Nick is a fairly predictable guy. Sometimes I think he might be a little bit OCD because he is very routine about things. He wakes up at the exact same time every morning, he goes to the window and peeks out the blinds, walks into the bathroom and brushes his teeth, turns on the shower water, goes pee, hops in the shower, etc. His routine is just that… a set in hard stone routine. He is a very easy guy to figure out.

The other day, Nick, who never puts mustard on anything and detests honey said “I have really been enjoying the salad at  the deli in my office building lately. They have the best Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing I’ve ever tasted.” Excuse me? Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing? Who are you and what have you done with my husband? After all of these years, I thought I was married to a Buttermilk Ranch / Italian dressing kind of guy, but noooo… I am married to a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette man and never knew it! “Since when do you like honey mustard vinaigrette salad dressing?” Apparently he has always loved it… honey mustard vinaigrette salad dressing is his favorite kind of salad dressing. Who the heck knew? Just when you think you really know someone they throw you for a loop!

Being the thoughtful, intuitive, kind wife I am, I made up a batch of Honey Mustard Vinaigrette dressing for my honey. We shall see if it rivals the deli in his office building. In the meantime, I am going to spend some time trying to unravel the layers of this mysterious man that I have lived with for so long. My marriage based on Ranch and Italian salad dressing love has been turned upside down.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (from Recipezaar)

5 min | 5 min prep

1/2 cup

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Dr Laura Schlessinger

I will admit, I used to be one of those women (remind me to tell you about our invitation to be guests on the Dr Phil Show). My husband who does so many things right is not the elaborate, romantic kind of guy and it used to drive me crazy. After reading Dr Laura’s book several years ago, I had a rude awakening and luckily was smart enough to change my tune.

Now, my husband and I make Valentine’s a very special day for our kids. For example, this evening we made a multi course meal of salad, homemade bread, baked potatoes, filet mignon with red wine sauteed mushrooms and asparagus. For dessert, we had the delicious Strawberry Shortcake Parfaits pictured above. Nick and I had the children sit at the table, lit the candles and put on soft music. We served them “fancy restaurant style” (with drinks in wine glasses, cloth napkins and the works) and the kids had a ball with the special attention. We then headed downstairs to the “movie theater” to watch a special movie, and then bed time ended in rooms at “Hotel Doyle”.

You may not think our Valentine’s Day sounds all that romantic, but trust me. Just sit back and watch your husband doting over your kids as a pretend waiter, chat together as you both wash and dry the dishes and clean up the kitchen and then watch later as he has kids draped all over him, sleeping on his shoulders and lap. My idea of romance has certainly changed since we’ve became parents and I read Dr Laura’s books. I would take this over chocolate and roses any day!

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle (from This Mama Loves to Cook)

(I made these into individual parfaits)

1 Angle Food Cake
1 8 oz. Cream cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. sour cream
8 oz. Frozen Whipped Topping (thawed)
2 large container of fresh strawberries

Wash strawberries and remove berry tops. Slice strawberries.
Sprinkle granulated sugar over strawberries. Cut Angel Food
cake into 1-inch squares. Set aside. Blend together cream
cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and sour cream until smooth.
Fold in Whipped topping. In a trifle bowl layer ingredients
starting with half the cake cubes, then half of the sliced berries,
and then half of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers and
garnish with strawberries.

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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I am fairly proud of the fact that I have been such a trooper through it all. My three kids are well behaved, for the most part, and are not too difficult to take care of. We have honestly gotten to the point that he is gone so much that when he comes back home on the weekends it is more disruptive than when he is here.

I have tried very hard to be the supportive wife… listening about his hectic schedule in New York, understanding on Saturday’s when he is so tired from traveling the day before, even grimacing through the “my steak at dinner had too much pepper on it” complaints, etc. But, you know what? I don’t know if it is pregnancy hormones, this dreaded winter weather, or what… but this week I am 100% fed up with it all.

I’m tired of being the sole person during the week to be responsible for getting the kids where they need to be. I’m tired of doing bath time by myself. I’m tired of every time I need to run to the store for just a gallon of milk, I have to pack all three kids in the car to go with me. I’m tired of not having a minute to get things done, like my freelance work that I need to do, until the kids are tucked in bed. I’m tired of not having a husband home in the evening to share the tasks and to just be here to spend the evening with. We miss him a lot when he’s gone and it is really starting to get on my nerves!

I didn’t mean for this to be this much of a gripe session. I admire those of you who have been doing this far longer than I have been. Those of you who are single moms, who have husband’s gone in Iraq, who are alone for other reasons… I truly do not know how you do it day in and day out.

With all that I have going on with him gone, do you know the one thing that I am up to here with? I am so tired of our dinner menu plan looking like something off of the school lunch menu. Hotdogs, mac and cheese, taquitos, breakfast for dinner, etc. I want my husband home so I can cook real meals for us and so we can all sit around the table again at night as a family.

This is where I am going to implore you to help me out. I need some new family friendly meals to put on the table. I need recipes that make me feel like I am cooking, but that my kids (who aren’t that picky) will eat. I want your favorite “the whole family will love it” dinner time recipe that is not super complicated (our evenings our tight lately) and that I feel would be worth spending time on for just the kids and I. I’d love for you to include your favorite family friendly recipe link in the comments section of this post. Have them in by midnight CST on Wednesday, February 4th. I will then sit down on Thursday to make my menu plan for the following week. If your recipe gets chosen to be included in that weeks worth of dinner menus, I will send you a $10 Amazon gift certificate. I will be giving out 5 Amazon.com gift certificates in all… one for each day my husband is out of town during the week. All comments must be accompianied by a valid email address.

I am still managing to bake during the day, which my kids appreciate! I chose to make these Black Raspberry Meringue Bars because my mom brought us a jar of homemade Black Raspberry jelly when she was here over the holidays. These bars are delicious… far too delicious to waste on my kiddos. Perfect for an afternoon tea or a brunch with your girlfriends!

Black Raspberry Meringue Bars (adapted from Mary Engelbreit’s Cookies Cookbook)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Generous 1/3 cup raspberry jam (we used black raspberry jelly)
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. On low speed, gradually add the flour, beating just until incorporated; the mixture should still be somewhat crumbly. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges. Set pan on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until whites begin to form soft peaks. Add the sugar about 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue beating until the whites form stiff, glossy peaks. Spread the jam evenly over the warm crust. Using a large metal spoon, drop the meringue in large dollops on the jam, and using the back of the spoon, carefully spread the meringue over the crust, making sure to seal the edges. Bake for 25 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown. (The meringue will puff up as it bakes and sink as it cools.) Set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.

Using a large sharp knife, cut into 24 squares. Dust the tops of the bars with confectioners’ sugar. Store the bars, well covered, in the refrigerator.

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