Annie, I actually don't have a problem with Sebastian choosing to socialize rather then eat, well not with Sebastian anyway. I feel that part of why he is going to school is for the social part. I hate the way the schools devalue eating and socialization. The other problem is the cafeteria, actually it is a cafe-gym-atorium and it is loud and awful. All the kids prefer it when they have lunch in their classroom, at least according to my informal poll. lol, I have often had much with them in the cafeteria and once in the classroom. They were much better at eating while socializing in the classroom. The problem is lunch is when the teachers get a break. I would like teachers to eat with them and have their break during recess. My felling about food is make sure to feel good about everything you serve so it does not matter what they make a meal of. I told a friend of mine when we had 1 year olds, serve them good food and don't pay attention to what is on the floor or still on the tray. So long as you served it it counts. I don't even make my kids take a bite. I tried that once and the gaging etc was not worth it. Plus he had built up that he would not like it. I have told them if it is on their plate and they don't want it, don't talk about it. If they say something is disgusting I will require a bite, ignore it and I am fine. I just hate to have my food insulted ;-) Also they will need these manners for other peoples homes. My kids can have problems in the house of some peers as they are used to a certain level of food. They will not eat frozen pizza, super market rotisserie chicken ... We have friends who eat frozen pizza, when we go over to their house for pizza we bring dough, sauce etc. -Robin

More for ya: BACON AND GREEN CHILE ROLL-UPS 8 slices bacon 1 (9-oz.) container (1 cup) bean dip 4 oz. cream cheese, softened 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper 1 (4.5-oz.) can chopped green chiles Cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon; set aside. In medium bowl, combine bean dip and cream cheese; mix well. Spread each tortilla with bean dip mixture. Sprinkle each with bell pepper, green chiles and bacon. Roll up each tortilla. Wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. To serve, cut each roll into 8 pieces. If desired, secure each piece with toothpick. Makes: 48 snacks; 24 servings. Recipe courtesy of Pillsbury. Don't remember where this one came from, but it is yummers! BAKED PIMENTO CHEESE SPREAD You can serve this with crackers, carrots, celery, or anything else you can think of. 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise 4 oz. jar diced drained pimientos 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. finely grated onion 1/4 tsp. red pepper 8 oz. block of extra sharp cheese, grated 8 oz. block of sharp cheese, grated Mix together, spoon into greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish. Bake 20 minutes at 350° F. BBQ KIELBASA BITES 1 ring Kielbasa, cut into 1/2-inch slices 1/3 cup ketchup 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 1/3 cup orange marmalade Combine sauce ingredients & pour over cut slices of meat in casserole dish. Bake at 350° F. for 20 minutes. BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.) 1 (12 oz.) bottle Frank's Hot Sauce 2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese 1 (16 oz.) bottle blue cheese salad dressing (or Ranch if you prefer) 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack or a combination Boil chicken until cooked through, shred with 2 forks. Preheat oven to 350° F. In a 13- x9-inch pan, combine chicken with hot sauce and spread evenly. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream cheese and dressing, stirring until smooth and hot. Pour evenly over chicken. Bake uncovered for 20 min., then sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Frito scoops, Ritz crackers, and celery sticks. Posted by GlendaAl at the ths.com Recipe Exchange. HERBED CHEESE-AND-CRACKER BITS 2 (10-1/2 oz.) boxes Ritz Bits cheese crackers (not peanut butter flavor) 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 (1 oz.) pkg. Hidden Valley Original Ranch salad dressing mix 1 heaping Tblsp. dried dill 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. celery salt Place the crackers in a large sealable freezer container. In a bowl, mix the oil, salad dressing mix, dill, garlic powder, and celery salt. Pour this mixture over the crackers, cover the container, and invert it to coat the crackers with seasoning. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, turning the container every so often to keep the crackers coated. Let the mixture come to room temperature before serving. Store in the covered container in refrigerator. Recipe courtesy Paula Deen. OLD BAY SHRIMP DIP 2 cans shrimp, drained 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup sour cream 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning Parsley In a bowl combine sour cream and cream cheese; add seasoning. Add chopped scallions and green pepper. Lastly, fold in shrimp. Mold into a ball and chill. Roll in parsley. Serve with assorted crackers. Recipe courtesy of Clabber Girl. SAUSAGE CALZONE BITES 2 oz. Bulk Sweet Italian sausage 1/3 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 small) 1/4 cup shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese 1/2 of an 8 oz. jar pizza sauce (about 1/2 cup) 1/2 tsp. Dried Italian seasoning, crushed 1 (10 oz.) pkg. Refrigerated pizza dough 2 tsp. Milk 2 Tblsp. Finely shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium skillet cook sausage and green pepper until sausage is no longer pink; drain off fat. Stir in the provolone cheese, half of the pizza sauce, and the Italian seasoning. Unroll the pizza dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll or stretch the dough to a 12-inch square. Cut into sixteen 3-inch squares. Spoon a rounded teaspoonful of sausage mixture onto half of each square. Moisten edges of dough with water and fold over, forming a rectangle. Pinch or press with a fork to seal edges. Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Prick tops of calzones with a fork; brush lightly with milk and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Warm remaining pizza sauce to serve with calzones for dipping. Makes 16 mini calzones. SLOW COOKER FIRECRACKER MIX 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 4 Tblsp. margarine or butter, melted 2 Tblsp. brown sugar 1-1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 to 1 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne), optional 8 cups popped corn 4 cups corn cereal squares 3 cups pretzel sticks Mix together Worcestershire, margarine, brown sugar, salt and cayenne pepper (if using). Place popped corn, corn cereal squares and pretzel sticks in 6-quart slow cooker. Pour Worcestershire sauce, softened margarine, brown sugar, salt and cayenne mixture over all and mix thoroughly. Cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. Remove lid for 1 more hour. Pour mixture onto wax paper and allow to cool. Store in storage bags or containers. The mix may be made up to one week in advance. Makes 12 to 15 (1-cup) servings. From Good Housekeeping Best Recipes 1999. Recipe directions and proportions adapted by Julie Kay - From The Baton Rouge Advocate Newspaper 6/29/00. SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS Meatballs: 2 lbs. ground sirloin 1 can french-fried onion rings 1 egg Sauce: 1 jar chili sauce 1 jar water (in bottle for chili sauce) 1 can whole cranberry sauce 1 can sauerkraut, drained (don't be deterred by this) 1 cup light brown sugar Mix meat ingredients and form meatballs. Put all sauce ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the meatballs; bake at 350° F. covered for one hour; uncover and bake an additional half hour. Truly, these are wonderful. And for those who like to dunk bread in the gravy, it's the best! Posted at Mimis Cyber-Kitchen by Elinorw 09-25-98. GLORIFIED VIDALIA ONIONS 5 to 6 medium sweet onions 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup sugar 2 cups water 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tsp. celery seed Finely chop or grate onions. Soak onions in the water, sugar, and vinegar for 4 hours. Drain well. Pat dry. Mix onions with mayonnaise and celery seed. Serve with buttery crackers. Recipe courtesy of Ms. Betty Lees of Savannah, GA. One of my personal favorites: SPICED SWEET ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS 1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained 1 (4 oz.) jar roasted red peppers (or homemade) 3 Tblsp. lemon juice 1-1/2 Tblsp. tahini 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper *(I used 1/4 tsp.) 1/4 tsp. salt 1 Tblsp. chopped fresh parsley Blend all ingredients except parsley in electric blender. Process until fairly smooth. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Sprinkle with parsley before serving. Serve with pita bread cut into strips or triangles. Posted by SharonCb at the ths.com Cooking Forum. SPICY CRAB DIP 1 bunch of green onions chopped, including all of green part 1 to 1-1/2 tsp. cumin 8 to 10 oz. crabmeat (canned or fresh) 1 can of chopped green chilies 2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (or Monterey Jack) Sauté the onions, chilies and cumin in a very small amount of olive oil. Add the crab. Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add to the crab mixture. Mix continuously until cream cheese is melted. Pour into a 1-quart casserole and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a 350° F. oven until lightly brown and bubbly. Serve with Tortilla chips. Make a lot it goes fast! Posted by Barbara Talbott at wwrecipes.com 2/21/01. SPINACH ONION AND BACON DIP 1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry 1 large onion, finely chopped 3 (8 oz. each) pkgs. cream cheese, softened 1 (5 oz.) pkg. shredded Parmesan cheese 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup mayonnaise Corn chips, Wheat Thins, or Triscuits Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine all ingredients except chips/crackers in a medium bowl. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with chips and/or crackers. Serves 12-15. Dip may be made ahead up to 2 days ahead of time, covered, and refrigerated. Let stand 20 minutes before baking as directed. Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen. BANDITO CHICKEN WINGS 12 whole chicken wings (about 2 lbs.) 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup butter, divided 2 Tblsp. vegetable oil 1/2 cup taco sauce 1/4 cup barbecue sauce 1/4 cup French salad dressing 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce Cut chicken wings into three sections; discard wing tips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a skillet over medium heat, combine 2 Tblsp. butter and oil. Fry chicken until brown, about 6-8 minutes on each side. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a saucepan, combine taco sauce, barbecue sauce, French dressing, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and remaining butter; cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted and sauce is blended. Pour 1/2 cup over the chicken wings. Bake, uncovered, at 300° F. for 15-20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Serve with the remaining sauce. Yield: 8-10 servings. Recipe courtesy of Gloria Jarrett of Loveland, Ohio.

