Scott Hutcheson

An East-meets-West Thanksgiving (and recipe for Roasted Cranberry & Jalapeño Chutney)

Originally published in quality newspapers the week of November 15

A month or so ago my wife took our oldest son on a quick trip to California. As I spent some one-on-one time with the younger of my two boys he was a little sad that he wasn’t on the trip. “They’re going to taste different foods and hear different languages,” he whined. Last week I took both my boys on a trip to Louisville and during that trip my young one observed, “I didn’t think people in Kentucky would speak English.”

Although this kindergartner has not yet sorted out his geography and learned what is a different country versus another state, he seems to be showing some early signs of wanderlust. 

The United Kingdom, Mexico, Canada, and Grand Cayman. Those are the only stamps on my passport so I probably don’t qualify as a “world traveler.” I would love to globetrot more but time and money (actually the lack thereof) have kept me from doing so. My wife and are now, however, considering how we can do some international travel with our kids and my job in higher education might make it possible to live abroad for a few months sometime soon.

Even with our limited international travel we’ve managed to learn a lot about other places and cultures and the dinner table is one of the ways we create some teachable moments. A taste of an exotic spice or a bite of unfamiliar fruit can open up a whole new world.

One of my most distinct childhood food memories is my first taste of curry. A missionary family, home on furlough, invited my family over for dinner. We ate a wonderful chicken curry, watched slides of their missions work, and talked about their experiences until late into the night. 

Over the years I’ve become friends with several people from India and had the opportunity to cook together with some of them. Indian food has become one of my absolute favorites. I was talking recently with one my friends about Thanksgiving and learned that his family enjoys a delicious mix of traditional American and Indian foods for their celebration. 

So this Thanksgiving I’ve decided to incorporate some of the flavors of the East into our Western holiday. I love Indian chutney and decided to make one with cranberries instead of the standard relish we usually make. This version calls for roasting the cranberries along with a jalapeño pepper. The roasting deepens the flavor of the berries and mellows the pepper. A little orange zest brightens it up and some Indian spices warm it up. I did a trial run this week and it works wonderfully with roasted turkey.

I’m hoping my youngest son will especially enjoy the chance to “eat different foods” and this Thanksgiving I plan on teaching him to say “dhanyavad pradan” which means “we give thanks” in Hindi.

Roasted Cranberry & Jalapeño Chutney

• 1 lb fresh cranberries, rinsed
• 1 medium orange
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly coat the parchment with cooking spray then spread the cranberries on it in a single layer. Place the pepper on the parchment as well and roast in the oven for 45 minutes until the pepper begins to brown and the cranberries have burst open. 

Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes until the pepper is cool enough to handle. Using a paring knife, split the pepper lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and membrane from the inside of each half. Dice the pepper into small pieces and place them in a medium bowl along with the cranberries. Zest the orange adding the zest to the bowl then cut the orange in half and add the juice. Next, stir in the salt and spices. 

Let the chutney sit for about an hour to let the flavors develop. This can be prepared a couple days ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator. This makes two cups.

Bat Burgers

Originally published in quality newspapers on the week of October 25, 2010

“There’s something flying around in here,” whispered my wife as she nudged me out of my slumber. As soon as my eyes adjusted to the dark I could see it, thanks to the light from the streetlamp that was spilling through our bedroom curtains. “A really big moth” was my first thought but that initial speculation quickly gave way to the reality. It was a bat.

The next few minutes included me screaming like a little girl, running out the room slamming the bedroom door behind me leaving both my wife trapped with the bat. I returned quickly with a broom and eventually managed to make contact with one of my swipes, knocking the bat to the ground atop a pair of my wife’s jeans that were on the floor. I scooped up the jeans, bat and all, and tossed them, out the front door.

That was our family’s first encounter with a bat but it was not our last. Living in a 102 year-old home, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that a critter finds it way inside now and then. We occasionally have to set a mousetrap and we seem to get a bat every couple of years.

My sons find the bat episodes both freaky and a little bit cool at the same time. The last few years for Halloween I’ve cooked up a scary dinner and this year I told them we’re having Bat Burgers in honor of our occasional nocturnal visitors.

