How do you serve your meals

[MareQ]

My MIL was here recently for a meal and was APPALLED that I put all the pots/dishes I cooked in on the kitchen island and let my family serve themselves right out of the pots. (HELLO I've been married to your son for 11 years and you're only picking up on this now?!?!) She doesn't understand why I would not transfer everything to SERVING bowls and SERVE from them as that is what they are for.

I told her that I did that - for formal meals - but for a regular old family meal I chose to not have to add to my workload by using serving bowls when my way worked just fine. Tsk tsk on me as that's apparently not a good enough reason for dear MIL. (I don't give two hoots what she thinks so I am not losing any sleep over it)

So my questions to all of you is - how do you serve your meals???

 

[lyeag]

Sort of like you, except for the younger ones, I plate their meals right from the stove. I don't even move my pots and pans from the stove!

Once in a while I might put just the meat on their plates and put the sides on the table. I use the microwave a lot so some things are in bowls already. I think your MIL has WAY too much time on her hands!

 

[MushyMushy]

Every man/woman for him/herself!

When the kids were little, whoever cooked served everybody, but right out of the pots and pans.

 

[mom2alix]

I plate everything from the pots and pans and put the prepared plates on the table restaurant-style. If I let them serve themselves no one would ever put veggies on their plates, especially not DH!

I'm with you, why dirty more dishes than necessary?

 

[becka]

I said I leave them in pots but I serve my family. That works easiest now because my kids are too small to make their own plates. After I have made their two plates and my own it just usually makes sense to ake DH's as well. Sometimes DH will make his own plate but he gets it from the pots as well.

 

[BethR]

I serve from the pots which sit on the stove there in the kitchen where we eat.

 

[chager]

Your MIL would have a herd of cows at our place!!!
We serve out of whatever the item was cooked in, unless it is easier to transer it to a plate. Like fried chicken or hamburg or something like that where putting a skillet out is more trouble. Oh, and at home we usually just fix our plate and eat in the livingroom watching a movie together! That is usually what happens when friends are over too.

 

[freckles and boo]

My kids are little so I serve them by moving the macaroni and cheese straight from the saucepan to the paper plate. Then my husband grabs a spoon and skips the paper plate step. No use wasting paper plates. Serving dishes are for Thanksgiving. I would be completely resentful if I was chastised for something so trivial.

 

[WhatATreat]

I leave everything in the pots, but I put the pots on the table. The I serve my son and myself and my hubby serves himself.

 

[MareQ]

Sort of like you, except for the younger ones, I plate their meals right from the stove. I don't even move my pots and pans from the stove!

Once in a while I might put just the meat on their plates and put the sides on the table. I use the microwave a lot so some things are in bowls already. I think your MIL has WAY too much time on her hands!

Oh - I'll make up my kids plates if it's something they can't help themnselves to (They're 3,6 and 9)- but I don't "serve" DH's plate. MIL thinks it's odd - personally I find it odd that my FIL is incapable of slapping toegther a bologna sandwich as my MIL LITERALLY makes every meal for him (even if it's a bowl of cereal) He'd go hungry in this house....

 

[Andy B]

(I don't give two hoots what she thinks so I am not losing any sleep over it)

So my questions to all of you is - how do you serve your meals???

Why if you do not give two hoots are you doing this?

 

[MzDiz]

Why if you do not give two hoots are you doing this?

Oh, lighten up.... I left a pot of stroganoff on the stove, go eat something.

 

[MareQ]

I would be completely resentful if I was chastised for something so trivial.

My resentment came YEARS ago - this is just a drop in the bucket with this lady... Think Marie Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond- seriously.

Some of the things she comes up with interest me though... like this dinner thing. Here's another one - Apparently - since I do not use sponges in my kitchen - my kitchen is never clean. (I use paper towels and fantastic, windex etc) Hey lady - my kitchen isn't clean because I have 3 kids and I hate cleaning - it has nothing to do with my lack of sponge use

 

[MareQ]

Why if you do not give two hoots are you doing this?

Because I thought it would be interesting to see what other people do.

 

[LindaM]

Pots go from stove to table, then everyone is big enough to serve themselves.

 

[dizneenut]

I serve from the pots which sit on the stove there in the kitchen where we eat.

Same here.

 

[Princess89]

It depends. I use serving dishes quite often for regular family meals. BUT I am not above throwing the stuff still in pots on the table or leaving them on the stove. Its all my personal preference, and I would not chastize anyone for using their pots as serving dishes, because I am still guilty of that on occasion. I only serve my little one who is 3 but DS 11 will serve himself, as well as DH.

 

[ADisneygirl]

I've always served the food from the pots onto plates in the kitchen and carried them to the dining room table for everyone, regardless of age. On holidays or if guests are over for dinner, I put everything on serving dishes and people help themselves from them on the dining room table. I don't do it that way for my immediate family I guess because it adds more dishes and I already know what they like and how much to give them, like how I only put 4 or five green beans on my son's plate but I can load up the carrots!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I don't even take the pots off the stove, either.

 

[Andy B]

Oh, lighten up.... I left a pot of stroganoff on the stove, go eat something.

If it's made with ground beef, no chance