You'll Eat It, You'll Like It, and You'll Be Happy

In one of the last postings I promised a story as to the birth of the monthly menu, and in light of the season of new beginnings, I thought it might be helpful. After all, it's kept my marriage - and the kids - happy.
In the beginning, there were two people who sorta kinda were in love. One was a seasoned young man and the other a starry eyed young girl who really didn't know a lot about much. They honeymooned in the Laurel Mountains, which grew foggy, restricting the ability to do anything other than what they could do at home, so they decided to save the extra money and returned home to their little apartment.
A word about the apartment. It was on the Main Line of Skunk Central (every evening skunks would walk through the side yard. Sit on the front porch at your own risk sort of thing.) It was on the second floor of a duplex, and the large living room window was in a direct line of the town's fire whistle. Our landlords felt so sorry for us that sweltering summer they brought us a window air conditioner for the bedroom - the rest of the apartment was like sitting in a steam bath.We loved that apartment!
I decided to take my last personal day, but DH went back to work to save the day for another time. I went food shopping and bought: 2 steaks; 2 frozen dinners; 1 pound of kielbasa. There might have been a box of mac and cheese. I was totally in my comfort zone. I learned to cook some things from Mima, like roast beef, spaghetti, and some easy things like that. She made stuffed peppers (yuk) and something referred to as Swiss Steak (highly tenderized beef cooked in tomato sauce - double yuk). Apple pie. Pie crusts in general - got that nailed! Well, DH came home from work and I asked which of the delectable treats he'd like for dinner.
His jaw dropped to the floor with a thud. "Is that all you bought?"
Me: "Well, yeah."
DH: "Didn't you look in a cookbook?"
Me: "Huh?"
He sat me down and said, "I will cook for the first three months." And, he did. We never repeated a meal. Turns out we owned cook books (who knew?) and the man can cook. The only meal I balked at was meatballs in some cream sauce. I argued there is a reason Jewish people don't mix meat and milk. (We're not Jewish, but there is a lot of merit in that belief!)
The new phrase was: "You'll eat it, you'll like it, and you'll be happy."
I did not eat the meatballs. Okay, I tried them, but they were just as awful as it sounded, at least, to me.
At the end of the three months, he said, "Now we'll each take a turn. I'll cook one week, and you'll cook the next." Somehow, after thirty-one years, it's come down to me cooking all the time. Guess I've done pretty well or he never would have handed it over. We came to writing down what we'd have that week to what we'd do for two (which is how long it was between pay checks), to making it out for the month so we wouldn't repeat anything.
The method to the madness? Designate a chicken night, a beef night, a pork night, a pasta, and a soup in the winter, salad in the summer. Allow for leftovers (which Moink refuses to eat. So much for eating, liking, and happiness!) That's how we do it. So far, it's worked out just fine. It makes it easier to write out a shopping list. Sometimes meals have to be switched out because of schedules, but there's always something waiting in the wings. (Sometimes you just have to order wings and get take-out!)
I swear by the monthly menu. Christmas falls this week, and that's always standing rib roast and Yorkshire pudding, my favorite meal of the year. I'm going to try a new recipe for Parmesan roasted Brussels sprouts, and Morticia likes mashed potatoes. Ms. Business likes asparagus, so we'll have that, too. Everyone should be able to find something they like. The hardest part was finding out who's coming for dinner and it looks like the whole clan will be here.
If you celebrate Christmas, may the peace and joy of the Christ Child find a place in your heart. If you don't celebrate Christmas, may you find peace in this season of slowly lengthening days, and be sure to come for another visit to the Stress Pool.