Holiday Meals Everyone Will Feast On

We all have those family members, young and old, who don't agree with one specific food, or another, in every meal. After many years of being the family "chef" I have encountered many food items which are accepted by part of the family, and will for sure cause a fuss with the others. As with most things in life, approach is everything. Before we plan a meal, we often think first of our "staples". Every family has a different set of staples, based on their "normal" diet.

In our family one of our staples that are used many times through the week, ONIONS. Onions are something I use in many meals, dry, chopped, powder, fresh, etc. I have found that not everyone wants to eat the onions, but the meals are just not the same without the onions... What do you do? Use the powder version more (they will eat what they can't see), and use larger chunks of the onion in the meal (as to allow the family member to pull the unwanted item out of the meal). This rule works great for food items such as garlic, celery, carrots, etc... but, what about when it is the taste that causes the fuss, or maybe even spice?

If it is a food that tastes strong, and can be overwhelming in some dishes, aim for a more conservative approach to using these flavors. Let's take nutmeg for an example. This is a flavor which many people either like, or don't; however, too much can have a horrible taste even to those who like the flavor normally. For nutmeg, and many other spices, more doesn't necessarily create a good flavor, it is the combination of ingredients, blending and re-hydrating together, which makes a meal taste great.

Another factor in feeding picky eaters can be the difference between using dried herbs and seasonings, or using a fresh plant. Fresh herbs can be purchased, or grown, and often taste less bitter than the dry foods, and also carries a lot more nutrition with it. Herbs generally have the best flavor when cut just before use. Kitchen herb containers are fairly easy to maintain, add a fresh smell to the kitchen, and somehow are even OK in a meal (when generally they are not) just as curiosity of the difference between dry and fresh. As well, these fresh herbs can be a great conversation piece during the holidays.

As mentioned before, some seasonings can be a bit overwhelming, and frankly not appealing to some digestive systems. The term "too spicy" fits right into this position. Many times spicy seasonings, such as pepper, crushed red pepper, curry and many others, are just not desired. The way to approach this factor is to either omit the spice, and allow people to use at their discretion, or simply split the meal in two dishes at the end, and add your desired spice amount to only one dish. This gives the option of no spice, lots of spice, or somewhere in the middle (they can mix the two as desired).

Approach to the food conundrum, especially with children, can often be avoided by alternative methods of preparation. Every food item that we make has many different methods of preparation. A great example of this is Brussels sprouts. I have seen many people attempt to make these wonderful little cabbage like greens, however, I generally will opt out of eating them when other people make them. Why? Brussels sprouts can turn out horrible if left too long to steam, boiled, or done other ways. Many times people do not have a lot of experience, or have done it the wrong way for so long that they just can't get them right. My suggestion is to find a good recipe, and stick to it, adjusting as you go. Done right, every difficult food has a "good" way, and a "yuck" way, to each person differently. You just have to know the audience, and how to approach the food preparation.

As expected, when dealing with foods, always keep in mind that some people do not eat certain things due to allergies. These allergies should always be taken into consideration when preparing a family meal, and alternatives should always be available.

One last note, when in doubt, make a few extra dishes or snacks made with bacon as a backup, after all... Everyone loves bacon!

From this Alaskan kitchen to wherever you are, Happy Eating and I hope you all have wonderful family meals from here forward.