dinner fail

I like to try new things for dinner. I guess it would be easier to just have the same thing but I like to cook and I like to experiment with new recipes. So while I do have my staples, I also like to try something new at least one night a week, if not more. Most of the time, it pays off and we have a new dinner to add to the recipe book. Sometimes though it doesn't go well at all.
Last night was one of those nights. I decided to try a new recipe from one of my go-to recipe sites. It called for 2 cups of fresh Parmesan cheese. Normally, I would just throw in the generic stuff, because $6 for a wedge of cheese is a little salty for me. But I wanted to stick to the recipe, especially on the first try so I asked Sam to pick up some real Parmesan for me.
My first clue to the possibility that dinner might not be a hit came while I was shredding the cheese. I don't know what is done to the generic, shake-it-out-of-the-jar stuff but real Parmesan is kind of, well, stinky. If you don't believe me, just ask Truett. He came into the kitchen after I was finished grating and demanded to know what the horrible smell was. "Ugh! Mom! Ugh! What is that?! Ewww!!" And he doubled over with his hands over his nose and ran from the room.
That was followed by Sam coming home from work and asking me what the smell was. I told him it was the cheese and he responded with, "Oh, I thought maybe somebody threw up today." And the sad part was that he was right. It did smell like that. And our dinner was covered in it.
Thankfully, it didn't taste like it smelled. There was still a bite from the cheese but nothing compared to the smell. The one silver lining to the whole thing was that the boys came into the kitchen for dinner, took one smell, and ran off. And for once, Sam and I didn't call them back. We just sat down and enjoyed a quiet dinner by ourselves. The boys eventually returned and each ate three bites (Jem cried the entire time and gagged it down with water) and then had a bowl of cereal. I guess fresh Parmesan is an acquired taste, one that we aren't ready for yet.