My mom is an excellent cook. She was when we were growing up and she is still today. Without trying too sound bratty, however, there were a few things my mom cooked when I was growing up that I just did not care for. One was Goulash… we seemed to have Goulash all the time and I could not stand it. I hated the big chunks of cooked or stewed tomatoes. She also made this nasty, nasty, nasty stuff – hamburger cream gravy on top of slices of bread. Just thinking about that meal today makes me want to gag.
I know my mom knew how much I hated those meals, especially the hamburger gravy, so I could not understand why she continued to make them. I mean, seriously, shouldn’t it have been all about me and what I wanted to eat? I was not that picky of an eater but those two particular meals would have to be forced down me.
Now, I am a mom, and I am in the meal making drivers seat. I totally understand why my mom made those two meals as often as she did. One – they were cheap and went a long way and could pretty much be whipped up with items already in the pantry. Two – she liked them (which I will never understand with the hamburger gravy crap, but anyway…), and sometimes that is simply enough.
This week, I pulled a “mom”. I made a meal that I was pretty sure my kids would not like because they are not fans of tomatoes. I wanted it though… and when mama is in the drivers seat, that is all that matters sometimes!
Much to my surprise, my oldest loved this dish and had two “loads”, as he likes to say. My two youngest girls, however, cried and wailed and had serious drama at the table about the injustice of being served something they clearly would not like. I am quite sure that their behavior tonight was payback for all of the nights I had a fit over Goulash and Hamburger Gravy.
This was a delicious meal…comforting, filling and really easy to make. Good enough to shake up the lives of the little Divas in the house. I would hate to deprive them of something to blog about when they get older!
Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Holland House.
Hungry for more recipes from “Mom” around the blogosphere?
- My Mom’s Pancake Recipe from Kitchen Parade
- Mom’s Curry Chicken and Saim from TriniGourmet
- Mom’s Dinner Rolls from For The Love of Cooking
- Mom’s Rice Pudding from Technicolor Kitchen
Penne and Chicken Tenderloins with Spiced Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound chicken breast tenders cut into (1-inch) pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups canned diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 cup white wine
- 8 ounces uncooked penne
- 1/4 cup 1 ounce freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; rub over chicken.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes, turning once. Remove from heat; set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds or until garlic is soft. Add tomatoes and wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken, and simmer 5 minutes.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Toss pasta with sauce in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.
- Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)
I love that your mom blogs!
For me, it was Jennie-O turkey loaf. UGH. My brother had it at a school Thanksgiving party and loved it. He was such a picky eater that my mom was so thriled to have something that he’d eat she made it all the time and I used to want to gag just looking at it.
I think she and my dad probably did too, thinking back, but they were better sports than I!
mariss last blog post..Half-Baked
Fingers crossed they grow up to be food bloggers too! 🙂
i would have 4 loads, lol… Looks amazing, Momma!
Janets last blog post..Kids
Your girls weren’t crazy about pasta with chicken in a spicy tomato sauce? Next time invite me over…I’ll show them a thing or two about how a big girl eats! 😉
Sandies last blog post..Pastry Perfect Party Food (Recipe: Pepper Jack Cheese Twists)
Glad you could turn your oldest around! Obviously a smart kid. And I’m sure your daughters will come to realize how lucky they are to have such beautiful meals served to them.
Julias last blog post..Wasted Food – Revisited
I’m so glad to find that you blogged about this recipe. I’ve had it bookmarked on the cooking light site for ages, and you’ve reminded me of it again. Can’t wait to make it – it looks so yummy!
Ginnys last blog post..Learning to Love Revision with Barry Lane
This sounds delicious and looks wonderful. How nice that you and your mom share so much in common!!Lucky for the both of you!
Donnas last blog post..Focaccia with Olives and Rosemary along with Lentil Vegetable Soup
My mom used to always cook in the slow cooker… to this day I have a hard time eating a “slow cooker meal.” Don’t get me started on the tuna-noodle casserole with potato chips on top.
~Delta Whiskey (Cat)
Delta Whiskeys last blog post..Wings of Love – Chapter 4
Oh how I love the crying and wailing at the dinner table. It’s my theme song you see. mrChaos and I usually just start loudly and theatrically crying along with them. The only rule is no fake throwing up or gross comments. That makes mommy come unglued.
Katies last blog post..Bread
that recipe sounds delicious! My Mom loved stuffed green peppers. She made them about twice a month. I would eat the hamburger/tomato/rice stuffing, and then choke down the cooked green pepper. I have never and will never make that dish myself!
