Safeway Thursday Rundown

Another week has seemed to speed by! Before it is gone for good, I want to tackle the Thursday Rundown. Here are my latest five topics…

Daddy/Daughter Official Photo – On Tuesday, Sloan was holding a manilla envelope when I picked her up. Inside that envelope was our photo from the St. Mary Daddy/Daughter Dance. Sloan looks beautiful! As for the other character in the picture? Ummm…not so much.

Our official St. Mary Catholic School Daddy/Daughter Dance photo.

Get In My Belly – I would try this in a heartbeat. Lucky Charms ice cream with Lucky Charms marshmallows infused with whipped topping and gold glitter? Yes please! I think I need to make a stop at Cold Stone at the end of the month. I always like to tell the story about my friend from high school who worked at Cold Stone and would occasionally bring me home the free ice cream she would get each shift. The friend knew I loved the peanut butter cup perfection creation and would go overboard loading it with toppings. Man, those were the days.

I want some of this!

National Cereal Day – If I don’t blink an eye when it comes to putting cereal on my ice cream, you can probably figure that I really enjoy it out of the bowl. To use the cliché, I am a “cereal killer” and I definitely have my favorites. A dozen years ago I named Rice Krispie Treats Cereal as my all-time favorite unhealthy cereal. In 2016 I wrote about my top healthy(ish) cereals as granola, Honey Bunches of Oats, and Cracklin’ Oat Bran made my shortlist. Last year to commemorate National Cereal Day, I thought “outside the bowl” by listing my top ways of consuming cereal when spoon and milk aren’t involved. However you happen to celebrate cereal, I hope you are able to do it today.

I love cereal and these cereal bowls we own!

Easter Pop-Its – I could hardly contain my excitement earlier this year when I discovered that TNT made “Exploding Hearts” for Valentine’s Day. Well, now they have Exploding Bunny Poop too. I love how TNT is expanding its trademark Pop-Its product beyond just Independence Day. Although I passed on actually buying the Exploding Hearts, I think I might have to give in with the Easter version; after all, they are just right across the street from me at Safeway.

I found Exploding Bunny Poop at Safeway.

Monopoly Birthday – Monopoly was created 91 years ago today. I played the game a lot as a kid but have not “rolled the Monopoly dice” in quite some time. As I brought up in a blog post from 2.5 years ago, I have the distinction of never testing my board game prowess on a specialized Monopoly set (i.e. WAZZU-Opoly, Spokane-Opoly, Cat-Opoly, etc.). If you are more adventurous than me, what specialized Monopoly game have you played?

Have you ever played a specialized Monopoly game before?

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Okay, that will do it for tonight. Thanks for your readership and have a fabulous weekend. Don’t Blink.

JoAnna Dalton: Mentor and Friend

Upon going to work at Coastal Carolina University, I was asked to author a social media blog on coastal.edu. I am all over this, I thought. After all, I already had my own personal blog and undoubtedly knew everything there was to know about writing. Such a humble mid-20s young professional I was 😂.

But my self-assumed command of the written word was tested when I received the edits to the first draft of my initial entry. The paper was covered in red ink. There must be some mistake. This person must not know “new age” writing, I reasoned.

“This person” was JoAnna Dalton, the university editor who worked in our University Marketing and Communication suite in an office right across from mine. I think JoAnna knew I would be a little shocked to discover I wasn’t as good at writing as I thought I was. So, after the initial surprise of a marked up paper wore off, she went over the edits with me. I polished the draft up and eventually published it on the website.

Joanna Dalton was a special person who meant a lot to me both professionally and personally.

Ensuing blog entries would come back heavily marked up as well—but with a little less red ink than the entry before. After getting over my ego, I realized that I was very fortunate to have JoAnna helping me out. I had never had a professional editor look over my writing before and I learned to embrace the incredible expertise that JoAnna possessed.

My arrogance turned to appreciation as JoAnna and I became great friends. She constantly filled my pen holder with Dum-Dum suckers, introduced me to Bo-Berry biscuits, and helped me navigate life in the South. We talked a lot about our lives outside of work. I became familiar with her daughter and I openly shared with JoAnna about the sweet girl I had started to date.

JoAnna was one of the office “moms” who looked after me during my first year in South Carolina. She reminded me to wear sunscreen, advised me on who I could trust, and always stopped at my desk to say “hello” at the beginning of the day. To know JoAnna was to know someone who was honest, funny, and caring.

We had a great team at CCU in the mid 2010s. Joanna is the third person lined up against the wall on the right half of the photo.

