A Taste of Magnoliaa: Make Tonight Pho-nomenal

DIVIAN CONNER is a Mississippi mama of four ‘not so little’ little ones. Coming up with recipes, trying new ones, and feeding her crew of tweens and teens is her passion. Southern recipes, easy recipes, sorta hard recipes, but always delicious recipes is what you will find on her food blog, www.divianlconner.com. Now venturing into outdoor cooking over an open fire, Divian is fascinated with camp cooking and entertaining.

- DIVIAN CONNER

Ever since my now-taller-than-me teens were wee children, I have always tried to introduce them to a diverse range of food. At our dinner table, we travel the world without actually leaving by trying foods from different cultures, places, and regions. It is fun, and they enjoy helping out with the preparations.

My children have eaten jellyfish, squid, and (ewwwww, but so delicious)snails. They have tried snacks from around the world, super hot and spicy sauces, and let me tell you, not everything was a hit with them, but gosh darn it, they tried it. Even though it is just food, it made me a proud mama. I love when a person is open to try new and different things-not only food, but it carries over into experiences as well. Having that level of diversity can foster a diverse and open person. My children love not only trying different foods, but they have now ventured into the territory of creating and making different foods themselves. We often head to the grocer, load up the cart with fresh foods, and then they have a hay day making their own meals together as a family.