When I visit my folks, I do all the cooking while I'm there. My rules are: (1) I don't make anything from a "box" (that's what my dad cooks), (2) I don't cook anything that my dad can cook (limited), and (3) I don't serve pasta more than twice during a visit (they eat a lot of pasta and I'm usually there 6-8 weeks). What I've been doing the last couple of times I visited was go through my mother's recipes and make things she used to cook (frosted chocolate cookies, crab marinara, linguini with clam sauce, etc.). My mother has dementia, but she definitely remembered the chocolate cookies (her mother used to make them all the time and the things I baked/made. They seem to enjoy that. Unfortunately, it takes my mom about 2 weeks to stop complaining that she doesn't like my dad's cooking after I've been for a visit.
I hear you on "dad's not a really good cook." My father's cooking skills were limited to burgers, steaks (on the grill), tomato soup (which I detest--the baking soda is just not for me), and Sunday morning eggs. My mother's dementia isn't to that stage, yet, but I can see it coming. Walking is difficult for her now. I don't go exotic, either, but I make things that are more complicated than my father's cooking skills and I only cook from scratch. At least when I'm there, they don't eat processed food. I try to leave leftovers when I leave, but my father has this thing about food in the freezer, so I no longer do that. When my mom was still able to cook, she could prepare those things if I left a spreadsheet showing what to take out of the freezer, when, and what sides to make, what to put on the grocery list, etc. It's tough. It is a 2-day drive each way for me. Wish it weren't so.
How does one end up with leftover boiled shrimp???
You must have to make a LOT of shrimp (I used to be a professional "all you can eat" contestant, especially when it was lobster, shrimp, crab legs, or mussels), at least, I was until the restaurant banned us after a group of 30 of us consumed 6-7 lobsters each...we even brought our own "tools" (we didn't eat anything other than lobster). My mother didn't get banned when she ate 66 shrimp at an all-you-can-eat shrimp festival...so how many shrimp did you make! LOL!Intentional leftovers, I usually make more than we can eat.
Thanks, GC. It doesn't get better, it only gets worse. I stay so long because it is such a long drive and to give my Dad much needed respite. Unlike jabbur, the nearest family member is a cousin (3 hours away). She usually goes for a weekend every couple of months. My brother lives 45 minutes from me, so we rotate who is going to MN to do eldercare. It is his turn this fall to do the stuff that needs to be done before the snow flies. Like jabbur, we are all trying to keep Mom at home as long as possible because she gets more confused and stressed when out of her environment.