Under JoAnna’s tutelage, my writing improved immensely. I learned more about mechanics and AP Style from her than I could have ever hoped for. One day, I received a draft back from JoAnna that didn’t contain the typical heavy markings that my writing usually generated. Instead, most of the foreign ink was from a message she wrote at the top of the page: You are a really good writer.

That meant a lot.

JoAnna Dalton passed away on Feb. 27, 2024. I will surely cherish the memories I have of JoAnna and be forever thankful for the professional development she provided me. May eternal rest grant unto JoAnna, O’Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. Don’t Blink.

The Servant Song

Do you ever have an epiphany when it comes to the lyrics of a song? Hmm, let me ask a more pointed question. Have you ever thought you liked a song only to like it even more once you actually understood the lyrics?

As I mentioned in last night’s blog post, Sidney and I had the blessing of presenting at an Engaged Encounter weekend. But it just wasn’t us or our partner couple doing all the talking. A priest is always assigned to the weekend retreat team and plays a major role in conveying lessons and Catholic doctrine. We had the great fortune of having Fr. Pat Kerst on our squad.

At one point on Saturday, Fr. Pat passed out half sheets to all the couples. Copied on each sheet was a Catholic hymn called The Servant Song. Fr. Pat explained that the hymn wasn’t made with marriage specifically in mind but that he didn’t know of a better resource that so accurately depicted the essence and vocation of marriage.

The lyrics to “The Servant Song” are profound.

I was very familiar with The Servant Song, having heard it at mass on random Sundays throughout most of my life. But I had not taken the initiative to take a deep dive into the actual lyrics. I am so glad Fr. Pat brought it to my attention.

The song promotes the willingness to assume a Christ-like servant’s role to others over the course of a lifetime. It frames this service in the context of a journey that is filled with empathy, grace, suffering, and companionship. As I read the lyrics and digested them in context with my marriage to Sid, I couldn’t help but shed a tear or two.

After we dismissed the engaged couples to reflect on the lesson that was just completed, I played The Servant Song on my computer. It was even more beautiful than usual as I now knew and understood the profoundness of the lyrics. A couple more tears may have formed in my eyes 😉.

The half sheet with the song that Fr. Pat gave us is now on our refrigerator.

I encourage you tonight to listen to The Servant Song on YouTube. Listen carefully to each lyric and frame it within the context of your own marriage. I guarantee that you will go to bed with a greater conviction to “bear the load” for your spouse.

And, oh yeah, guess what? After Fr. Pat has brought up the song to couples at past retreats, some have actually decided to include The Servant Song in their weddings. I think Sid and I would have too. Don’t Blink.

Presenting With My Wife At Engaged Encounter

This past weekend, Sidney and I strengthened our marital vocation in the most blessed way. We presented at our first Engaged Encounter retreat. 🙏

Many of you know that Sid and I prepare engaged couples within our parish for marriage on an individual basis. But in June 2022, we joined another marriage-based ministry—Engaged Encounter. This is an international Catholic organization that stages weekend-long retreats for engaged couples. Our pastor, Fr. Jeff Lewis, invited us to join the Spokane Diocese chapter.

After a year of attending our Engaged Encounter monthly meetings and serving in support roles at the retreats, we timidly told our chapter’s leadership that we wanted to present at one. In June of 2023, Ric and Cindy Gaunt came to our house and planted the seeds for doing so. They ran us through what was expected, highlighted the presentations we would be responsible for, and provided us the materials to start preparing. We circled the March 1-3 retreat on our calendar!

We told our Engaged Encounter leadership that we wanted to present.

The next eight months passed quickly, with the latter half of those months heavily devoted to Engaged Encounter retreat prep. Sidney and I had to write our presentations, build slide decks, and practice! By the time this past Friday rolled around, although nervous, we were chomping at the bit to present.

The retreat took place at the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center in south Spokane. Although the quarters were a little cramped, I sure enjoyed having the time away with Sid.

Engaged Encounter retreats are presented by two couples and a priest at the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center in south Spokane. There is a senior couple and a junior couple. We served as the junior couple and were paired with an incredible senior couple with 38 years of marriage under their belts—Joe and Natalie Schroeder.

Sidney and I at our Engaged Encounter weekend retreat. After months of preparing, we got to present!

