Eating our Gs

I've been so proud of B's willingness to try new foods this summer (despite the fact that he hasn't liked the vast majority of them). I must have jinxed it by mentioning my pride in my previous post. I took the kiddos to Dubuque on Monday to visit the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. Many members of my side of the family met us there. I had packed graham crackers to surprise them with a sweet treat on the long drive home, but before that, we all went to lunch at Olive Garden. My plans for later in the week had included my purchasing and making gnocchi, which would be our new G food. When I saw there was a Chicken & Gnocchi soup on the menu, I decided it would be much easier to order that and have the kids each try a bite. E proclaimed that it tasted like mac & cheese, and L wasn't a fan. B... Well, B wanted badly to try it because we'd all been talking dessert, and goodness knows he wanted dessert. He also knew that I wouldn't likely get him dessert if he didn't try one tiny little bite of gnocchi first. And yet, he just couldn't bring himself to open his mouth. I don't know what about that little piece of pasta had him so anxious, but the audience at the table didn't help matters. Numerous times I tried to just give up making him taste it, but then he'd start to cry because he really did want to... It was a vicious cycle that downward spiraled into mild hysterics until at least half of the patrons sharing that dining room with us were watching with distaste. I quickly became that crazy mother trying to force-feed her 4 year old. Even my own mother thought I was being terrible. Three times the gnocchi touched B's tongue, only to land on the table three times. No one at the table got dessert because my other family members couldn't pay their checks and get away from us quickly enough. Epic fail. B was fine the rest of the day, of course. Sigh. 

Happy to have that new food out of the way, we all merrily enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches last night. L & I went a little crazier and made ours with Gouda, one of my all time favorite cheeses. 

Tonight we tried out our new recipe for the letter G: German Style Pot Roast. This was quite possibly the best pot roast I've had. The sauce called for an odd combo of ingredients (including, but not limited to, vinegar, ketchup, and... wait for it... a dozen Gingersnaps!). Mr. B was happy to try his pot roast with a dab of extra ketchup and the promise of an extra Gingersnap. I should have recorded him eating it and sent it to the extended family who witnessed Monday's trauma. L ate a plateful, but didn't want more. E went back for seconds (she's always been our best meat eater). I really loved this recipe. 

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*