My son, the chef

I remember when Jake and Teddy were about two and three, and the mailman saw them standing together outside the house eating a snack.  He told me, “If you think they eat a lot now, just wait until they are both teenagers!”  (Why do parents love to scare other parents?)
And of course he was right.  My hungry growing teenage boys want food ALL THE TIME.  Eating steadily most of each day for two months, Jake put on 40 lbs. last summer.  We go through two gallons of milk every day.  And my boys are not satisfied with the way I have been (not) feeding them lately.  It’s so hot (have I mentioned that?) that I can’t stand to turn on the oven before 9 p.m., if then, and usually they have foraged around and found something microwaveable by then, if I haven’t already given up and bought dollar menu McDonald’s fare.
So yesterday Jake started saying he needed MEAT.  And chicken did not count.  He wanted a steak.  He insisted that I take him to Kroger’s, where he purchased a strip steak, mostly with his own money, since I don’t spend $16 on one steak (we eat what is on sale, and if it’s not, no steak for us!).  He also purchased the seasonings he had in mind:  a Vidalia onion, peppercorns, basil, and BEER (well, I bought the beer).  We had quite a debate over which of the beers available separately would be the best choice and finally settled on Fat Tire Amber Ale.
Jake loves to cook–he actually took a class a couple of summers ago at UT–and he put the steak in to marinate as soon as he got home from the store.  This morning he created a blend of spices with his own mortar and pestle.  By noon he was eating his steak.  And it was delicious.