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I'm baaaaack! The MIL chronicles: Easter questions..

Started by brandynd, April 16, 2011, 07:59:29 AM

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Rose799

It sounds great, TLS!   If Mil doesn't ask for recipes, take it as a compliment...   : )

AnonymousDIL

Dang, Girl! You're going all out! It's like a 5 star restaurant! What time should I be over???? LOL

brandynd

Quote from: Laurie on April 19, 2011, 03:16:30 PM
Baked Leeks with Cheese and Yogurt Sauce -- not sure about this one.. not really southern cookin is it

Corn Salad -- what is this.. sounds interesting

The baked leeks are actually covered in a parmesan and plain yogurt sauce....it almost tastes like creamed spinach but it's a bit lighter and has more of an almost garlic flavor from the leeks baking together.  It's yummy and relatively decent for you!

The corn salad is made by either boiling or grilling corn on the cob (I like mine grilled), and then stripping the kernels from the cob.  After that you mix it with red onion, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, and either basil, parsely, or cilantro (depending upon your personal taste) and then either serving it room temperature or cold!  It's a really light dish, and the flavors are absolutely wonderful together!  I love the balance that the acid and fresh herbs give it.  It's like a flavor party on your palette!

I'm a bit of a cooking freak, and I like to try new and different recipes.  I actually considered going to culinary school for a while, but I hate cleaning up!  Lol.  I just get worried because I want everyone to love my food, and so it makes me nervous when I have to cook for DH's family.  Since I had surgery I'm really careful about what products I cook with (processed foods are not typically allowed in my home), and I'm incredibly health conscious, so I'm trying to lighten up dishes wherever I can.

I'll be spending the rest of the week tweaking recipes as needed so that I can eat them without getting sick, as well as trying to find ways that I can compromise my own strict guidelines for "no go foods" so that DH's family doesn't feel like they're on a different planet when attempting to eat my food (none of them are particularly health conscious, they come from a family with AMAZING metabolism). 

Anyways, I better get going.  I had class all night and I'm incredibly drained.  I have to be up in 6 hours to head to work tomorrow.  Ugh!  Wish me luck ladies!  Oh...hahahaha....and feel free to hop a plane out for Easter....I'll cook you some nom noms..

Tara

Hey, you've done a great organizing and planning job.

Have fun!

Pen

TLS, it's obvious you enjoy putting on a big spread for your family. It sounds like you've got it all together, but don't stress over little things at the last minute. Enjoy the prep work and enjoy the day!

We won't know how many people will be here for Easter until the last minute, so I'm cruising...easy, simple, last-minute-expandable. I might do the good china thing or just perk up the table with blossoms/greenery brought in and strewn about with other seasonal items. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who cares much. DH just wants to be fed in a timely manner.
Respect ... is appreciation of the separateness of the other person, of the ways in which he or she is unique.
-- Annie Gottlieb

LaurieS

My menu will be two large T-Bones on the grill... fresh corn on the cob and a salad... for dessert a game of pool and a long walk around the pond (If I can move after all that beef) ... I'm ready... come on Easter

stilltryen

Sounds like a great menu.  My DS and DIL got married and for a year and a half never invited hubby and I to their home for anything.  Her parents, of course, were invited to dinner at least 2 or 3 times a month.  When, during a conversation last April, I pointed this out to DS, we were invited over for Mother's Day.

When we arrived, they said they had spent the morning at breakfast with her parents.  Obviously - as the house didn't appear to have been touched in the year and a half since they'd married.  Honestly, there was thick dust all over, they have two dogs and there was dog hair, etc., cobwebs everywhere - not good.  I'm certainly not Lady Lysol, but I would never ask guests over and not clean my home.  Then our "dinner" was served.  A hamburger with mushrooms on a bun.  No, no chips.  No tomatoes, pickles, lettuce - no potato salad, no barbecue beans, nothing else, nope, nope and nope.  They did have ketchup and mustard tho!

LaurieS

I've never thought to serve mushrooms with my burgers to guest.. now that part was a great idea

That might have been a description of me, once upon a time.... I wasn't the greatest hostess, nor the best housekeeper... something finally clicked, not only guest but I was more comfortable in a clean house and I was happier when my guest would say.. oh that meal was wonderful.. way to much food but wonderful. 

I think some people begin to value more what they have worked hard for and realize that taking care of these material possessions are to their own benefit... others are happy having that layer of dust and dog hair.  As far as being treated properly as a guest..you can only show my example and next time (and I would push for a next time) find out the menu and bring a side dish to contribute.  Until then, have that late afternoon glass of wine and thank your lucky stars they are not living in your home.

