[like food, music, etc.]...

[Dave Richards]

I like to cook for my whole family. (We now have 10 kids.) We have a commercial gas range, we've had it about 10 years. Before we got it, it used to take about 30 minutes to cook up a mess of pancakes and sausage, or bacon, on a Saturday morning on the electric solid cooktop. On the first Saturday, it only took 15 minutes. (then we had more time at the range just kidding!)

Seriously, though. I've noticed food is a "big" thing at our house, not just in quantity. With everyone being so busy, sitting down to dinner each night, or breakfast on Saturday, we can talk and catch up. The better the food, the more we look forward to it. When we're cooking a special meal, or something extra nice, the kids gravitate towards the kitchen to act as "tasters", or just to help out. I really like it.

We cook alot of chicken, better cuts of beef occasionally, and lots of fish, mostly salmon (although the younger kids don't like it) and white fish, although I have discovered I really like Snapper and Grouper, but it's hard to come by here. We have about five favorite ways to have chicken, for beef, grilled steak, with dad's special rub is our favorite, and the older people like their salmon blackened.

My kids love pasta, but they get so many carbs elsewhere, we go easy on it. They especially love alfredo sauce with chicken, or shrimp. Sometimes we do a chicken, peas, bacon and parmesian cheese with olive oil over fettichini.

Since the kids were young, we've played lot's of music during our family times. When the older ones were really young, the living room had no furniture, on account of the dad and mom like to pay cash for stuff, so the living room was like a big dance hall and we'd listen to rock and roll and dance around like crazy people. I hope they do that with their kids too. Other times we'd listen to classical music, and just listen and talk about it. I never listened to classical music when I was young, but have really grown to love some pieces, I'll even listen to Bach and some others in the car.

I feel like I'm doing all the talking, sorry to monopolize the conversation, I'll shut up and listen for awhile...

 

[DNK]

I like to cook for my whole family.... and lots of fish, mostly salmon

You call that thing that swims in your ocean Salmon.
Yuk
The only real Salmon is Pacific

 

[JamesWilson]

I like to cook for my whole family.... and lots of fish, mostly salmon

You call that thing that swims in your ocean Salmon.
Yuk
The only real Salmon is Pacific

Now, really. The Scottish product is far superior...

Really great products for the truly discerning consumer:

Scottish Salmon, Aberdeen Angus, Trout, Venison, Pheasant, Grouse...

and the inimitable Haggis, neeps & tatties.


And deep fried Mars Bars for the incorrigible gourmand....

 

[aeronca65t]

<span style="font-style: italic">(like food, music, etc.)...</span>

OK, *now* you're talking!

I'm the oldest of ~seven kids~ .

My folks Immigrated with me over from Ireland, my sister was born in Canada and my five brothers were all born in the USA.

Dinner time was always like a huge party at our house.

My Mom (by her own admission) was never a great cook, but it was the "getting together" part that was fun.
My Dad would only grill stuff on the charcoal grill outside, but he was terrible at it. We still kid him about it...but still, all great fun.

These days we get together with kids, spouses, significant others, aunts, uncles, dogs, cats and probably random people off the street who get sucked in by all the commotion.
My 1st grand-daughter was born 8 weeks ago and my daughter told me that "we have to get her used to crowds" (referring to our family, of course).
My great-Aunt Lil is 93 and is more like a grandmother to me. She raised my Mom (my grandmother died young). Aunt Lil is still going strong: driving, playing the accordian and the piano (even stronger since she quit smoking!). Between Aunt Lil and Reese (my grand-daughter) we have 5 generations when we meet up.

Like you guys, we try to watch carbs. Personally, I am more whole grains and veggies with some fish and chicken. Very little beef.

As for classical music (or "serious music" as my officemate calls it), Bach is a bit heavy for me. I tend to listen to Mozart, Chopin and Heiden.

For modern music, these days I seem to be re-interested in female Canadian singers for some reason. Joni Mitchell got me started on this 40 years ago and I still like her. I'm a big fan of Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Allison Crowe and even Celine Dion and Anne Murray.
And being in NJ, I'm a Springsteen fan. I may be the only person who actually bought his "Nebraska" album. I went to high school near Freehold, NJ and played in a little ~skiffle band~ . One of the guys I went to school with was in Bruce's first band, so I got meet Bruce when he was about 17.....way before he was famous.

Anyway, to your main point, it's never boring with a big family!

 

[Guest]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]And deep fried Mars Bars for the incorrigible gourmand[/QUOTE]

The chippie round the corner does them. It's become something of a minor hit in NY as well - at least in my office...

 

[DrEntropy]

I do miss it. I was the eldest of 16 grandchildren in an Italian Grandma's family. EVERY Sunday was a fete at her house. She left us when I was 15, the fete was relocated to our house as mother was the oldest of grandma's six. Everyone pitched in to prep the meals, usually everything was made from "scratch" including the pasta. Mother and her two sisters could sing the McGuire or Andrews Sisters' songs better'n original (first time I heard Linda Ronstadt I thought my mom had a "secret life"!) :wink: Holidays were the extra special gatherings. Foods which were reserved for those meals are still top of my list.

Music was a constant. Recordings of Italian songs, lots of Perry Como, Tony Bennett. Mother playing the piano or organ, the three sisters would harmonize anything they sang, one uncle was an accomplished clarinetist...

Great memories. I very much miss those times.

*sigh*

 

[Steve]

I would dearly love a commercial gas range. I do all the cooking in our house (I have chicken breasts in mango coconut pepper sauce simmering in the slow cooker for dinner tonight) and one of those babies would be wonderful!

I like classic rock for when I'm working and need to get through stuff, classical for reflective, creative moments.

 

[Guest]

Those 6 burner ranges are flat out awesome. We got one as part of the kitchen redo, and I don't know how we lived without it. Just for the ability to put two full sized pans next to each other alone it's worth it.

 

[Dave Richards]

We picked up the gas range for $1,000 at an auction. Putting that baby in our little house reminded me of a Tim Allen comedy bit.

It seems like everyone has good memories of being with family.

Our family "car" is a 15 passenger van, (we're on our second). We pull a 6x10 utility trailer as our "trunk".

Tomorrow we're loading up to go the the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a week. We've never been there and the kids are pretty excited. Grocery shopping is going to take the better part of the afternoon today and tomorrow morning. Three big marine coolers tide us over for a few days.

Typically months with 'r's in 'em aren't good for crabs, but I'm looking forward to whatever the local cuisine is...

 

[Silverghost]

10 kids??!!! I bow down to YOU!! <imitates Wayne and Garth - "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!> LoL

I have three and THAT'S a handful! I DO like the idea of the utility trailer for a trunk! We are buying a 6x14 so that we can fill it with "stuff" AND the Mini.