Good for you! I’m actually a bit nervous for when I have kids, because I was that daughter who would eat *anything* and I think I’d faint if I end up with a picky one! 😉
Robin at Caviar and Codfishs last blog post..Happy, warm, and hungry. Baby potatoes with tarragon.
Yeah, my boys would have a fit about that one as well. I would have loved it! Send their portion to me, please! 🙂
patsyks last blog post..Kappa Maki – At Home
Ha! You know what they say about paybacks! If it helps my youngest is mini me and while a good girl, I was a sassy girl with a smart reply to everything! 🙂
I’m pretty certain that the twins, my honey, and I will like(love) this but babygirl? It all depends what kinda mood she’s in, paybacks.
~ingrid
ingrids last blog post..Snickerdoodle Blondies Peabody style
Looks like a good sauce to freeze for when the baby comes, no?
Aimees last blog post..WFD? Chorizo & Black Bean Soup with Corn Bread
Thanks, now I know what to cook tonight. And unfortunately my mom is not a great cook, so I have to learn from others.
Learn English Onlines last blog post..Curriculumbits – Teaching Resources
YUM!!! I think only one out three of mine would eat it without a fuss. 😉
marguerites last blog post..not Belgian Waffles ~ Take One
I like that you use ground fennel in the rub for the chicken. Such a nice flavor to it!
I never gave my mom any hard time over her cooking. It may not have been the healthiest, but if you didn’t eat it you wouldn’t get anything else.
Wish my kids understood that.
Nates last blog post..Broiled Salmon Collar Recipe
Great little story there. The hamburger gravy doesn’t sound that bad. 🙂 Stewed tomatoes, chicken and penne pasta sound better though!
The Duo Dishess last blog post..No Need for Takeout
I still love hamburger gravy and Dad still loves goulash. But tonight I think I will have tuna casserole with potato chips on top. And my vegetable will be lima beans…doesn’t that sound delicious? YUMMMM! I didn’t like scalloped tomatoes that my mom used to make, but now I like them. She also made something she called “City Chicken” which I loved. It was squares of pork on a skewer that was rolled in cracker crumbs and egg and then fried. It was delicious, but I have never been able to re-create it. I think the name came from the fact that they looked like chicken drumsticks.
Looks delicious….Hopefully it will pass the kid taste test in my house too!
he he he! I love this post. I too have been throwing caution to the wind and have been cooking what I want to eat. And boy do I hear about it at dinner time!
leslies last blog post..Pound Cake for National Pound Cake Day
Ha! I love it…this is what you get, so eat it. 🙂 What we always tell parents is that if they’re really hungry, they’ll eat it.
Claires last blog post..Want S’more?
Mom’s payback is such a two edge sword ;0) You’re taking a very historical view with the daughters not liking this meal, I wonder if that’s how they’ll really remember it. I think I’d enjoy it.
I hated Goulash too. Still do. Only now I’ve learned how to either avoid something politely or take a small helping and eat later. Being the cook teaches you so many different things that have nothing to do with actual cooking.
Oh, and for the most part, I only have one who wants to turn his nose up at the food offering. He knows now that he can either eat with us or choose to not eat for the night. It’s totally up to him. And I’ve learned to not make a big deal out of it or to take it personally. Sometimes it’s good to let him go a night without eating. It certainly won’t kill him and it will make him appreciate the food he has. (Thinking back now, I think it has been over a year since he’s turned down dinner. I think he’s learning!)
Shalees last blog post..Laughing To Darth – Gratituesday 27
My mom made tongue when I was a kid. How’s that for trauma? I’d never in a million years serve it to my boys today. Overall, my kids are great eaters though they don’t like chunks of tomato. They would sit at the table, pick out every last bit, and drive me crazy. That’s why I never use diced tomatoes! Glad YOU loved the dish…
Lizs last blog post..No Whine with Dinner: Sausage, Potato & Green Bean Dinner
If it’s like brown beef and gravy like I grew up on, that now is comfort
I can so identify with Goulash…AND the hamburger gravy stuff. 🙂
Jils last blog post..Cheesy Sausage Egg Muffins (Low Carb)
My husband always raves about his mother’s cooking – except for meatloaf and roast beef, mostly because he had to eat both of them so much growing up! This dish sounds delicious to me- I wouldn’t turn it away!
Deborahs last blog post..Corn-Sausage Chowder