Completing our weekend team was a priest who I had looked up to for a long time. Fr. Pat Kerst, who will celebrate his 34th anniversary of ordination in May, sacrificed a busy Lenten weekend at his home parish of St. Thomas More to serve at this retreat. As a boy, I would listen to him say mass at St. Francis of Assisi in Walla Walla while I sat in the pew with my grandparents. During my last couple years in Myrtle Beach I would listen to a podcast he contributed to. By the time I moved back to Spokane, he was the pastor at my parents’ home parish. Known for his personal and impactful preaching style, Sidney and I knew we would have to bring our “A” games to keep up with him.

We had 13 couples attend our retreat weekend, a healthy number for the current state of the Engaged Encounter ministry in eastern Washington. It was a lot of fun to meet these 26 soon-to-be newlyweds and learn about when and what church they were going to get married in. But after the introductions and the well-wishes concluded, reality set in: We now had to actually provide these couples with something useful.

Sidney and I were responsible for six presentations throughout the weekend. Using specific examples from our own marriage, we delivered talks on understanding oneself, communication, decision-making, unity, conflict resolution, and betrothal. The Schroeders presented on a host of other equally important marital topics while Fr. Pat provided his invaluable insight during each presentation. As a person who can get nervous enough just doing one presentation, doing a half dozen seemed pretty daunting. But with Sidney on my team and God’s abundant grace, it was much more of a blessed experience as opposed to a scary one.

Sidney presenting at the March 1-3 Engaged Encounter weekend while Fr. Pat Kerst and Joe Schroeder look on.

But the weekend wasn’t just about presentations. We watched videos, shared meals, and did activities. Confession was offered and the chapel was always open for prayer. On Saturday night, Fr. Pat offered mass. It was an intimate and beautiful way for our group to come together and celebrate the source and summit of Christian life.

It was gratifying to see the 13 engaged couples respond so well to everything we threw at them. Sidney and I really enjoyed getting to know the couples better as the weekend went on. We admired the overall humility, appreciation, and faith that was displayed. It wasn’t lost on us that they were giving up an entire weekend to sit inside the walls of a 1950s retreat house when they could be doing so many other things. Thanks be to God for their prioritization.

We had an incredible group of committed couples who brought plenty of faith and willingness to learn to the retreat.

Besides becoming acquainted with the couples preparing to be married, it was a complete pleasure to bond with the other members of our team. Collaborating with the Schroeders was extremely rewarding. They supported us immensely through our first weekend and we learned so much from the presentations they gave. The marriage that Joe and Natalie live out is one that Sid and I aspire to emulate. To share the stage with Fr. Pat was a thrill. Like I said, I have spent my whole life watching him and listening to him. But those nearly 34 years in front of congregation after congregation has surely not inflated his ego—Fr. Pat is as humble as they come! It was so special to see that up close.

This was our March 1-3, 2024 Engaged Encounter weekend team. What a pleasure it was to present with the Shroeders and Fr. Pat Kearst.

As I write this after allowing the weekend’s adrenaline to wear off and the significance to sink in, I just feel blessed for the opportunity Sidney and I were given. Thanks to Fr. Jeff for inviting us into the Engaged Encounter community, Ric and Cindy Gaunt for giving us the opportunity to present, Joe and Natalie Schroeder for teaming up with us, Fr. Pat for leading our weekend team, and everyone else in our EE chapter who so warmly welcomed us. Special thanks to my wife for being the best presenting partner ever! And, of course, praise to God for the grace to undertake such an intensive but worthwhile ministry. We can’t wait to present again. Don’t Blink.

Leap Day Thursday Rundown

Good evening and happy Monday Eve Eve Eve Eve! Wow, that was a really bad joke. Before I get pummeled with tomatoes, how about we just get to the five topics? Okay, here we go…

Happy Leap Year – Today is Feb. 29 so please allow me to wish a very happy birthday to all our leap day babies! I had the special opportunity to produce a leap day video for work. We focused on three WSU students who “turned 5” today and had some fun with them. You can watch the video by tapping here.

This was a fun video to make and I actually learned a lot about leap day babies.

Four Years – This week (Feb. 27 specifically) marks the four-year anniversary of when Sidney was welcomed into the Catholic Church and Beau was baptized. What a blessed day it was! I still remember arriving at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach and when my family entered the chapel area, many of my Knights of Columbus brothers and other people from the parish were already seated ready to support Sid and Beau. We are forever grateful to Fr. Roger Morgan for bestowing the sacraments upon us.

Thanks be to God for Feb. 27, 2020. This is our family at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach on the day Sidney was welcomed into the Church and Beau was baptized.

