Tonight's dinner

[pegkerr]

I poached chicken breasts in wine and served with an herb sauce over the top, a puree of parsley, basil, capers, garlic, and non-fat yogurt. Yellow tomatoes from the garden were the accompaniment.

I thought it delicious.

Rob deemed it a mere three out of ten on taste and one out of ten on presentation. "It looks like vomit chicken," he said bluntly.

Yes, a woman must have nerves of steel to cook for this family.

Edited to add: I will say in Rob's defense that this was an unusually severe comment on his part. Usually he's more . . . diplomatic.

Comments

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

And yet he lives.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Amazing, isn't it?

[psychic-serpent.livejournal.com]

That's it. Mr. Critical gets to cook for a week two weeks. And he cannot do hot dogs, hamburgers or anything that comes frozen with breading on it already. And nothing out of a can.

See, this is why we've always taken turns cooking. You just don't talk that way to someone about the food when it's your turn the next night. Even if you truly feel that way.

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, that's just rude.

It sounds delicious to me.

[baldanders.livejournal.com]

Oh my god that sounds good.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

In front of the young people for whom he's modelling behaviour? Hmmm.

We used to have a rule (because we needed it!) about not calling the food bad names during a meal. (In our case, it was because certain people liked to say things like "asper-guts" and "mouse-turd" and "Ratatouille is made out of Rat and Tooey" and a certain other person objected.

[wintercreek]

Peg, I think if I were you I'd make a little sign that said "You'll find bread, peanut butter and jelly in the kitchen. Make your own dinner and don't comment" and then hold it up at appropriate intervals. I don't know how your family turns down such marvelous food.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

Sympathy!

I'm not a big fan of capers myself, but that also depends on how many you used; half the problem is just the salt level, and in moderation and balanced to the dish that can be made not a problem.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

You know, you can make vomit chicken for me any time.

One day. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of their lives, your family will appreciate all you do for them.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

*sigh* I keep telling myself that. Sometimes I even believe it.

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

I, um.

Usually I hate it when five million people chime in to give you advice or commisserate, particularly on a kind of minor point, but... I can't help it, here.

There was probably context and tone and all kinds of other things, but seriously. Things like that? That's not really OK.

/Is/ that OK? I mean, on your end of things?

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

I guess I took the comment with a combination of irritation and amusement. I think it was okay because a comment that blunt is actually rather rare.

[faithhopetricks.livejournal.com]

Wow, sounds yummy.

"It looks like vomit chicken," he said bluntly

I was a terribly picky eater as a kid (George Carlin: "You know what another term for 'fussy eater' is? BIG.PAIN.IN.THE.ASS") but am better about it now. OTOH, my husband will eat just about anything, and enjoy it, but I don't really like to cook.

[tassie-gal.livejournal.com]

GAH! your family needs their heads checked...that sounds exceedingly yummy. Want to come cook for me instead???

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

Feh.

He could stand to lose a few pounds anyhow.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

True, but she failed to note that I ate every bite, despite the appearance.

Rob

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

Couldn't we all? I'm glad you ate it, though.

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, I think it sounds DELICIOUS!

[leiabelle.livejournal.com]

So... he's cooking his own meals for the next week, right?

[naomikritzer]

Well, for all that I'm not terribly sympathetic towards your family's pickiness, I can believe that in RL that comment was intended (and taken) as irritating but funny, rather than over-the-top obnoxious.

There are spousal exchanges that sound a lot worse in print, and I'm guessing this is one of them.

[wilfulcait.livejournal.com]

Setting aside the phrasing, we've had good luck by serving the meat plain and putting the sauce on the side, or even in a gravy boat, so people can take it or leave it. That way some people can have their plain poached chicken, and others can have more sauce that would otherwise go to waste.

Sounds yummy to me.

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

Yes, a woman must have nerves of steel to cook for this family.

Yeee ghods! I'd'a smacked him with a wooden spoon.

I must confess that my first reaction to my mother's lasagana was pretty much like Rob's reaction...

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I hope the children weren't at the table.

B

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm a freak, but I don't think I'd have gotten too offended if my husband had said that. But context really is everything:
-- we share cooking chores
-- he'll try anything I make and likes a good amount of it
-- once in a while he'll say, "I'm not too hungry so thuis would be a good night to go out for [something I like that he doesn't]" - I do this for him too.
-- he'd probably have followed with something constructive like, "The herbs are OK, I think it's just the yogurt. Could you use cream or something as a base instead?" I haven't poached in wine but I've got a recipe for chicken poached in vinegar and chicken broth that's very tasty.
On the other hand if it had been on top of continual complaining about my cooking when he didn't do any, I'd have been extremely upset, and it sounds like this was the case at your house.

I'm with all the others who say it sounds tasty, though. Did you cook the sauce at all, just warm it up, or serve it cold? If cold, did you leave the garlic raw?

Food ratings

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

I think you have mentioned before that you have requested feedback on your newer recipes, and want to know how we feel about them in order to gauge the frequency of future appearance at the table, if any. You didn't mention that Fiona complemented the taste, which almost never happens, or that Delia was once again complaining about "meat, meat, meat, nothing but meat in this house", which frequently does happen. You didn't mention that my comment was solicited, and didn't happen until after the meal was completed, or that I ate every bite.

Curious that no one asked if it really did look like vomit. It did. A little too vivid a green for real life, but texture-wise the image was evoked dramatically. It was difficult to start in. Really. Note that I ranked the flavor higher than the presentation.

Re: Food ratings

[serenya-loreden.livejournal.com]

I can't argue with your description. I happily eat yogurt on just about everything, but green would be a bit off putting even to me. And I grew up on thick yogurt, eaten in lieu of butter (or sour cream) on most starches. If it isn't something you consider 'standard' it might not be overly appealing in appearance.

[serenya-loreden.livejournal.com]

It sounds like something both I and my husband would love the taste of. I will concede though that I suspect he has a point on appearance. I might love the way yogurt tastes and all, but it isn't necessarily the most appetizing thing in appearance, especially when green.....

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the immediate validation. (I'm sure you were typing as I was posting.)

Rob

[serenya-loreden.livejournal.com]

I was, yes. I saw your post after posting my own, and thus replied to you.

My thought is that the flavor of yogurt grows on you, more easily so if you either start young (the girls) or if you already like sour cream.

I most definitely prefer a *thick* authentic yogurt. Many of the yogurts most typically eaten in America are rather thin and runny. If you have an opportunity to try one that is imported from Greece or the Middle East (I'm told Trader Joe and Whole Foods has one, as do speciality stores) you might find that the thicker consistency makes a more appetizing base for a sauce, appearance wise.

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

My mother actually made yogurt once.

Just once

Sounds delicious to me

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

Feel free to send Rob's portion to me in the future...

[genealogygirl.livejournal.com]

I'm late to the discussion, but laughing hysterically all the same.

It *sounds* delicious, Peg!