Wine always pairs nicely with whine....

I love to cook. Always have. Before we had kids (ah, back in the day), I used to read Bon Appetit regularly and flag pages with recipes I wanted to try. Needless to say, Ames loved this phase in our lives, and I feel sure, he has missed those wonderful meals that have been replaced with chicken, french fries, frozen peas and pizza. Now that our kids are getting older and things are a bit more manageable (did I say that out loud???), I find it easier to cook again. I'm also always in the market for quick, healthy recipes to try. I have been daunted by the idea of hours in the kitchen when all I really have is a good twenty minutes to spare at best. I also get pretty sick and tired of cooking for little urchins who begin complaining about dinner before it is even on the table....case in point tonight. Will walks into the kitchen post-bath and sees roasted tomatoes with homemade pesto waiting on a cookie sheet. In one long whining breath he says "ohmomyuckidon'tlikethatdowehavetoeatit?" Nice. Nothing like a little positive reinforcement in the workplace to make the worker bees feel like they are doing a good job. I must say, however, that once we sat down to eat our meal (Parmesan crusted pork tenderloin, almond rice pilaf and the aforementioned tomatoes), the kids did a pretty good job. There was actually a moment there where I thought to myself "I can do this...they are going to eat what I make!" Ames and I even reminisced about our days in Europe eating fresh pesto from Pesto, Italy and wonderful goat cheeses from the south of France....ah the good ol days! Tomorrow's meal of tilapia piccata and orzo with spinach and pine nuts should tell the tale. I will relish in my moment of glory tonight before the whining, refusing, cajoling, complaining begins anew. One of these days my kids are gonna thank me for exposing them to more than chicken and french fries...yea right. And we wonder, how is it we finish a bottle of wine each night at dinner....hmmmm!