I hope you ladies don't think I am crazy but last night Jan set out a pack of pork chops to thaw. As it neared supper time Jan was busy doing something so I decided I would cook supper tonight. I thought about frying them, but that was too much grease, then I thought about grilling them but the grille is out of gas so I opted to bake the chops. I began by making my own shake & bake type rub. 1/4cup white flour 1/4cup Italian flavored bread crumbs 1 TBS course ground black pepper 1 Tsp Curry Powder 1/2Tsp Garlic powder 1/2 Tsp chilli powder 1Tsp granulated sugar Put all that in a bag, mixed thoroughly, then I brushed the chops with Canola Oil and put in the bag one at a time to coat with the rub and place on a baking sheet. Mixed up a pan of Jiffy cornbread mix and put that in a bag and preheated the oven to 400 for the cornbread. Tossed both the corn bread and chops in the preheated oven for the prescribed 18 minutes for the cornbread, and I figured I would keep an eye on the chops till they browned nicely. Success, they took 22 minutes to cook. While they were baking I took a can of baby limas and a can of whole kernal corn, drained them and mixed in a pan, covered with milk, added a few pats of butter and put them on to low simmer, avoiding a scald on the milk. At about 10 minutes they were nicely heated so I mixed 1/2tsp of cornstarch in cold water and added that to thicken the broth to make succotasch. Baked a couple small potatoes in the nuke and made us each a small side salad of iceburg lettuce, leaf lettuce, cucumber slices, green pepper, onion and tomato wedges. (vinegar & oil on mine). For dessert I mixed two cups of bisquick with a bit of sugar added and just layed it out in one big piece on a cookie sheet and baked it about 2" thick. Chopped up a quart of fresh strawberries, added some sugar and laddled that over 3x3" squares of the bisquick cake for strawberry shortcake. Finished off with plenty of black coffee and now I am stuffed...LOL Jan was so pleased with that stupid rub for the chops that she made me write the recipee in her book..LOL Actually, I love playing in the kitchen and someday I might even get a cookbook to see how your supposed to do it.

A couple of tea sandwiches we made for a bridal tea were; Cucumber Tea Sandwiches-open faced 8 slices white bread-centered cut out with bisquit cutter 1 English cuke 1 package cream cheese, softened 1 tsp garlic salt chopped dill weed chopped chives sliced black olives Mix well in a bowl cream cheese, garlic salt, dill, and chives. Cover and chill in fridge. Slice the cuke with a mandolin to get thin slices. Spread the cut bread with the cream cheese mixture. Top with slices of cukes. Top with a slice black olive. Salmon Tea Sandwiches-opened faced pumpernickel bread-crusts removed, cut into triangles 1/2 lb smoked salmon-thinly sliced 1 package cream cheese-softened finely chopped parsley finely chopped watercress 2 TBSP lemon juice pinch of cayenne pepper dill sprigs for garnish Mix cream cheese, parsley, watercress, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in a bowl, chill. Spread cc mixture on bread triangles. Top with slices of salmon. Garnish top with dill sprigs. We also made closed chicken salad tea sandwiches which consisted of chopped cooked chicken breasts, celery and seedless green grapes. This was mixed into a curry dijon mayo. Served on rye bread topped with a small lettuce leaf and then the chicken salad. Good luck with the shower! NancyLouise