Portabella mushrooms make a terrific bat patty and I’ve come up with a pattern, which can be found on my website, to help carve out the shape of a bat. I’m adding some roasted garlic mayo to be sure they don’t turn into vampires on Halloween night.

 Bat Burgers

• 4 large portabella mushrooms caps
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about two large cloves)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Cracked black pepper to taste

 Garlic Mayonnaise

• 1 head of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Cracked black pepper
• ½ cup of jarred mayonnaise

To prepare the mayonnaise, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use a knife to cut the top of the head of garlic exposing some of the cloves. Place the head cut side up on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil then top with a pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of the pepper grinder. Gather up the foil around the garlic closing it up. Place in the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven, open foil and let cool enough to touch. Squeeze the garlic out of each clove and place in a small mixing bowl. Use the back of the spoon to smash the garlic into a smooth paste. Mix in the mayo. This can be prepared ahead and can keep covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 

For the burgers, wipe off each of the mushroom caps with a clean dry cloth and remove the stems. Use a small knife to cut out the shape of a bat (click on the template to the left to enlarge it). In a small bowl mix together all the ingredients for the marinade. Place the mushrooms top down in a shallow dish and drizzle on the marinade. Let stand at room temperature for one hour. Preheat oven to 375 and place the mushrooms top up on a baking sheet and cook for 20-30 minutes or until browned and softened.

I like to serve these on a good-quality bun topped with provolone cheese and roasted red peppers, which you can find jarred in the pickle isle of your grocery. To get the most out of the presentation, I like to put the buns in the broiler cut side up with the peppers and cheese on the top side so the buns can warm and the cheese can melt. Spread the roasted garlic mayo on the bottom bun then place a “bat” on the bottom bun.

State Fair: Corndogs & Daisy Dukes (and recipe for Corndog Casserole)

Originally published in quality newspapers on August 12, 2010

Back when I was a younger there were two primary reasons I went to the fair: corndogs and girls. In my earliest memories the former was atop of that list. The corndog had a lot going for it. Like popsicles and lollipops it was served on a stick. Anything on a stick was a hit in my book. Second it was fried and who can resist the crispy deliciousness of cooking anything in hot oil? Lastly, it was a food that could be dipped. I was ketchup AND mustard man, creating a swirling Jackson Pollock-like masterpiece with every bite.

Somewhere along the line girls became more important than corndogs and the fair was a great place to find gaggles of them. I came of age during the “Daisy Dukes” era of female summer attire which made those hot and steamy summer nights just a little more hot and steamy for this particular adolescent male.

It’s state fair season in my neck of the woods, as well as in many other states, and as a 45 year old man I’ve found that I’ve outgrown both corndogs and women who can pull off the Daisy Dukes. I usually end up hitting the state fair a couple of times and those deep-fried, cornbread-covered hotdogs on a stick are no temptation at all. I head, instead, to the area of the fairgrounds where the agricultural producers show off their products. Ribeye steak sandwiches from the beef producers and chops from the pork folks is where I choose to spend my cash.

It seems, however, that corndogs are not completely out of my life. My two sons have, apparently, inherited my early love of the corndog and it’s their fair food of choice. I’m pretty particular about what my kids eat but usually cave in for the once-a-year state fair corndog experience.   

This week I was thinking about post-fair life and wondering if I could create a healthier alternative to give them a corndog fix during the other 51 weeks of the year. I set out to make a corndog casserole that avoided the deep fryer. Although certainly not health food, I used lean turkey hotdogs and served it with fresh fruit and felt pretty good about feeding it my kids. They enjoyed it but were disappointed that no sticks were involved.

At ages nine and five I know I only have a few more summers before girls will surpass corndogs as the primary reason my boys want to go to the fair, in the meantime I’m going to enjoy this less complicated time when thoughts of corndogs rather than Daisy Dukes occupy their brains.   

