Brace yourselves. You are about to see some pictures of Mennonite men in the kitchen.
And, no . . . we did not threaten, nag, or scold to get them there. None of them came to any bodily harm and nobody burned any kitchens down – that I know of.
We also didn’t even make them wear aprons.
Are we not the sweetest?
This meal came about when we were all together a couple weeks ago, making and sampling new dishes. It was so much fun we all decided to do it again – but to have the men cook it. And the men were agreeable with this decision . . . nobody was tied down and gagged until they consented.
The kids and I were privileged to sample this man’s cooking before the supper ever began. He made a superb rice dish and we all loved it!
At John and Emma’s place, we women were shooed out of the kitchen while the men tried to look busy.
It is interesting to watch a bunch of testosterone-loaded males giving each other orders.
I really was very proud of all these guys! They did such a good job that we women wouldn’t mind if it became at least a yearly tradition.
Behold the Mennonite Men Who Can Cook.
We received permission from this gallant group to put these pictures on the blog, so let me introduce you to them. Pretty sure quite a few of you Easterners will know them.
Left to right: John Schlabach, Lowell Graber, Evan Schlabach, Jacob Bushnell, Charles Schrock, and Ryan Schlabach
Would you like to know the first-rate food this batch of ornery men cooked up?
Chicken Biscuit Appetizers
Grilled Skirt Steak Fajitas
Grilled Pork Steak
Cilantro Rice
Seasoned Potatoes
Peanut Butter Pie
Aren’t some of you jealous? You should be. It was scrumptious, free, and I didn’t have to cook it!
The kids loved it! The men probably didn’t realize it . . . but this was the ultimate food test – sitting at that table right there. If kids like your food, you know you are a good cook!
Lowell told me I couldn’t stop grinning.
What woman in her right mind with this plate sitting in front of her – wouldn’t grin like a fish? Especially when it was provided by the famous Mennonite Men Who Can Cook . . .
And then to have peanut butter pie with a little coffee finished it off superbly.
And after we had let all that delicious food settle, it was suggested we play Spoons. It was a total blast! Nobody ended up slugging anyone for stealing their spoon and, surprisingly, the table remained unbroken.
I can’t resist putting a few pictures up of these two sweethearts. They are only two months apart in age and are becoming fast friends. Here they are throwing the ball back down the basement stair steps at the bigger kids below. You can tell it absolutely delighted them!
“Dallas, look at me fly!”
“Oh no, Rosie . . . I can’t look!”
“Someone tell me . . . can I open my eyes now? Or did Rosie crash and burn?”
Then like all sweet moms, we fed them candy corn before bedtime.
So there you have a few pictures of an evening that earned five-star reviews from us women and made us feel so special. However, I learned one thing: men don’t appreciate having their food called “cute”.
Don’t think I’ll be doing that again anytime soon . . .
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raychrisdejazzd says
Couldn’t help noticing …two meats, and two main starches def a man’s meal and the cilantro counted as the vegetable. Love it!
Kendra says
It most definitely WAS a man’s meal!! They might not admit it very loudly, but I think they enjoyed it, too.
Betsy says
What a wonderful evening of food and fun! How sweet that the men cooked for you. They must have learned something by watching the women all these years. 🙂
Blessings,
Betsy
Kendra says
Pretty sure they came from some awesome mamas who could cook exceptionally well!
Mildred Carroll says
Charles Schrock is my nephew. His mama would be proud!
Kendra says
She must have taught him well! Maybe you can thank her for the rest of us. 🙂
Linda says
I’ve got to ask- who cleaned up the kitchen afterwards? lol!
It all looked yummy.
Linda
Kendra says
Well, the lot fell to those of us who got kicked out of the game of Spoons first!!
Ina Schrock says
Charles Schrock was at our house in SC several weeks ago. I should have had him cook for us. He’s my husband’s nephew.
Kendra says
Maybe you’ll have to visit out here – then he would be forced to cook for you! If not, come see us . . . we are right around the corner.
Joyce @ QN says
Looks like a total blast indeed. After all this praise – your ‘mennonite men who can cook’ may just volunteer themselves to do this again 🙂 Men love praise I hear…. 🙂
Kendra says
You sure wouldn’t hear me complaining! I’d love it.
Mom G says
Interesting evening! Dad wants to know if the women led in prayer for the meal while I’m noticing your lovely plate with specks of greenery 😉
Kendra says
I’ll have to tell Emma that you admired her plate – since it was most likely hers! And the men relieved us of leading in prayer . . . and even a few of the dishes. 🙂
Kim W says
This post made me grin ear to ear. I have to agree with some of the others – definitely a distinct lack of veggies 🙂
The Mennonite men I know can cook, they just don’t advertise the fact (I think they are afraid their wives will make them do it on a regular basis).
Kendra says
Yes, the veggies were a little scarce, but it was delightful anyway!