Day Thirteen: Mikey No Likey

I was excited all day today because I couldn't wait to eat the creamy avocado pasta I was going to make for dinner.  I discovered this recipe one day at the neighbor's house.  We had been having a little playdate, and the kids got hungry.  We went downstairs and she pulled this pasta out of her fridge.  She had found the recipe on Pinterest and made it the night before.  Maybe it was the peer pressure of eating with other children, maybe it was the refreshing taste of another Mommy's cooking, either way Jack attacked that pasta like the cat attacks a can of tuna fish. This was the first time he ate pasta that wasn't macaroni shaped.  I was shocked, then I was thrilled, because it had avocado in it.  Avocado is a vegetable!

Here's the recipe.

The next day I made the same pasta, carefully evading questions from Mike as to the contents.  I sat down to eat, willing my smile to stay hidden, and watched as Jack and Mike dug in.  He liked it, hey Mikey!  It was a miracle.  My husband was eating avocado pasta.  I made it again a few weeks later and again Mike enjoyed it. 

Here comes the first mistake. 

The next day I was talking to my sister and suggested she try the avocado pasta I had made.  Mike turned, cocked his head, and asked "when did you make that?" 

"Last night," I replied, "that's the pasta you like so much." 

"Oh..." I could see Mike's mind running through his list of acceptable and unacceptable foods.  Bacon: acceptable.  Carrots: unacceptable.  Steak: acceptable.  Broccoli: unacceptable.   Sausage: acceptable.  Avocado... what was an avocado?  Did it come from an animal?  Could it be purchased at the butcher counter at Harter House?  Would it taste good wrapped in bacon?  No, no, and no.  Avocado: unacceptable.

I knew then that my short run with avocado pasta was probably over.  I hoped that if I waited a while and snuck it in again he wouldn't remember. 

*****

Today was the big day.  Mike and Jack played while I made dinner.  They had a good game of Basket-Head.

This recipe is really easy, and you get to use your Cuisinart to blend up the sauce.  I had loaded the contents and started blending when a friend called.  I just couldn't blend and talk on the phone, so Mike took over for a minute while I stepped into the other room. 

This was my second mistake.  When presenting a mystery dish, it is best to keep the guest away from the kitchen during the preparation of said dish.  Unfortunately, Mike was right there, blending away, watching the avocado splatter against the sides of the blender.  This was undeniably a vegetable, getting pureed and hidden into his food.  The jig was up.

Dinner was ready quickly and we all sat down to eat.  Jack was buoyant.  He got to eat three things he loved: crescent rolls, avocado pasta, and blueberries.  I was happy, too.  Not only did I love all three foods, but I love when I get to eat a vegetarian meal.

I looked across at Mike and saw him frowning at the blueberries.  How could I forget?  Mike doesn't eat blueberries!  This marks my third and final mistake.

I hoped that when Mike tried the pasta he would like it, and he could forget all about the hidden vegetable.  The pasta just didn't taste as good this time, though, and I wasn't so lucky.  Mike's only comment was "This is really green." 

And... curtain. 

I knew it was over.  He politely tried to eat his roll and his green pasta.  He appreciated the chicken I had added to his pasta (I would be out on the street if I served him a vegetarian meal). 

After an awkward silence, I apologized.  "I'm sorry for being selfish and making a meal that only I like," I told him. 

Being the good sport that he is, he graciously admitted to doing the same thing many times.  He pointed out several examples.  Caught up in the spirit of confession, I admitted that I didn't like pork chops, which was last night's dinner.  Last night he had asked if I didn't like the dinner, and I had told him that I wasn't hungry.  Nope... I just didn't like the dinner.

Hey, not every night is a winner.  Sometimes you have to take one for the team.