Corndog Casserole

• 1 package (8) hotdogs, sliced is 1/3 inch slices
• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8-ounce) package Jiffy corn muffin mix
• 1 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is warming up, heat a nonstick sauté pan to high heat and brown the hotdog slices until they begin to brown then remove from heat. In a large bowl, stir together both cans of corn, Jiffy, sour cream, and melted butter, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Spray a 9 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and then add the hotdogs then pour the corn mixture on top. Bang the pan gently on the counter top to help the corn mixture settle then smooth over with a spatula. Bake casserole for 60 minutes or until the top is nicely browned. Let stand for about ten minutes before serving. This recipe serves four to five and warms back up well.

Do Chickens Have Fingers?

Originally published in quaility newspapers on June 3, 2010

One of the great joys of my life is having a ringside seat to watch my young children encounter the world and figure it all out. The other day I listened to them have a ten-minute conversation about whether or not chicken’s had fingers. I didn’t intervene but enjoyed rather, being a spectator as they explored the question from all angles and finally agreeing on a position. The conversation started with the question, “Why do they call them chicken fingers?,” progressed to the consensus that they don’t, then moved to the conclusion that chicken fingers are called chicken fingers because either (a) they are easy to eat with one’s fingers, or (b) they are human finger-like in their shape.

Chicken fingers are a ubiquitous feature on many restaurant children’s menus and they are often the first choice for my hungry progeny. We sometimes let them go with their first choice but often steer them toward a more health choice than the nearly always-fried restaurant chicken fingers.

While grocery shopping recently I came upon some chicken tenders on sale and thought I would take on the challenge of creating a healthier home-cooked chicken finger. Consulting with friends about their favorite coatings or breadings for chicken, I learned about a variety of options ranging from highfalutin foodie fare to the deliciously whacky.

One super health-conscious (and I’m assuming very “regular”) friend recommended oat bran, wheat germ, flax seed, and almonds; a resourceful mom told me that Cheez-its work in a pinch; and a couple different friends rely on panko breadcrumbs for lots of crunch. A informed me that chicken fingers with dried morel mushrooms (pulsed in a spice grinder) and served with a blue cheese Bechamel were so good they could light up a room. I got another tip from someone who remembers a restaurant version that was breaded in Cap’n Crunch cereal.

Contemplating my own version, I determined that I would bake instead of fry so I wanted a flavorful coating that didn’t need deep fried to taste good. A recent snack of gingersnaps and milk was fresh on my mind and taste buds and I wondered how they might work. After some experimentation, I ended up with an unusual and tasty chicken finger.

The gingersnaps deliver a unexpected zing and adding some panko breadcrumbs resulted in extra crunch. A little homemade honey mustard dipping sauce and we were good to go. My kids enjoyed them as did the adults at the table. At our house we’ve settled the “do chickens have fingers” debate and decided in the process that our fingers should have chicken more often.

Ginger Snap Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

• About 20 ginger snap cookies, crushed
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon water
• 8 chicken tenders
• Salt and pepper to taste

Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the cookie crumbs and breadcrumbs in a zip-top bag and shake to combine. Put the Dijon and water in a pie plate and stir with a whisk. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place them in the pie plate turning them to coat with the mustard. Place three of the tenders in zip-top bag, resealing and shaking the bag to coat. Remove and place tenders on a rack set atop a baking sheet. Repeat with the additional tenders. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the tenders researches 165 degrees.

Halloween: Memories in the Making (and recipe for Spider Web Pizza)

Originally published in hauntingly delicious newspapers on October 29, 2009

I love Halloween but not in the sacrifice a goat and worship the devil sort of way. You won’t find any zombies or tombstones in my yard and my kid’s won’t be dressed in gory costumes. This year they’ll be disguised as a pint-sized version of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Part of what our family loves about this holiday is that it is a neighborhood affair. We live in the North Meridian area where centuries-old maples line the streets forming a golden fall canopy and porch lights illuminate homes where generations of kids have tricked and treated. Going house to house with our kids we see lots of friends. Kids compare their loot while the adults catch up on each others’ week. 

Sometimes I’m envious of our friends who live in new subdivision with their big backyards and perfect sidewalks but all that envy melts away on Halloween evening when my neighborhood becomes a real-life version of what movie sets and theme park main streets try to copy.  

