I'm hungry-What's for dinner, Alex?

It seems that our family functions differently when one of the parent's gone for a while. For example, when I was at the Girls' Camp last week, I heard Rod tell Alex: "When I come home from work, we will have fun until 1am." They would go golfing, or to the late movie, or both during the same evening. There would be donuts for dinner, and they would live like Alex didn't have a mom, or Rod didn't have a wife. Just a couple of bachelors having a party all night long.

So, when Rod left for Mexico yesterday morning, I asked Alex what we should do while dad's gone. I found myself suggesting him the different dishes we could try and cook. Late at night I often watch the Food Network cooking shows and lately Alex has been watching them too. Just on Sunday he asked us if he could make us some strawberries and cream. A few minutes later he appears with a bowl of strawberries and tells us that he made a "blueberry ganache that is kind of tangy but sweet".

At least Alex is a man of action, unlike my father who loved to watch cooking shows, and knew in theory how to make different dishes. But when it came to the actual time to cook, all he could do is boil water, and once or twice left the water pot on the stove and the whole pot burned. Actually, I have to give him more credit than that. He was able to boil potatoes.

When I started cooking for my family when I was 13, my dad would hover behind me in the kitchen and tell me how to filé a salmon, or how to make this or that. I asked (I think I actually yelled) him once, quite frustrated, if he knows so well how to do all these things, how come I can't find him cooking, EVER. He quickly laughed and left the kitchen, never to return. He would tell me always that his mother was so well known for her cooking skills. Obviously that gene skipped a generation. According to my father, his sisters couldn't cook either.

Now I find Alex creating recipes every once in a while. Even when the Finns were here a month ago, Alex made them yummy breakfast and one of the boys said to his mom to get Alex's recipe, so she could make it in Finland when they return.

Last night, Alex decided that he would make biscuits and gravy for dinner.


Alex making the country gravy from scratch.


Alex pulling the fresh biscuits out of the oven, also made from scratch.


"Wait, mom. Take another picture".


And a nice sprig of chives on top to make this extremely yummy dinner complete.

What's for dinner tonight?