You don't have to have any, just have some...

When it comes to food, this past long weekend was certainly a challenging one.
I come from a background where excess is good.
My grandparents had nothing growing up, so when it came to food, the more they could get, the better...
And then food become plentiful but that mindset was still there...

Take as much as you want; take as much as you can.

So as a child, portions were always huge but I didn't see it as huge. That was just normal.
My dad used to eat his pasta accompanied by bread so I tried to do the same, sometimes making myself sick but it seemed to make him happy when I ate..

At 18, I hosted my first dinner party with a friend and we served three huge courses followed by coffee and more little cakes and biscuits to about fifteen people.
This was a normal Sunday lunch for us and we couldn't understand why everyone was saying there was so much food. We thought they were just being polite!


So this Easter Sunday we were at my mothers house and she had so much food. I'd asked her if there was anything I could bring and she said "maybe a sweet?" so I made my low fat cheesecake... but even as I was making it I knew she would have more than enough dessert there and my cheesecake would just be superfluous.

The table was set with tasty nibbles.

More than you can imagine... then we had delicious, melt in your mouth ravioli...


followed by fillet Mignon and at least five side dishes of unbelievable quality.


It's very hard to say no!!



Instead of resting our tummies before dessert, my mum started bringing out the chocolates and biscuits and ice-cream. Not wanting my cheesecake to feel left out, I brought that out too and started serving it up.

I was just dishing up the last piece of cheesecake (to which I mother added several scoops of gelati) when she slapped her forehead saying "Oh, I forgot the rice-cake!!! Nadia can you go get the rice-cake from the fridge?"

There was a collective groan as we all held our stomachs and said "no please, we're so full, there's just no room for it!"

And my mother classically replied "No, you don't have to have any, just have some"

And that's the motto..... You don't have to have any, just have some....

Because of course, it doesn't count if you don't mean to have it.
It doesn't count if you just cut off a sliver at a time and eat that.
It doesn't count if the piece doesn't actually make it to a plate.
If you just spoon some out of the dish directly to your mouth, you aren't really having it!

It was pretty cute and we all had a giggle over it....


Deno had cycled and I had run that morning but we felt so bad we went for a 9kms walk after we got home...
But that was Sunday... and Monday was still to come!

Monday we went to my sister in law Kelly's place and she'd created a similar feast! And it was just all so tasty! BBQ'd meats, spicy meatballs and guacamole, scalloped potatoes, ricotta cannelloni, salad... not to mention the tasty dips and bits and pieces that were already on the table. When did she have time to do all this!

For dessert she had a lemon meringue pie AND apple crumble and although I love my desserts, I just couldn't... I just couldn't even look at it I'm so over food!


But at least I won't have to cook this week as I had a fridge full of left overs!!!

And remember, if you don't want it, you don't have to have it, just have some....