I have no doubt that for my children, trick or treating in our neighborhood will be a lifelong memory they will cherish their whole lives. When you think about it, memories are all we really bring with us on the journey from childhood into the adult world. Even if you manage to keep friends for a lifetime it is your shared memories that create the bond. 

The dinner table is another place where we try to create some Halloween memories. My wife usually makes some spooky desserts and I concentrate my efforts on a fun entrée. Over the last few years I’ve come up with Stuffed Monster Heads (aka stuffed peppers) and Werewolf Paws (aka calzones). This year it was Spider Web Pizza. I know I’ve only got a few years to have this sort of fun with my kids so we are making the most of it and creating as many memories as we can.
   
Spider Web Pizza
This pizza can be made completely from scratch or you can certainly purchase a ready-made crust and use a jarred sauce. The most essential component is the mozzarella cream sauce used to make the web and the spiders made of olives and carrots.  

Spiders
Canned pitted whole black olives
Carrots

Each olive will make one spider so use as many olives as you like. For each olive, cut eight thin carrot sticks, about the thickness of a toothpick and about two inches long. Use an actual toothpick to poke holes in each side of each olive, ideally four holes per side. The olives I used were on the small side so I could only get three holes per side. I realize that an insect with six legs isn’t technically a spider but I hoped my kids wouldn’t notice or care. Once you have the holes poked, insert a carrot “leg” into each hole. Please the spiders on the pizza prior to baking.

Mozzarella Cream Sauce
3-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3/4 cups heavy cream, heated just until steaming
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella

Over medium-low heat, melt butter in a heavy-bottom, medium sauce pan. Add flour, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking occasionally, for 2-3 minutes; do not let the mixture brown. Whisking constantly, add about two tablespoons of the hot cream to the sauce pan. Add the remaining hot cream in small increments, whisking constantly until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in remaining hot cream and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce is thick and creamy, about ten minutes. Add the mozzarella, stirring until melted and fully incorporated. Let cool for about 30 minutes and then place in a squeezable condiment bottle. After the pizza is cooked, use the squeeze bottle to pipe on a spider web pattern of your choosing. Ig you are uncomfortable using your imagination, you can Google spider webs to find a picture of one.

Mending Both Bone & Spirit

Published in belly-filling newspapers on September 17, 2009

If the 12th visit was free, our punch card would be filled up by now. In just eight years as parents we've been to the ER much more than our share. Other families with boys tell us its par for the course in a testosterone-filled household.

I had my own share of injuries as a kid. There was the rusty nail through my foot from a less than adept kung fu move and a three-inch rip in meatiest part of my thigh courtesy of a rusty piece of sheet metal. You would think I grew up in a scrap yard with the sharp and rusty objects I encountered, but that wasn’t the case. I must have had a built-in metal detector that was stuck on the rust setting.

Since my sister will likely read this I have to also mention the time she “accidently” cut me with scissors and when she slammed my finger in the car door. Thanks, sis. It’s a wonder I reached my tenth birthday with all my digits still firmly attached to my body.

As an adolescent, my injuries came less from running around outside and more from sports – sprained ankles, bruised ribs, and jammed fingers. The black eye was the best badge of courage, not serious enough to put you on the disabled list but visible enough to solicit lots of compassion from the fairer sex. There’s nothing like a black eye to bring out a cheerleader’s inner Florence Nightingale. 

My children, my oldest in particular, loves to swap war stories. He takes in every detail of my tales of maimings and wants to see the scars. He then tells his own stories, exaggerating a bit more each time about the details, like the size of the rock his buddy Robbie pitched at his head when he was three.

As much daredevil as my oldest has in him, it is the youngest that is likely causing my insurance company to rewrite their actuary formulas. This week marked his third broken arm, all occurring within the last 14 months. This was the worst of the three, with the above-the-elbow break requiring a full-arm cast.

Seeing your own child hurt or sick is without a doubt one of life's must burdensome difficulties. My heart aches for families dealing with problems much more serious than broken arms. The most agonizing part of having a child in pain is the feeling of helplessness. Yesterday afternoon our little guy, although not in agony, was certainly uncomfortable. Aside from a dose of children’s pain reliever, there didn’t seem like there was much we could do for him.

