Family Dinner with Macadamia Fun

Yesterday we had our very first sit down dinner at our folding banquet table - we sold our dining table on craigslist when we moved to Costa Rica last year. But hooray for me for making dinner! Woo-hoo! But I have a long way to go. I want to be a good cook and to have lovely looking dinners for my family and a nicely decorated table, but it's never seemed to all come together, even when we weren't moving or packing up. It didn't tonight - we did it, but it wasn't domestically pretty and or an exotic cuisine, but someday. Once I finish all the other stuff on my too long to-do list, right? As for now, the kids are happy with mashed potatoes and chicken nuggets, so we'll start with that and work our way up.


I also received a package yesterday from Cutter - we found each other's blogs through BodyRockTV. After she saw our sad excuse for lunch sacks in Chile, she sweetly offered to share her sewing and creative talents with us and send us some lunch bags she makes - Cutter, thank you so much, you are the cutest!

Ketchup faced Abi holding her pink and yellow lunch sack - she held it up but put it down as the camera flashed...

The kids love the lunch sacks, although Melodie's been walking around with it as her purse today and Ethan took his with him camping tonight - it's been raining the past 9 days but did clear up this afternoon, I hope they don't get rained on!

Anyway, in each sack was a can of Hawaiian macadamia nuts or Hawaiian tropical jam or some other island treat. I am grateful that she didn't send more than one can of the chocolate and toffee covered macademias, cause I am ashamed to say I ate the whole thing of 4 servings at over 200 calories each (oh, the lack of self control I have, but they were so tasty!) in less than an hour and would have probably eaten another can by myself had there had been another. Yes, my tongue loves chocolates and thus why I've gained 20 lbs the past year. Well, I guess the pregnancy and crazy hormones might also be to blame a little for that. :)

So, and here I'm finally getting to my story to share - there was a can of Hot Mustard Wasabi Macadamia. I ate two for some variety as I work my way down to the bottom on the chocolate covered nuts can, then I thought it would be fun to save them and share with the kids and see their reaction... then came dinner time. As they dined on mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, and Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets (from Costco! such a big bag!!) I put out a little bowl of the nuts on the table and shared with them where they came from and the sweet package we received from a friendly stranger, with the invitation "Who's brave enough to try one?" Dad went first, and while he did chew it, he didn't swallow. Corey's 2 cents "Those nuts have no redeeming qualities."


Of course the kids interest was piqued after seeing their father squirm. Who's brave? Ethan and Melodie licked a nut and freaked out laughing and screaming, which made Wesley and Abi laugh at this game. Wesley volunteered "I'll try one!" and he didn't lick, he bit it and in an instant was freaking out. We helped him to the sink to spit it out and gave him some milk.

Look at those sad little eyes, "I don't want to eat those again, Mom."

Abi wanted to try one and took a bite and then she freaked out, all the older siblings were laughing, Corey was laughing, and I was trying to mend the damage done to my innocent toddlers from this experiment I started. I still wanted the older kids to try one. The kids would trick each other and us by eating a honey glazed nut pretending it was a wasabi, then fake freaking out. Melodie finally did really try one, and I got a good picture of her going for a glass of water for some relief.


Pretty funny stuff, we had a fun family dinner laughing and trying something new, thanks again Cutter! The fine dining will come someday, but as for now, we're pretty good and fun and crazy.