October 14, 2007: Trauma at the Mall, Greek food for dinner

Alex has been saving his money and wanted a new skateboard. I finally relented and we went to the skate shop at the mall. While we were waiting for the board to be put together, Megan and I took a walk. She said, "I'm ready today to get my ears pierced." "Oh, really?" I responded. We have had this conversation almost daily for two months. "The last time we came to the mall, you were not sure. We wil not get them pierced unless you really want it." "Well, my friends at preschool said I should do it," she replied. "Who is in charge of your life, Megan? You or your friends?" I said. So we walked to the jewelry store and she looked over the earrings and all of the equipment, as we have done several times before, and she said, "Nope. Not ready." So we walked some more and then she said, "I know I am ready. I want my ears pierced today." I sat down with her and talked about how they would clean her ears, and mark the spot to put the hole, and use the piercers to put the earrings in the holes. I told her it would be sore and hurt a little bit. She said, "I want to do it." So we went back to the jewelry store.

Megan sat on my lap, picked out a pair of earrings, and did not fuss. I thought all was well until the entire procedure was over and then she started crying. "Take them out! Take them out!" Big tears and great remorse. I just kept thinking to myself, "Hold on until we get home." We got an ice cream cone, which she thought would help her feel better and then she ate three bites and threw away.

Home we went. She kept pulling her hair over her ears, saying "I don't want anyone to see my earrings. I'm not going to tell Daddy." Of course, the minute Mark came in to the house, she ran to him to show off the earrings. She swings back and forth between being satisfied with her choice one minute and wanting to take them out the next. I am not relenting about taking them out. I know that if I give in now, we will have to go through some version of this again sometime in the future when she decides she wants the earrings. I was close to tears myself a few times, thinking that I must be a pretty lame excuse for a mother to let my daughter suffer so. Then I realize that someone here has to keep an even mind about it. So that's how it stands for now.

SUNDAY DINNER

Chicken and Pork Souvlaki
Tzatziki Sauce
Pita bread rounds
Uncle Quin Fries
Kalamata Olives, Tomatoes, sliced red onion, shredded lettuce, crumbled feta cheese
Sauteed green beans, carrots, onion & cauliflower


I found the recipe for the Tzatziki Sauce on the Allrecipies.com website. It's excellent! Ditto for the meat marinade.

SOUVLAKI by Abby Benner

1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
(I used half pork tenderloin, half boneless chicken breasts, cubed as directed)
2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
(I also added 1/2 pound small button mushrooms and about 15 large cherry tomatoes)

1. In large bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, oregano, garlic and cubed meat. (Mushrooms and tomatoes optional.) Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours.

2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Thread pork, (chicken if used), peppers, onions (mushrooms and tomatoes) onto skewers.

3. Lightly oil grate. cook for 10-15 minutes, until desired doneness, turning frequently for even cooking.


TZATZIKI SAUCE

1/2 cup seeded, shredded cucumber
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning
freshly ground black pepper to taste, additional salt to taste

1. Place a medium coffee filter inside a mesh colander, and put the yogurt and sour cream in the filter. Let it drain over a bowl for an hour or so. The sauce will be much less runny that way.

2. Sprinkle the shredded cucumber with the 1 tsp salt and let it sit for 5 minutes.

3. Mix yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, dill and Greek seasoning. Squeeze the cucumber to remove excess water and add to sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper as desired. Refrigerate overnight.

UNCLE QUIN FRIES

3 or 4 large baking potatoes, sliced lengthwise into about 1/4 inch thick slices
olive oil
Montreal Steak seasoning

Put the potato slices on a plate, cover and microwave for about a minute. (This will partially cook the fries so that it doesn't take so long on the grill.) Toss the potato slices gently with a little olive oil and Montreal steak seasoning (just enough oil to make the seasoning stick.)

Grill potatoes over medium heat, turning over occasionally with tongs, until golden brown and edges are crisp.

THE MEAL:

1. Sauce the night before & refrig until needed.
2. Marinate meat
3. Potatoes first--they take the longest to cook. I assigned this job to Alex while Mark and I put the meat on skewers. Keep them warm on a plate in a 200 degree oven while you do the meat. (You can cook potatoes and meat at the same time if you have a large enough grill, but ours isn't that big and we have to cook in batches.)
4. Simple stir fry the veggies: thinly sliced onion, few cloves garlic. Then add carrots and green beans. When they are almost done, add cauliflower. Steam with a little chicken broth. Salt and pepper and a squirt of lemon & there you are.
Mark handled this job while I grilled the kabobs.
5. Grill the kabobs.
6. Megan made the juice: frozen white grape juice.


At the last minute, when all items are on the table, & the grill is turned off but still hot, put the pita rounds onto the rack and lightly toast.

Take the meat and vegetables from the skewers and put it into a warm pita round. Top with a generous tablespoon of the yogurt sauce, a few slices of red onion, lettuce & some feta cheese & enjoy. It's absolutely delicious.