I am neither the world’s best nor the world’s worst cook. Like so many other things about me, I fall somewhere in the middle of the road on this one. What I serve is mostly edible, occasionally creative, somewhat varied, and presented to my family as a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. I don’t take requests.

I can’t say that I particularly care for cooking. I look at it as one of those household chores to be completed for the day so one can move on to more pleasant tasks. Say, dirty diapers for example. I wouldn’t attempt to elevate my cooking to an art form any more than I would turn my daily laundry folding into an origami exhibition.

Still what I turn out is not anything horrible. I avoid the exotic spices and for the most part stick to the fairly normal American family fare. I can turn out a decent pot roast, whip up the standard tacos, spaghetti or meatloaf almost with my eyes closed, and I do know more than two or three ways to fix a chicken breast. I’ve put together a Thanksgiving dinner that passed inspection and served Lasagna to company without sending anyone to the Emergency Room. I can even bake a birthday cake from scratch.

But were it not for Peanut Butter TR would surely starve. And I mean that as no exaggeration. At the age when I expected his tastes to begin expanding as his palate matures, his list of acceptable menu choices grows more restrictive every week. Even the things I could once count on to please him are now rejected in favor of the PB&J.

Meatloaf is an absolute no. The last time I served spaghetti, “the noodles tasted funny.” Chili? Forget it. My homemade pizza is “not that good.” Of course, all of these fall into the category of “Things Mom Might Put Onions in That Should Not be Eaten Due to That Mere Possibility.” But these aren’t the only puzzling rejections. He no longer finishes fast food cheeseburgers or fries. Devil’s Food cake with white frosting gets turned down.

One evening he asked for his Chili Dog “without the chili.” That shouldn’t have surprised me. But wait; didn’t I say something about not taking requests?