Sloan Reading – Throughout the year at St. Mary Catholic School, the different grades take turns hosting mass. The students in the respective grades will do the opening prayer, bring down the gifts, and lead everyone else in the prayers of the faithful. Another job is to do the reading. Yesterday, the first graders presented mass and Sloan was chosen for that day’s long reading. She proclaimed Wisdom 7:7-10, 15-16 and did a flawless job, even with many big words mixed in. She practiced with me for two weeks and her efforts paid off. I took time off work to attend the mass and I was so proud of Sloan and all her classmates.

Sloan reading at the St. Mary (Spokane Valley) school mass on February 27, 2024.

National Toast Day – A half decade ago in 2019, I explained how my wife teases me for not really making toast but just “warm bread.” I can’t object—five years later I still cook my “toast” just to the point where it starts to stiffen a bit. Although I gave myself credit in 2019 for being a #11, I really am more of a #16. My wife? She is a solid #13.

According to this chart, how do you eat your toast?

Bring On March – I love the month of March! Spring arrives, longer days set in, Sloan celebrates her birthday, pandemonium ensues with March Madness, and this year the month concludes with Easter. I have liked the third month of the year for a long time, in fact, I wrote about my admiration for March back in 2013…that’s 11 years ago!

My brother and I on Easter Sunday in 2012.

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That will do it for tonight. Sidney and I have a huge weekend on the horizon as we will present to 12 engaged couples at a retreat through our Engaged Encounter work. Please pray for us! Don’t Blink.

Don’t Make A Happy Plate

Going to a restaurant is always fun. Ordering from a menu, receiving good service, and of course eating delicious food all make eating out a nice experience. But sometimes the pleasant vibes can push us to maximize the pleasure.

As a boy, young man, and even now as an older dude, I have sometimes felt obligated and challenged to eat the entire contents of the plate put forth in front of me. But this can be an unfortunate practice, especially when you are eating somewhere like Texas Roadhouse or Cheesecake Factory.

Even though I still fall short from time to time, I have learned that “making a happy plate” (as my wife calls it) isn’t always the best way to go. Here are my five reasons for not cleaning your restaurant plate—even if you really want to…

Often, it can be tempting but also unnecessary to eat everything on your plate at a restaurant.

1. Self-discipline – Nothing like a challenge to refrain from gorging yourself, right? Although it might not be fun when you are in the middle of really enjoying your meal, you will feel like a champ walking out of the restaurant.

2. Leftovers – Make no mistake about it, restaurant leftovers usually taste better the next day and provide something to look forward to.

3. Gift for someone else – I truly think it is a thoughtful act when my wife goes out to eat with her friends and returns with a to-go box and hands it off to me. “This pasta was delicious and I wanted to bring some of it home for you.” Bringing a portion of your meal home to give someone else is a way to selflessly share an experience that they weren’t able to attend.

4. Promote health – This might be the most obvious reason on the list, but it isn’t ideal to consume 3,000 calories in one sitting. Even if you don’t want the psychological challenge of not eating everything on your plate, perhaps following basic guidance for daily caloric intake will provide a good enough reason to look out for your overall health.

5. Score re-usable containers – When you ask for a “box” at a restaurant, sometimes you receive a container that is pretty spiffy. Yep, some restaurants have really elevated their game when it comes to what they give customers to load their extra food in. Sidney and I have re-used some of these containers long after the leftovers are gone.

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If you want to increase your will power, create another meal for later, brighten the day of a loved one, save some calories, or bring home a re-usable container, you might consider not cleaning your plate. But, as this blogger is very much aware…easier said than done. Don’t Blink.

Settling

Let it be known that it took me until Feb. 27 to mention the two words that fill so many of us with anxiety and dread: Election Year.

But just because I haven’t mentioned the election on this blog until now (and I hope I don’t mention it much more through November), doesn’t mean I don’t follow it. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not obsessive to the point that I have alerts on my phone or that I am referencing FiveThirtyEight constantly, but I do enjoy a good presidential race. I definitely keep an eye on it.

And, from time to time, I talk to people about it. One thing I have noticed in my conversations with people supporting both Joe Biden and Donald Trump is a lack of enthusiasm for each candidate. The attitude is that both men are the de facto nominees—the safest options (whoever thought Donald Trump would be the safest option?). Removing either candidate would require maneuvering, in-fighting, inconvenience, money, and so much more. Basically, it would be hard.

It just seems like the easiest option to have these two duke it out again.

I think in our everyday lives we often fall back on the choices and options of least resistance. In our busy existences, why exert energy to undo something that has seemed to be working decently? Why rock the boat when it seems to be sailing just fine?

