Déja Food...

Whew, it's been a few days!  K and I spent the weekend out of state for a bridal shower/bachelorette party.  Side note....we stayed at the most beautiful, amazing house I have ever been in.  No joke, this house should be in an issue of something like Architectural Digest.  Just saying.  It was fantastic, we ate absolutely delicious food, like sweet potato and 3 cheese frittatas (AH-MAHZING) and it's been a little crazy since we got back.  Incidentally, I called home and asked M what he ate for dinner, and if I could have put our life savings on my answer in a quadruple to one bet, I would be living large right now.  Because I would have guessed that he had....a sandwich.  And I would have been right.  It's fast, it's easy, it doesn't require cooking or any effort on his part.

Needless to say, after my indulgent weekend, I was ready to get back into it.  M was too, actually!  He's been so positive and encouraging of my efforts, it makes it a lot easier to stay on track.  So he actually suggested that I make....wait for it....a salad for dinner!!  I was positively giddy with excitement.  M has always said that salads are not substantial enough for dinner ("a salad is not a meal!!!!!!!" he would shout), which I have never understood because I would eat salads for every meal if I could and I'm always stuffed.  M does eat salads, but always as a side or starter, and usually just a plain green salad.  I knew we weren't going to repeat the soup fiasco from last week because his reasoning for excluding salad for dinner is much more rational and reasonable than his soup prejudice.  I thought this would be a great opportunity to try a salad that was a little outside of his comfort zone but that might turn him onto the idea of salad for dinner, which would make me the happiest person on the east coast.

Here we go!

The meal:  Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Dressing.  I got some nice crusty bread for him as well to kind of bulk up the meal and salad is always good with a piece of buttered bread.  This salad recipe is from Skinnytaste's website and I mention it not only because of this recipe, but because literally every single recipe I've ever made from her has been drop-your-fork-on-your-plate-because-you-can't-even-stand-it delicious.  Seriously.  Just pick one of her recipes that sounds good, try it and be happy.  Here's my salad:

Why is this challenging:  M has always said that salad isn't a meal.  Plus, the chicken was coated with coconut and baked and the honey mustard flavor is one he hasn't always been too keen on.

ESL:  I gave this a 5.  I wasn't sure how he'd feel about the coconut coating on the chicken and the warm honey mustard dressing.  I thought I'd get the standard "eh."

So...here's how the fight started.  I asked him how he thought he was going to like the meal and he said "well considering I've already had it, I think it will be okay."  There was a good 5 second pause when I bent down to pick my jaw up off the floor and put it back in place because ohmygod I have never made this meal ever.  In fact, I clipped this recipe off of the website and printed it out probably a year or so ago because it sounded so delicious but I knew I couldn't make salad for dinner.  Never mind the fact that I am the one who cooks and I know what recipes I make and don't make.  Even after pointing all of this out, he still insisted he had eaten this before.

Whatever.  Sometimes it's easier (and safer for all those involved) to just walk away and know that you are right.  

ASL:  This is where M redeemed himself.  A 7!!  A solid 7!  He said it was "pretty good" and that he was happy to have the bread to beef up the meal a bit.  He did say that he'd probably be hungry later, after I asked him if he thought it was a substantial meal.  But the flavors were good and he enjoyed it.

Despite M being wrong (so, so, SO wrong), tonight was a success and I think I can say we can do salad for dinner again!!