So, my family has a serious aversion to ground beef (and many other foods) to the point that when we want a "hamburger" or something similar that is made from "ground beef," I will purchase lean steaks and have them ground up. The only ground beef that our bodies can even handle is the ultra lean beef that is 97% or more lean. This can present problems. It limits choices of meals for certain. I never realized how many gross things people cook with ground beef. I guess it is a staple because it is cheap especially when the economy is in the tank! It can make for interesting excuses of why I ALWAYS bring a pack of chicken breasts to a cookout if I don't know what is on the menu.
The truth is usually to long to tell and people don't understand it anyway. The short of it is my kid takes medication every day for a stomach issue and I have had surgery for an intestinal issue. We don't "do" ground beef and that's that. Sometimes, it's more fun to make up some elaborate tale of why I just had to bring the chicken breast to grill. Close friends and family get it and will sometimes jokingly ask why I brought the chicken just to see what I will come up with. Not eating ground beef has also led to some interesting recipes.
Our family loves lasagna, homemade of course. Well, I don't make the pasta homemade but I do make the sauce so I'm going to call it homemade! Lasagna generally uses ground beef...yuck! I love veggie lasagna but my boys don't care for that so much. A few days ago, my hubby was wanting lasagna and we were discussing how even getting the steaks ground up that we didn't really like the texture that it presented when cooked as ground meat for some reason. He suggested using chicken instead.
I thought to myself, "Chicken lasagna? Gross? You won't eat veggie lasagna but you want me to ruin a whole pan with chicken?" I didn't say much just decided to try it like he is constantly trying the blue million healthy things I throw down in front of him. Even now, the thought of it is drawing my nose up into a "oo yuck" face. I gather the things I need and put the pan of lasagna together one morning for dinner that night.
It turns out beautifully. After only a couple of bites, I call my mom and tell her I am bringing her dinner. When I tell her what it is, I can hear the snarl in her voice and imagine the same snooted up nose "oo yuck" face. "Chicken lasagna? Brandi, that just sounds gross." "I know, mom." I tell her. "But it's good. I swear." I take her a couple of healthy servings, one for her and one for her boyfriend, who is a "country" boy that eats JUST about anything.
When I get to my mom's house and take the lasagna in, she tells me that I brought too much. Her boyfriend doesn't want any. It sounds gross to him. I smile and take one portion and put it on a plate and start heating it in the microwave. About 30 seconds in, my mom says, "That smells good." I nod and leave.
I live only 8 miles from my mother's house. Before I get all the way home, my mother calls me laughing to tell me that Donald, her boyfriend, has eaten all of his serving AND the rest of hers as well. I asked what made him change his mind about trying it and she told me that he said it smelled good and he would try a bite. I then asked her what made him devour his AND hers and she told me what he said. His remark summed up the entire chicken lasagna experience. "Damn, it was good."
Sometimes, an aversion can lead to a great new recipe and something that just sounds disgusting can be really good. This new lasagna will be a family favorite at our house for years now!