But perhaps we are overlooking a small leak in the boat. Maybe if we don’t rock it, the leak will get bigger and the boat will eventually sink—or at the very least people might start jumping ship. Better that we are given the chance to make decisions to fix the boat long before acts of desperation like ship jumping, right?

Change for the sake of change isn’t something I advocate for. However, if there are reasons to indicate that an alternative approach or option to a problem might be better, I think it deserves the chance to be vetted and perhaps implemented. Now who is ready to watch the debates this fall?! Don’t Blink.

Forgetting Lyrics, Forgetting Memories

Earlier this month, Gwen Stefani went on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. Gwen and Jimmy talked about how she will re-unite with her No Doubt bandmates at Coachella in April. During that discussion, Stefani revealed that she no longer remembers the lyrics to most of her No Doubt songs and that she will have to re-learn the lyrics for the festival.

I guess some people might be a little shocked that Gwen Stefani can’t remember the lyrics to the songs that literally made her millions. After all, it wasn’t like she just performed them once. They were songs she wrote and performed over and over.

Kudos to Gwen Stefani for being honest, but I think it is a little sad that she can’t remember the lyrics to her songs.

To be honest, I am not too surprised. Why? Because it is just the human condition. Our brains forget things. Sometimes the forgetfulness is total and sometimes it is supplemented by details that did not happen. I feel ya, Gwen!

But just because I understand Gwen Stefani’s lyrical amnesia and the tendency for humans to forget memories as time goes by, it doesn’t mean that I don’t find it sad. We live our days and then a decade later we don’t have any recollection about them. Even for people like myself with sharp memories, it is depressing how much is just forgotten.

As a way to combat the recollection loss of what I have done on a day-to-day basis over the course of my life, I started to journal religiously about 23 years ago when I was a middle school student. I have written in this blog (which is another way to save memories) numerous times about my journaling habit but this video might explain it the best. I am always fond of saying that if there was one material item I would save if our house was ablaze, it would be my box of old journals.

I treasure my journals more than anything.

Perhaps the human tendency to forget things shouldn’t bother me that much, but I just can’t brush off the fact that Gwen Stefani no longer remembers the lyrics to “Spiderwebs” 😂. Don’t Blink.

Century Thursday Rundown

I took Wednesday off from blogging so I could be 100% ready and fresh for this Thursday Rundown! So let’s get started…

100th Day of School – On Tuesday, Sloan celebrated the 100th Day of School in her first grade class. Each student brought in 100 items of something. Sloan opted for raffle tickets that she found at grandma and papa’s house. Although Sloan did all the gluing and counting, papa helped her with the heading on her poster board.

Sloan with her 100 Days of School poster board and crown.

Special Baptism – This past Sunday, our family headed to Idaho for the baptism of Graham Schafer. The little guy is the son of Kailey and Corbin Schafer, the first couple that we ever mentored for marriage and Graham is the first child born from one of our mentorships. The baptism took place at St. George’s Catholic Church in Post Falls, Idaho, with Fr. Sleeva Madanu presiding. After Fr. Madanu had administered the sacrament he looked at everyone with astonishment and said that Graham was the first baby he baptized who just laughed when the water was poured over him and the sacred oils applied.

Graham Schafer was baptized at St. George’s in Post Falls, Idaho, on Feb. 18, 2024, by Fr. Sleeva Madanu

Pizza Night – Earlier this week, I wrote about classic dinners I enjoyed during my childhood and homemade pizza was one of them. I think that blog post inspired me to have our third homemade pizza night as a family yesterday evening. Although I cheated this time a little bit by purchasing pre-made crusts, we still had a lot of fun. The kids made their pepperoni pie while Sid and I made a white sauce pizza on thin crust. It was chef’s kiss.

Homemade pizza night was delicious and fun!

National California Day – Despite the close proximity of California to Washington, I haven’t actually spent much time there in my lifetime. However, my most memorable time in the Golden State was when my family took an epic vacation there while I was in elementary school. We went to Disneyland, Hollywood Studios, and Sea World and had the absolute best time. We didn’t go on too many vacations when we were little but this one packed enough memories to cover years.

