New Year's Cooking

Last night we observed a three-year family tradition of dining with the kids at a local Mexican Restaurant (3 Margaritas) and richly enjoying the chips and salsa, lemonade (children) and margaritas (mom and dad). We returned home for our annual "dance party" in the living room, alternatively grooving to 80's hits, children's favorites, and salsa. As predictors go, this night works for me as an indicator of health, happiness and fun in 2010. We enjoy sharing the night with our kids - and I really enjoying going to bed early as staying up to midnight is hardship duty for me these days!

Unfortunately my dancing abilities were impaired by my one margarita and by the cheese sauce that adorned my enchiladas espinacas. Dietary issues formed an ongoing blockade to enjoyment of holiday meals (both literally and figuratively) for all of my stomach-challenged family. Nearly all of my four siblings suffer from a form of gluten and/or dairy intolerance and I have both celiac disease and the inability to process casein. My children show intolerance to gluten and to dairy - I have tested one child and he shares my genes for this failure - sorry, honey. All of our problems with processing made it ironic and sad to watch "Julie and Julia," which we did last night after the kiddos went to bed.

I'd love to make it a New Year's resolution to become a better cook - all victims of my recent dinner invitations and potluck contributions will recognize that my cooking skills require an upgrade. I need to protest that I used to be an able enough cook, but am worn down by the scarcity of ingredients we can actually consume (a relatively new hurdle) and by lack of time in the family's hectic calendar. I feel defeated by the fact that none of the pre-prepared meals at CostCo are digestible by me or my crew - the breathing space allowed by these meals used to give me time and space to create something edible from scratch at least twice per week. Now that I am on the hook virtually every night with few prepared meals or restaurants to help out my creativity sags, my interest wanes, and my poor husband looks at my evening offerings with sorrow.

At least we're healthy and not overfed, I often tell myself, but my cooking indicates to me a lack of success as a mom and occasionally as a neighbor, when I have to stoop to Safeway chickens and prepackaged rice as a gift meal. I tell myself that I will be able to cook one day, when the children leave home and I have more time, but who knows if that will come to pass, or if my husband will still be here. The temptation to leave me for a leggy chef like a 2010 Julia Child would probably be great! Perhaps I will settle for "Julie's" blogging success and abandon the cooking expertise displayed in the film. Certainly our waistlines will be preserved if I focus more on writing than cooking.

Whatever you decide to focus your efforts on in 2010 I wish you luck . . . and health . . . and happiness.