@Sue: To be perfectly honest, as the youngest of the crowd, I don’t remember too much beyond the fact that dinner was always on the table at six o’clock and it was always (and I mean always) home-made. The town we lived in had no take-out pizza joint until I was in high school, and eating out with such a huge family was prohibitively expensive, anyway. Catholics of a certain age will remember the Friday Night Fish Fry--we went out for Friday night dinner probably twice a month. Mom was really organized, which I imagine helped an immense amount (Sustainable Eats: yes to the organization!). By the time I got more conscious, my three oldest brothers were off at college and the herd was somewhat thinned. As far as helping, we certainly did. We did some prep (I still hate making salads!), including setting the table, and we did almost all the clean-up. Also, I remember that someone (usually my closest brother) always held Mom’s chair for her, and no-one ever started eating until Mom was seated at the table. And while I remember the occasional Cream of Mushroom/chicken thing, mostly I remember REAL food. The thing that most amazes me is that not only did she run the house well, but she also was a really active volunteer AND she read a huge amount AND she tolerated us in the kitchen, especially when it came to making desserts. And we had people over for dinner a lot. Sometimes dinner guests were out-of-towners who were working with my dad, and sometimes they were school or church-related guests. Really, looking back at what I’ve just written makes me feel totally inadequate. I guess she ran on equal parts determination and organization--and coffee!

Holy cow, Marlena. You and my mom would have loved each other--she was extremely well organized. My hat’s off to you. Given your meal-prep circumstances, I would have run shrieking into the pantry and stayed there.

Pat, I had no idea my mom’s bread-baking influenced so many kids outside our family, and it’s wonderful to hear about it. I guess this inspires me to bake even more often than I do. Who knows what innocent kid’s memory bank will be permanently, and positively, impacted by the smell and taste of homemade bread?

I LOVE the idea of “everyone else cooking their own dinner” especially if they’d be happy doing so. I also love the “make your own pasta topping” idea and I’m going to steal that for my next pasta night. As for the rest of it, sounds as if you’re on your own in VeggieLand--at least right now.

Zegg & Redweather: I love the “meatfree Monday” idea. One thing I’ve done in the past (and keep meaning to reinstitute) is to have one night a week be the Same Damn Thing every week. For a long time, it was Taco Tuesday, easy to do meatless or meaty, since everyone builds her/his own taco from the cute little bowls that you’ve filled with chopped/cooked/shredded goodies. Also: I will sometimes cook up a whole bunch of bulk Italian sausage, or make spicy taco meat filling, let it cool, and then pack it in small containers and shove it in the freezer. This saves so much time and hassle during dinner prep. Just be sure to label each package as to contents and date; nasty surprises are not what we need at mealtime.
Sustainable Eats: I, too, am distinctly lacking in the style and grace department, unless there’s a way to swear gracefully. Which I doubt.
And to all my wonderful long-lost friends from that small town on Lake Michigan: Thanks! Your comments have brought back wonderful memories for me.

Aw, Marsha, now I’m blushing! And swearing...time to figure out what’s for dinner tonight.

Thanks for the comments! Upon re-reading the article, I realized that the “bean and cheese burrito” reference for the lactose-intolerant preteen might be confusing. Join me in my confusion: she can usually eat cheese with no issues, and she’s recently started to add milk back into her diet without bad effects. Maybe it was a funky hormonal stage. I’ve stopped trying to figure this stuff out.
Allison, we haven’t tried the King Arthur mixes, so I’ll put them on the shopping list.
Betsy, we buy local and humanely-raised/slaughtered animals, but the teenager is firm in not eating any animals at all, no matter what their life was like. I totally get where she’s coming from, but I really enjoy eating meat.
And CentreofNowhere, I would blow up without my extra freezer. It’s saved me more times than I can think.