My All-American – I usually view my mom’s movie recommendations with a sense of skepticism, but her latest suggestion hit the mark. “My All-American” is the true story about Freddie Steinmark, a special athlete who despite his short statue was able to beat the odds and earn a football scholarship from the University of Texas. I can’t say much more because it will give the movie away but it is a very touching film and Steinmark proves to be a tremendous role model, especially for undersized teens who feel they can’t compete with more physically-blessed peers. BUT, it is so much more than a sports movie and Steinmark also serves as a role model for just the general underdog. If you have a Netflix account and a couple hours this weekend, I recommend that you watch it.

I enjoyed “My All-American.”

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Thanks again for taking time to read Don’t Blink. The last weekend of February is upon us so make it count. Last but not least, special shoutout to my friend Lindsi who is celebrating National Margarita Day. If you know, you know. Don’t Blink.

The Meals Around the Reser Family Childhood Table

The other night at the dinner table, Sidney and I started to chat about what our parents cooked for our families growing up. We specifically discussed the dinners that would be prepared. My wife mentioned that a reliable rotating menu of about five core meals was continually offered throughout her childhood. Growing up in my family, our menu was a little more extensive but we definitely had our go-to dinners as well.

For tonight’s blog post I thought it would be fun to mention the 10 dinners (in no particular order) that were consistently placed on the Reser family kitchen table throughout my childhood. Bon Appetit!…

Our table has expanded over the years and the meals have become more elaborate. Let me take you back couple decades to tell you about some of the classic meals the Reser family would eat.

Grilled Hamburgers – Perhaps the defining meal of our family, there was nothing my dad enjoyed more than throwing hamburgers on the grill. He would take our cheese order (no cheese, one slice, double cheese) and do his best not to burn the meat—easier said than done 😂. Some might view grilled hamburgers as a summer thing but we ate them year-round.

Lasagna – Growing up in an Italian family, you better believe we had a heavy diet of pasta. My mom’s signature dish was her delicious lasagna which she would pair with meatballs from my grandpa’s restaurant. If we ever brought something to a potluck or if my dad needed a dish for a work function, it would be a lasagna.

Tacos and Tater Tots – Sidney said she never ate tater tots with her tacos until she met my family. Well, it was always tots that we would accompany with our homemade, greasy, love-filled tacos. Although I always opted for a soft shell, this was the age when double decker tacos at Taco Bell were really popular and my parents would always make their own versions of it.

Pasta Fagioli – A recipe passed down from my grandma to my mom was pasta fagioli, an Italian bean-based soup. My mom would bake muffins to go with it and whenever she prepared the soup it would fill the kitchen with a distinctive and savory smell. Pro tip: this soup was always even better the next day when we re-heated it in the microwave.

Breakfast! – Breakfast for dinner was definitely a thing at our house. My mom would make either pancakes, French toast, or haul out the battle-tested iron to make homemade waffles. Served with eggs, hash browns, and sausage, eating breakfast for dinner was always a nice change of pace.

Homemade Pizza – This was always a fun night because my mom allowed us kids to make our own personal pizzas. We could either make a traditional round pie or use her muffin pan to create “pizza cupcakes.” Of course homemade pizza tasted way different than what we would get from Pizza Hut but it was always fun and because we made it ourselves there was always that incentive to actually eat it.

Grilled Cheese and Top Ramen – I mentioned this meal in a recent blog post as I described how I had fond memories of dipping my sandwich in the ramen. After letting it soak for 30 seconds or so, I enjoyed the soggy taste that resulted. This was always a quick and easy meal that was great for Lenten Fridays.

Wiener Wraps – This dinner was notorious in our house! A wiener wrap is a hot dog wrapped in Bisquick dough topped with a slice of cheese. On a wiener wrap night, my dad would always concoct his “special sauce” for the wraps and the frozen fries that we would cook to accompany them. These things were always so good that my mom had to set a limit on how many my dad was able to eat 😂.

Sunday Dinner – My parents would go all-out for dinner on Sunday, usually grilling something like chicken, steak, or London broil. They would also prepare baked potatoes and fresh vegetables for a meal that would tie a bow around the weekend and prepare us for the week.

Nachos – My mom and dad would occasionally plan a movie night for our family on either Friday or Saturday. We would head to the basement where our lone television was set up and enjoy the rare opportunity of eating dinner away from the kitchen table. Usually, my mom would make a huge platter of oven-baked nachos for us all to munch on. Toppings like fresh veggies (chopped by my dad), refried beans, and sour cream would be provided. It was always like a mini party and we loved it!

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Now that Sidney and I have our own family, our menu consists of meals passed down to us from both our upbringings. If you ever want a taste of that very eclectic combination, stop by for dinner one of these days. By the way, what was one of the signature dinners served in your family? Don’t Blink.