Hot mortadella virgin no more!

[Jenise]

I recently read that one of Anthony Bourdains favorite things was a grilled mortadella sandwich. Until I read that I had never even heard of such a thing let alone had one. Never even saw one on a menu to refuse. I obviously didn't grow up around Italian delis. But I love mortadella, so when I saw one on a menu yesterday I bit. OH MY IT WAS GOOD. All the makings of a downfall: baked crisp (vs. grilled) on a long narrow ciabatta-ish roll, about half an inch of mortadella, some kind of cheese that melted a bit, pickled red onions, a very minor amount of fresh basil saturated in some kind of vinaigrette and a smear of lemon ricotta.

That sounds great and is making me hungry! (And I just finished lunch.)

Sounds delish Jenise, I used to buy Mortadella when the kids were home and even in our empty nest days. Yes, grill sandwiches are wonderful and so are panini. I have a panini maker and made good use of it. So many things I do not do anymore. At least I still cook well for myself. I always knew what was for dinner a few minutes after I got up. I adjusted my work schedule so I got home by 3:30 in the afternoon, so I could cook for the family. I am amazed by a few friends who when asked late in the afternoon, "What is cooking at your house for dinner tonight?" Many times they say they don't know or something like eating cereal or cottage cheese for dinner. I have never done that and don't intend to. Dinner was always a special time when the family all came together, sat at the table, and talked about our day.

Cereal for dinner is for bachelors.

[Jenise]

That's the right way to do it, Karen. Studies have shown that family dinners turn children into better-adjusted adults. And of course, for the most part family dinners tend to occur where there's a healthy family dynamic already in place, like yours.

That's the right way to do it, Karen. Studies have shown that family dinners turn children into better-adjusted adults. And of course, for the most part family dinners tend to occur where there's a healthy family dynamic already in place, like yours.

Absolutely. One thing I insisted on after our son was born was that we all ate meals together. Logistically, this meant often times cooking two meals, one for us and one for our picky eater, but that was the price we paid for togetherness.

[Jenise]

Mark, you did right. I didn't have children but like to think I'd have done likewise. One family I currently know with a 4 and a 6 year old are already requiring everyone to come to the dinner table with an interesting fact to share. Not only does it add dimension to their shared meals, the parents have found that the mere act of searching for and choosing something over the course of a day has made them more appreciative of small things.

Mark, you did right. I didn't have children but like to think I'd have done likewise. One family I currently know with a 4 and a 6 year old are already requiring everyone to come to the dinner table with an interesting fact to share. Not only does it add dimension to their shared meals, the parents have found that the mere act of searching for and choosing something over the course of a day has made them more appreciative of small things.

One further thought on children and food. My wife Jean came from a family of six kids, all of whom were required to eat whatever was put on the table. This led to an infamous incident involving her youngest sister, who I strongly suspect is a supertaster. Mary would only eat mashed potatoes and the broth of chicken noodle soup, though strangely she would also eat the bologna sandwiches that my wife would pawn off on her at school. One night, at dinner, Jean's father, a man who had a bit of a temper (something that he passed on to my wife), grew so exasperated at the battle of wills with Mary over her plate of uneaten peas that he got up, picked up her plate and dumped them onto her head.

When our son proved to be a somewhat picky eater, we were determined to not get into pitched battles over food but rather to work with him to find foods that he would eat. (It was our feeling that food-related battles could lead to long-term negative feelings about food) This proved to be not too difficult, as Andy would eat any kind of meat or fish, liked pasta, rice, French fries and bread, would drink milk and eat fresh fruit and spinach, sugar snap peas, red peppers and cucumber in raw form. OTOH, he was opposed to sauces of any sort (including butter and tomato sauces) and early on wanted all his foods neatly separated on the plate.

Eating at home was never much of a problem, but restaurant dining proved to be a challenge. Interestingly, high end restaurants were more likely to be able to accommodate his preferences, but the only ethnic food that he would eat was Japanese food, which he loved with a passion (tobiko sushi, grilled salmon, udon, edamame). Our great victory was, when he was 4, getting him a filet mignon and bowl of fresh berries at a restaurant in Orlando, FL.

And, sure enough, at age 20 he's now branched out to eating tandoori chicken, Chinese food, and pasta carbonara. We can't wait to see where this all leads.