers, so the next night I sauteed some onions and broccoli along with ground pork, then added that to the remaining pasta dish. That also merits a delicious. For the record, I am fond of anything that can be combined and eaten out of a bowl and this fit the bill perfectly.
As I was cooking the dish, my son noticed I was reading the recipe off my phone. "Is this one of your New York Times things?" he asked. When I replied that it was, he said, "I suppose this is going to be in your blog. Don't mention me by name. Just call me Voldemort."
The son remains anonymous and I'm not sure he would answer to Voldemort if you saw him on the street, but then again, how are we Olds to know what the Next Generation might do?
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