Chris is finally back. After a year of working in Washington, DC, from Monday to Friday, he’s now in New York City with Mason and me full-time (his former paper roasted him as a fond farewell). And it’s awesome having him around all the time. I give major credit to Julia Landry of Unexpectedly Expecting — single parenting brings an even higher level of exhaustion and responsibility than parenting with a partner, in my opinion. It absolutely kicked my a-s, even though I only did it for  five days a week (versus every day).

Since Chris is back, we’ve decided to make sit-down family dinners where we all eat the same meal together a priority. Before, I’d sit with Mason while he’d eat and we’d talk about the day, but I’d generally only have a light snack of whatever fruit or veggie he was eating. I’m not a big dinner eater when I’m alone. Chris, who was working in DC as a food editor/critic–Mason even got to be his wingman for a week— on the other hand, has far loftier expectations at mealtime. He’s used to dining at 8 or 10 restaurants a week, so my solo evening meal of steamed broccoli isn’t going to cut it.

Last night I brought home Indian food from one of our favorite restaurants in the city. We ordered Shrimp Kandhari (spicy shrimp prepared in a clay oven),  Chicken Tikka (chicken marinated in yogurt and spices), Maki Ki Roti (a corn bread), Garlic Naan (a traditional flat bread topped with minced garlic), and Dal Bukhara (a rich and creamy black lentil dish). Mason immediately fell in love with the naan, and he also seemed to enjoy tasting the tandoori spices on the shrimp and the yogurt sauce on the chicken. In addition to discovering Mason’s appreciation for Indian food, we’ve learned in the past week that he likes lamb curry, mango, and BBQ sauce.

Has your tot eaten anything surprising lately?

Photo: Indian food via Joe Gough/Shutterstock.com