Would you eat nachos from a kiddie pool? One mom’s unconventional dinner setup has the internet completely divided!
Alicia Dougherty, a 42-year-old mom from Pittsford, New York, is known for her epic family meal prep. With 12 kids—four biological and eight adopted—she’s always coming up with creative ways to feed her household. But one of her latest meal ideas has people either cheering or cringing.
In a now-viral TikTok clip, Alicia dumps several bags of chips into a plastic kiddie pool before layering on ground beef, cheese sauce, salsa, shredded cheese, veggies, and a generous drizzle of sour cream. Her kids happily dig in, scooping up handfuls of nachos straight from the pool.
@doughertydozen Snackerty Board got upgraded to a #NachoPool for #CincoDeMayo #FridayNight #PoolOpening ♬ Mentirosa – Ráfaga
The internet, however, had thoughts.
Some people were horrified at the hands-on approach, with comments like:
- “My anxiety could never—all the hands and double dipping?!”
- “At what point do we start saying, ‘this is insane’?”
Others were more concerned about the execution:
- “They didn’t even layer the chips! The bottom is just sad, dry chips.”
- “That’s enough food for an entire football team, not 12 kids and two adults.”
And then there were the skeptics who questioned the setup itself:
- “Not sure if that pool is food-safe, but hey… YOLO.”
- “This looks like a giant trough for kids.”
Despite the backlash, plenty of people were all for the idea. Some even wished they could try it themselves:
- “The way I would literally DIVE into those nachos.”
- “People need to chill—this looks fun and delicious!”
One commenter was somewhere in the middle, saying:
- “Definitely needed some layering, but I’d still eat it.”
Jokes aside, Alicia and her husband, Josh, have their hands full raising 12 kids, ages four to 17. Since adopting their first child in 2011, they’ve steadily expanded their family, fostering and adopting several children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
@doughertydozen #NachoPool went viral and made it to the #NYPost so I thought I’d share the #BehindTheScenes (that’s Dash and Jason on the side helping me!) #Nachos ♬ original sound – Dougherty Dozen
“We became known as the parents who could handle difficult behaviors,” Alicia once shared in an interview.
Josh, a special education teacher, added:
“We figured if we’re already doing this for one kid, what difference will another one make?”
While the internet continues to debate the nacho pool, one thing is certain—Alicia’s kids looked more than happy with their meal. And really, isn’t that what matters most?
What do you think—gross, genius, or somewhere in between? Would you try a nacho pool at your next party? Let us know in the comments!
