I have a lot of mom friends who have mastered the art of cooking family dinners with ease.

Me on the other hand? Not so much.

Now, if there was an award for whipping shit together in less than 15 minutes. I would be a total rock star.

In fact, Declan was asked to tell his preschool class last year his favorite meal from mom. At his Mother’s Day celebration, we all read what our child wrote:

Impressed?

At the time, I was absolutely mortified. Until I realized that Bridget’s mom learned her daughter’s favorite meal was ramen. No judgement here. Although, I didn’t know ramen existed after college.

Those who know me well know I am very type ‘A’. I am very organized and like to plan for everything. I also like to eat healthy and you will always find an abundance of fruits and veggies in my house. But I am completely inefficient in the kitchen and I hate cooking. The whole process of putting it together in a wonderful masterpiece called ‘supper’ is not a talent of mine.

This is the thing.  I get home from getting the kids after work around 4:45 p.m. While this may seem early, if I don’t have dinner on the table by 5 p.m., all hell breaks loose. Literally. You would think my two-year old hasn’t seen a morsel of food all day. I barely get my shoes off and the exorcist comes alive. It’s absurd.

And I can’t plan ahead. I mean I could, but I suck at that, too. My friend Michelle plans a full calendar of meals ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE. God love her. I call her Martha.

I don’t even THINK about what to make for dinner until 4:46 p.m.

It’s a problem.

So for the most part, we stick to the basics….grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, hotdogs, spaghetti, enchiladas (don’t be impressed, they are totally lame.  My husband told me), and home-made pizza.

But, I will give myself a little credit – I do cook a little. I mean, I use the crock pot.  I can make a mean stir fry, and some have even said my hard-boiled eggs are to die for.

I try to stay away from processed food.  But sometimes we have corndogs (as you can see, I can’t even make CORNDOGS without burning them).

When my kids wake up at 5:45 a.m. and are hungry for breakfast #2 by 10 a.m., sometimes we go get powdered donuts.

Sometimes my two-year old rules the house and I give in.

…and let them eat dinner in front of the TV.

And when I completely give up, we just go out….

Maybe I will take a cooking class this year and learn some fancy techniques.  Or, maybe just start with the basics.  Like, how to boil water without it overflowing EVERY DAMN TIME I make macaroni and cheese.

Maybe I can blame my mom.  She did earn the nick name ‘Chicken  à la Hockey Puck’ after all.

Or, I can just accept this isn’t my finest skill set. I am however, always open to all and any suggestions.

BUT I have strict criteria:

• No more than 5 ingredients. And nothing that includes sifting, mincing, basting, dredging, or schlepping (I may have made that one up)
• I have to be able to get ingredients at Super Target. Nothing organic or fancy. If I have to go to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, it’s not gonna happen.
• Kid-friendly.  In my house, this means no spices, vegetables, sauces, or flavor.  So, what I should have said is gross-friendly.
• Prep time + cooktime MUST be less than 45 minutes.

Whatcha got?

Yours truly, Julia Child