It's like a family tradition.

This week's menu was a bit hazy for me. I didn't do a proper sit down and think about it simply because Husband will working all week. This usually results in me not cooking and then immediately plating the food, but instead preparing food that it easily reheated as sometimes I am asleep when Husband gets home. I also find that I revert to comfort foods and family traditions when these sort of weeks come around.

Thus I present to you: Jones' Special!

I am not totally sure if it was my mother or my grandmother that came up with this simple yet delicious meal, but it is something that I don't just "enjoy", I crave it. I am pretty sure my brothers do as well.

It is simple. Rice, Ground Beef, and Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese. That is the core of the meal. 

I never said it was healthy...

As pictured above, you see that there are peas in the mix. Husband asked about a vegetable on the side when I told him what I was making, so I went with the original recipe which includes peas. My brothers and I never enjoyed eating any vegetable of a green color when we were children. I dare say that trait still remains for some of us.

I normally describe it as a "build-your-own-casserole" dish. I prefer to serve it family style with a big bowl of each ingredient and then maybe a salad or something on the side. On top of the rice, meat, and cheese, I like Worcestershire Sauce. My older brother prefers soy sauce. The world is your oyster, chose what makes this dish extra yummy for you. For example, I like to season the meat with Lowry's season salt as well as cook it with diced onion and minced garlic.

As mentioned in the title, It's like a family tradition. Figure out what makes you and yours happy. Then make it your own family tradition. I feel like my generation has a reverence to the traditions passed down to us from our parents and family. I have heard colleagues express their sadness over their lack of traditions for holidays and birthdays. I figure: Make your own. Make the choice to do something and do it. As long as you enjoy it and it holds meaning to you, it will be important to your family (be it just you and your partner or a whole brood of little ones) and to those around you. 

** Today's title is a William Shatner quote: My kids say if there's any family dinner that doesn't result in somebody crying, it's not a good dinner. They cry because it helps relieve them of a guilt or some onerous emotional burden. It's like a family tradition. **