Leeks and Rutabagas

It's become clear to me that I've made a terrible, tremendous parenting mistake. I don't think it's undoable, either. My kids are extremely comfortable in the kitchen, you see. They plan meals, they make meals, they... experiment with foods and... encourage me try new things.

I can't say why they do this. I never made them sit at the table until they cleaned a plate. I never forced veggies. I never withheld desserts. It's true, a couple of times I might have slipped into some of my mother's old grooves and demanded they have a bite (a single bite!) of something I made that ended up looking unappetizing to one or another of them. Every mom has her not-so-proud moments.

Food in our house, like everything, has been part of the ongoing conversation. Why did we join the CSA? Why do we shop the farmers market before making meal plans? Why do we "fill in" with what we do and why do we avoid certain foods (mostly). Are we, indeed, what we eat? And why would it be better to be a carrot than a Cheeto?

A while back Middle Munchkin served us a meal called Hobo Pie. It was a vegetarian fare involving leeks and rutabagas. I can't tell you if I'd ever eaten leeks before. Possibly, but they aren't something I go out of my way for. I can tell you that rutabagas are not at the top of the list of foods I want to be. I've been known to eat a turnip, but don't go out of my way for them.

Munchkin Boy has been cooking quite a bit, of late. He's now into tweaking recipes and inventing his own. He's had several winners, and a couple of losers. (We dehydrated the split pea mush soup with the idea that maybe we could use it to "flavor" egg noodles.) Jury is still out on that one.

Last weekend when we were putting together the grocery list, I have to admit that I cringed when he asked his sister where she found that Hobo Pie recipe. It was actually a decent meal, but it didn't move me to long for leeks and rutabagas. It looks as if they will be on the table again tonight, however.

He's making what he is calling Tamale Muffins.

As much as I loved those tamales (they were one of his winning dishes) I'm a little anxious about this new recipe. I will try it, like a good mom, and I will give my honest feedback.
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Update: Tamale Muffins were a hit. I ate three of them, and now I'm craving more.