As I thought ahead to dinner time, I decided that there was no better time for comfort food and when there was a broken arm in the house and that perhaps a version of macaroni and cheese with an extra boost of calcium might be good for both his bones and his spirit. I headed into the kitchen to whip up a version that included sharp cheddar, cream cheese, sour cream, and butter. It seemed to do the trick, filling his belly and setting him on the road to recovery. Good thing he’s not lactose intolerant.

Bone-Mending Macaroni and Cheese

• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk, heated in microwave
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 8 ounces sour cream 
• 16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly-cracked black pepper to taste
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni according to directions, drain, and return to pot. While the macaroni is cooking, place a large sauce pan over a medium burner, add the butter and melt. Add the flour and stir with a whisk or wooden spoon until golden but not brown. Add the heated milk a little at a time, stirring constantly. After all the milk is added continue stirring until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the cream cheese in chunks so that it melts then add the sour cream and cheddar cheese. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the cheese mixture into the macaroni and stir to combine. Spray a 9”x13" glass casserole dish with cooking spray and pour in the macaroni and cheese. Top with breadcrumbs and bake for 30-45 minutes, the lesser time for a creamier dish. This makes about ten servings.

Lunchtime Fun

Originally published in well-balanced newspapers on August, 13, 2009

Back when I was in school, Monday’s were filled with their own special anticipation. Although it was fun to compare notes with my friends about what adventures our respective weekends held, that conversational exchange was not what got me up and out of bed with a spring in my step. I would like to say that it was a lust for learning that had the good kind of butterflies fluttering about my stomach as the week started, but that wouldn’t be true either.

My Monday morning excitement came from a more basic origin – food. Our family’s go-to noon meal on Sundays was pot roast and there was usually just enough roast leftover for me to have a sandwich for school the next day – white bread, mayo, beef, and salt and pepper. This remains one of my favorite sandwiches. When we have the occasional Sunday roast I’ll purposely eat less of the meat if it increases my chances of a sandwich later.

Other than Mondays, my lunches were pretty routine – a bologna sandwich, chips, fruit, and a dessert. I don’t remember complaining much about the lack of variety. It tasted good to me and that was all that mattered.

Since this week marked the first day back to school it also marks the time of year when my wife and I have to get serious about making lunches for our kids. We’ve had to make lunches off and on over the summer to accommodate their various childcare arrangements but from now through May we’ll be packing lunches every morning except for the occasional day when we’ll opt to buy lunch from school.

My kids are not complainers when it comes to lunch. PB&J everyday would be just fine with them. We, on the other hand, wanted to try some new lunchtime ideas this year and thought some creativity in both the food and the extras might help get the school year started off in an even better way.

I consulted some of my Facebook friends and ended up with some really fun ideas. Here are a few we’ve tried already and others we plan to. If you, like us, are looking to break up the mealtime monotony, you may want to consider some of these creative ideas. 

Kid-kabobs – one friend occasionally packs a lunch full of things that can be eaten with a toothpick – cubes of ham or turkey, cheese, bits of soft pretzel, and grapes. The entire meal can be eaten with toothpicks. She has a girl and admitted that toothpicks in the hands of boys might not be a good idea. Another friend chimed in and noted that she had done something similar using pretzel sticks instead of toothpicks.

Backwards Lunch – This whacky idea includes a note instructing your child to eat dessert first! Even the sandwich was made sort of backwards or at least inside out, with one piece of bread between two slices of lunch meat.

Clip Art – Many of us have included handwritten notes in our little one’s lunches on occasion. You can take this another step by creating notes on the computer using clip art from your child’s favorite TV show or movie. We employed this idea on the first day of school with a color photo of a family of super heroes. The caption we wrote was “We may not be a super hero family but we think it is super that you are in third grade this year!” This turned out to be a big hit.

Shakable Salad – One creative mom packs salad and dry fixings (i.e., nuts, dried cranberries, croutons) in one zip-top bag and dressing in another. Add the dressing to the salad, zip back up and shake.

