Wingin' It

Response to #57: Nontraditional Traditions

Buffalo chicken bites with ranch (not blue cheese), tortilla chips and salsa, sometimes guacamole
Ruffles and onion dip, cheese and crackers, or melty gooey mozzarella cheese sticks
mini quiches or maybe spanakopita triangles, sometimes bagel bites or pizza rolls
but always potato skins with cheddar cheese and bacon, and of course plenty of sour cream and scallions,
because even as young as 5 or 6 my son always loved scallions

Miami Dolphins game, a movie we'd seen a hundred times, or even 60 Minutes
episodes of MASH, or Twilight Zone, classic Mickey Mouse Cartoons, or Fairly Odd Parents
sometimes video games, ok lots of video games and Spongebob Squarepants
but always around the coffee table comfortably lounging on the couch or hunched over the table
while sitting on the floor inches away from the screen

A carry over from my childhood days, I remember a random night a once or twice a month
when my mom just wasn't feeling the presence of her domestic goddess
What's for dinner? one of us would ask, to which she would respond "We're winging it tonight."
And out came the snacky finger foods often thought of today as crap
because what kind of mother would put this kind of spread out for a family dinner?

The kind of mother who's tired or who's winging it so she can spend less time slaving in the kitchen and more time hanging out and relaxing with her family who loves her well-rounded, healthy home-cooked meals served nicely around the dinner table each night
but also loves the indulgence of all their favorite snack foods and permission once in awhile to watch TV while eating our own kind of TV dinner.

Tonight from the kitchen, as I prepare my low carb, heart healthy dinner for two
I long for the sounds of the little voice calling out from across the house, "Mom, can we wing it for dinner tonight?"