LaurieS

Dang... show BY example...  it must be late afternoon already

holliberri


stilltryen

Laurie, as I mentioned, I am no Lady Lysol myself.  In fact, I just walked in for more coffee to the kitchen and I can see dust bunnies all around in the front room.  Something tells me I should get off the computer and go clean.  I've never had cobwebs hanging off the ceiling to that extent, nor have I had dust that piled up (funny note here, DIL claims she's "allergic" to dust, yet never dusts).  However, when I've invited guests (which I rarely do, because I don't want to clean), I CLEAN it up for them.  Nope, I'm still not going to turn the house into sparkle city, but the main areas where guests will be, yeah.  I sweep, vacuum, dust, etc.

I know her parents.  Her parents always have their house clean and her mother has excellent dinners.  DS & DIL have never been to our house for dinner and been served one thing.  We felt like they felt obligated to invite us, but weren't going to go out of their way.  So what was the purpose of the invite?  It was just silly.  I'd rather not be invited than to feel like a guest who's simply being tolerated for a couple of hours.

LaurieS

I agree 100% Stilltryen.. 100% ... the last thing I want to be is the fulfilled obligation. 

When I walk into my ds/dil's house I can only pray that I'm not judged by their housekeeping abilities :)  I often think to myself.. wow and they knew we were coming.. lol.. what did it look like before they cleaned up?   I hope that either they will change in time, or I'll have to stop having that laser eye surgery and return to my former blindness :) 

Feeling like an obligation and not a guest is the real issue you have... I get that, and it's a legit qualm .. what you can do about it?  who knows, this seems to be our common denominator here.

AnonymousDIL

That "dinner," and I use the term loosely, was meant to be a message to you. That message would be: "We are having you over to shut your yap. We don't want you to have a good experience because then you might demand to come back more. You should be happy with the amount of time you are given because as DIL MY family is WAY more important than You. So stick that in your juicebox and Suck it, MIL!"

Does that sound about right? lol

I'm a "neat" freak and don't allow anyone in my house if it isn't clean, but admittedly I don't think I've ever dusted our house in the 10.5 months we've lived there. Should I break out the swiffer? lol

Hope

What my wonderful sister/bil do is help out doing whatever home repairs, renovations, sewing drapes, etc. that their ds/dil want done and leave before they wear out their welcome.  They often stay at a hotel rather than in one of their ds's spare bedrooms out of consideration for their dil.  My bil says he wants them to be left feeling like they want more, rather than the opposite.  I know it's not everyone's wish to do all that work for their adult kids, but they really enjoy it.  They are such awesome parents, but they are not exempt from the same fate as the rest of us.  Their one daughter blames all her problems on them, while she is married to a very selfish, controlling husband and their dil has caused them some real heartache.  The attitude that has made all the difference in their lives is to expect nothing and be grateful for anything they get.  They don't dwell on the negative and are genuinely happy people.  They had to learn as they went - they struggled themselves at first.  They have accepted that their ds/dil/gc's relationship with them will never be what they wanted, but it is still a viable relationship.  Not a fair one - their dil's parents get all kinds of preferential treatment.  My ds/bil spend a lot of time vacationing, doing mission work, home projects, exercising, dancing, etc.  They are hardly ever home.  They have moved on and found the love of life they had before kids (sound familiar, Luise?)
Hugs, Hope

LaurieS

Quote from: AnonymousDIL on April 20, 2011, 09:38:04 AM
That "dinner," and I use the term loosely, was meant to be a message to you. That message would be: "We are having you over to shut your yap. We don't want you to have a good experience because then you might demand to come back more. You should be happy with the amount of time you are given because as DIL MY family is WAY more important than You. So stick that in your juicebox and Suck it, MIL!"

Does that sound about right? lol

I'm a "neat" freak and don't allow anyone in my house if it isn't clean, but admittedly I don't think I've ever dusted our house in the 10.5 months we've lived there. Should I break out the swiffer? lol

I hope it wasn't a message but instead poor hostess abilities... I think that if it bothers her that eventually it may come up in conversation... I would have been saying something as I ate.. like hey you two on welfare now because this is sure a limited dinner.  But then again my kids expect me to say something.

Adil.. seriously you haven't dusted in 10.5 months ... I guess there is a difference in being a neat-freak vs a clean-freak .. my dh wants EVERYTHING in it's place.. I want the place to be clean before things are put there.  I've found that it's probably a better balance not to be compulsive about either and just keep it all picked up and clean.