Tuesday, February 2, 2010

it's all fun and games until you get punched in the nose

A couple nights ago the kids and I were still eating our homemade tostadas for dinner and Gemma had abandoned her plate of deconstructed fare. Deconstructed is the fancy way of saying "assemble it yourself" or, in the case of a toddler, "piles of ingredients." She pushed her booster chair over by the table and began popping up and down. There are few things as delicious as listening to a baby laugh hysterically at themselves while you eat meaty cheesy guacamole-y goodness on fried tortillas. That is until...

Ah well, all good things have to come to an end, right? I guess it's proof that things can be going along nicely and then BAM, you get socked in the nose. Come to think of it, I think that's life.

When I was younger I used to watch my mom mix up cookies or brownies or whatever it was that we wanted to lick the bowl. I remember wishing she'd leave a spoonful of the stuff so I could just EAT it. Actually, if we're talking wishes, I wanted a bowl of dough/batter to eat. No cookie sheets. No oven. Just a bowl of heaven. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this. I know for a fact my dad used to fantasize about this very thing. Now, my dad has a lot of good ideas. Excellent ideas. Intelligent ideas. But his idea in this vein was that he wanted a giant bowl of bread dough. Plain white BREAD dough. Not even GOOD bread dough, like zucchini bread (which I guess is technically a batter. and also is more delicious pre-zucchini). But not only that, he went on to pair it with the best beverage he could think of: canned milk. As in, evaporated milk. It gets better. In my dad's dream world, his dream wife would bring him this bowl of bread dough and can of milk, but being the dream wife she was, she would have taken care to open said can the day before and left it in the fridge so the milk would take on that metallic taste one gets from storing things in cans.

I'm not sure my mom has ever served that for dinner, but I suspect that my dad, as an adult, has a somewhat more mature palate than the 7 year old he remembers. I thought of him as I mixed up brownies yesterday. I've been thinking about them for days. Finally, yesterday, around noon I thought, "Well dangit, let's just MAKE brownies and get it over with." So I mixed them up. Donovan's eyes lit up as he said, in a sing-song voice, "I yooks yike you're making somefing de-wish-us." Yep, brownies. I agreed to let him lick the spoon when I was finished. Except... ok I'll say it: I wanted to lick the spoon. As I stood there stirring, it occurred to me I wanted more than to lick the spoon. I realized that it wasn't even brownies I was craving. It was brownie BATTER. I'm not ashamed to say what I did next. I spooned most of the batter into the pan and stuck it in the oven. Then I spooned a couple glops into a bowl and set it before Donovan with a spoon. His mouth fell open as he looked from the bowl to me to the bowl to me and questioned, "Do I get dis much?" Yep, I nodded, as, eyes wide, I stuck a giant spoonful in my mouth. Reverently he whispered, "You are the BEST mom ever." Oh don't I know it! It was a brilliant move, not only because it was delicious, but because I kind of ate enough that I didn't even want any of the cooked brownies. Actually, as the day wore on, I liked the brownies less and less. Kind of like how Gemma was having a great time and then wasn't. It was delicious and I was rather pleased with myself and then by the end of the day I was kind of hating myself.

But I'm not craving brownies any more, so I think I still win. Also, now my family can enjoy brownies (many of which have been bagged and frozen for easy lunch assembly - do I even need to mention I was making a DOUBLE batch?). And that makes Gemma smile. A genuine smile. Not like this one she's been working on (how embarrassing for me - I slept in one morning and Gemma is already dressed):

7 comments:

Lisa said...

Those videos are too darn cute. The peekaboo thing reminds me of a similar thing that happened recently--it ended with Jonathan having a big gash above his eye. Oh well.

janine said...

okay.....so i really believe that brownie batter is the most delicious batter out there. call me next time you're making a batch and i'll show up with a bowl and a spoon!

laura said...

OMG those Gemma pigtails make me want to die.

Anne said...

these videos are hysterical. what a cutie...and kudos on the brownie batter episode.

PaloAltoCougar said...

I'm pleased you remember the bill of fare for my favorite meal. You even got the open can of evaporated milk right. Sadly, 35 years into this otherwise blissful marriage, I'm still waiting for that splendid repast.

Dad

Nicki said...

..."Do I get dis much?" Yep, I nodded, as, eyes wide, I stuck a giant spoonful in my mouth. Reverently he whispered, "You are the BEST mom ever."...

Easily the cutest thing ever. How fun!

Miss you, looks like you're doing fantastic!!
<3 Nicki

Alex McMurray said...

I love the piggy tails! Can't wait for Gracie to grow some.