Houston we got a problem! Thirtysomething, with a kid and forgot how to “use” “nuts” to spice things up…

Posted by: momtuition on: December 27, 2010

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It’s Christmas Day and we’re at the beach and it’s about 8:15AM in the morning… Why am I here… In this COLD water? Well not really in it so much, more like at the shore.

Kuba wanted to go to the beach and it’s been a while since he’s wanted to go. So… We’re at the beach and we’re watching him in the water. We actually saw a few cars on the beach but the people were still in them… Hmmm.

Skip to breakfast…

My nieces are usually over for breakfast and they’re asking for french-toast. SIDE NOTE: One of them must have just learned what “savory” means because she kept asking if I was going to make the “sweet” or “savory one” (french-toast).

Kuba wanted popcorn for breakfast (I know, I know) but I gave him anyway. Later he wanted a grilled-cheese sandwich… Got that. At around lunch asked for milk and cookies… Got that too. I’m shooting for “Mom of the Year” can you tell 🙂

Skip to just before dinner…

I’m making stuffed shells – It’s a family favorite and a part of the recipe calls for nutmeg. I thought I had in the house so did not bother to pick up any at the store. Whoever runs out of ground nutmeg. It’s stuff that I usually have for months and months and use it in shit that does not call for it – Then the one time I actually need it, I’m out. We run out to the store but they’re out of the grounded variety so we get the whole nut.

We’re back at the house and I’m getting all the ingredients…

Eggs
Ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese
Pinch of black-pepper
Pinch of nutmeg… You think I would skip the nutmeg because all I need is a pinch, right – But trust me, the nutmeg is the “supporting star” of the show – And you know the star can’t be a star without support… Right?

So, I pull out the grater, take the nutmeg out and start grating it into the mixture. My niece is standing beside me the whole time and so it went…

Me: Is it going in the bowl? I’m not seeing anything

Niece: I’m not sure. I don’t see anything either

Meanwhile… I have a “sweat-brow” and a “sweat-stash”. I look at the nut and only a little has come off. I’m thinking… I’m going at it like a jack-rabbit: OK… I know that (going at it like a jack-rabbit) brings up a whole different picture but trust me, all I’m doing is grating (or at least trying to) a nutmeg. So my niece; brilliant child says…

Niece: Let me put something underneath (grabs a butter knife) so we can see

We see some tiny flecks on the blade. So I continue grating… Then…

Niece: Auntie, aren’t you supposed to take that off?

Me: What?

Niece: The shell. I think that’s the shell. You need to take off the shell first

Me thinking… Good God her brilliance just went out the window – And kid; if you want to help your auntie in the kitchen today don’t question the “master chef”… I KNOW what I’m doing. So I continue to grate – And I know what you’re thinking right now… Don’t say it!

So I’m grating like a mad woman and she’s watching me with an “Ok… El Stupido” smirk on her face. So I stop grating and looked and the nut. There was a hole with a nut inside what appeared to be a shell. OMG, this is too damn funny. So I crack the nut and lo and behold…

Niece: See, I told you you had to take it out of the shell

Me: Yes you did. I can’t believe this

So we finish making the stuffed shells. Stuffed with a little more than I bargained for 🙂

BTW… Kuba had for mac & cheese for dinner… His fav! He wasn’t having anything else put in that bowl. Not that I tried 🙂