I hope one or more of these ideas is something you might decide to try. If you’ve got others, why don’t you stop by my website and share them. I want to thank the following Facebook friends for these great ideas – Amanda, Susan, Margy, and Audra.

"Eat It, Just Eat It"

Oliver (4) is both the biggest helper in the garden and the best eater of its bounty. He'll try any vegetable except when he's in a bad mood, then he denies linking anything. With Henry (8), on the other hand, its like we're forcing him to eat cod liver oil whenever we put nearly any vegetable on his plate. The kid doesn't even like corn on the cob. To his credit, he does like lettuce (not just iceberg, the good stuff) and raw spinach. No dressing,just the leaves. He doesn't love it but he'll eat it.

Family Day: Sharing More than Meals

Originally published in light and crispy newspapers on September 21, 2007

As a parent of two boys, I sometimes lie awake at night wondering if either of them will wind up in juvenile detention, or worse. At ages six and two the infractions are not serious. The little one throws toys and sometimes fits and the older one gets warnings at school for things like talking too much, and most recently, ill-timed exercising of his newly-acquired ability to whistle. So far, there do not seem to be any signs of a life of crime. Still, it keeps me on my toes, looking for the most effective ways to parent.

I know I’m not alone. Most moms and dads, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and other adults want the best for the kids in their lives. If we knew of a fool-proof way to assure a happy and productive life for them, we would certainly take advantage of it. Unfortunately there are no guarantees.

There is, however, some rock-solid research that tells us there are steps we can take to significantly reduce the chances of our kids getting mixed up in drinking, smoking, and using other drugs. So, what’s the secret? Well, it is not some new discipline technique or complex parenting theory. It is, in fact, quite simple. Eat dinner with your kids.

The National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has conducted rigorous social science research for over a decade and they have found that compared to kids who have fewer than three family dinners per week, children and teens who have five to seven family dinners per week are: 70 percent lower risk for substance abuse; half as likely to try cigarettes or marijuana; and one-third less likely to try alcohol. In the world of research, these are very significant findings - about as close to a magic bullet as you can get.

Beginning in 2001, CASA began promoting the fourth Monday of each September as Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Kids. This year, Family Day is Monday the 24^th. The purpose of this once-a-year declaration is to remind parents that what kids really need at the dinner table is us.

The actual food on the plate is secondary - whether it is a homemade meatloaf or take-out Chinese - the point is spending time together. Family Day is designed to encourage parents to frequently eat dinner with our kids and be involved in our children’s lives. The conversations that go hand-in-hand with dinner help us learn more about our kids’ lives and help us better understand the challenges our kids face. CASA provides several suggestions for integrating this family practice:

1. Start the pattern of family dinners when children are young;
2. Encourage kids to create menu ideas and participate in meal preparation;
3. Turn off the TV and let voice mail answer calls during dinnertime;
4. Talk about what happened in everyone's day - school, work, extracurricular activities, or current events;
5. Establish a routine (light candles, giving thanks, telling a story to start and end each meal);
6. Play a board game or serve dessert after dinner to encourage the family to continue the conversation; and
7. Keep conversation positive and make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.

With kids who are just six and two I understand that my busiest kid days are ahead of me - sports, music, scouts, church youth group, or whatever. Ask me in 15 years or so how successful we’ve been in having five to seven family meals together each week. We’re going to do what we can to make sure that more often than not, we’re paying attention to both the quality and quantity of our time together. Likely about the time I sleep soundly without worrying about my kids’ futures, I’ll have grandchildren to start worrying about. More information about Family Day is available at www.casafamilyday.org. 

Best Day Ever?

This morning, Henry (age six) asked me what my "best day ever" was. I told him I had three best days - the day I married his mother, the day he was born, and the day his brother was born. He then replied, "My best day ever was the first time I went to Chuck E. Cheese but when I'm older and have more days to choose from, that probably won't be my best day anymore."

BTW, I've decided Chuck E. Cheese is to preadolescence males what Hooters is to post-adolescent males - all the things we love most under one roof. I didn't say I actually GO to Hooters, I just said they have all the things we love - beer, hot wings, big-screen TVs, and...owls...we're quite fond of owls.

What about you? What's your best day ever?