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Why We Cook (or Not)
On Tue, 13 Jan 2004, Sheryl Rosen wrote:
> in article , Lena B
> Katz at wrote on 1/12/04 12:35 PM:
>
> >
> >
> > On Sun, 11 Jan 2004, Sheryl Rosen wrote:
> >
> >> in article , MEow at
> >> wrote on 1/10/04 5:39 PM:
> >>
> >>> I used to love canned food, frozen ready-made meals and that kind of
> >>> things, but after slowly learning to cook (which I still think I'm in
> >>> the process of), I wouldn't want to eat that kind of food again. My
> >>> motivation for beginning to learn how to cook was initially health and
> >>> money, but nothing else.
> >>> --
> >>
> >> I love chef boyardee ravioli. I add some grated parmegiano reggiano to it
> >> (Because that's what I keep in the house), sprinkle with a bit of italian
> >> herbs, and bring it to work to nuke for myself for lunch. I am also fond of
> >> hamburger helper type, one-pan casseroles, but I don't use the mixes I do
> >> them on my own. These fill the belly inexpensively, make great leftovers,
> >> which is a requirement for my "lifestyle", and to me, taste good.
> >
> > recipe?
>
> Not really. It's just something I watched Mom do. It's different everytime.
> Follow the basic technique for Hamburger helper. Brown an onion, then some
> ground beef, maybe a pound. Some peppers, celery...whatever you have that
> adds flavor.
> Add maybe 2-3 cups of water or stock, whatever seasonings please
> you....onion soup mix, whatever flavor you are going for. Add some type of
> cut pasta (ziti or elbows, maybe egg noodles, whatever you are in the mood
> for) or rice. Cook until the pasta or rice is done and most of the liquid is
> absorbed. that's the key....the only draining you need to do is to drain the
> fat off the meat before you add the seasonings, water and pasta.. You can
> add in veggies, if you want. I usually put mixed vegetables in. Cheese or
> tomato sauce, maybe both....the cheese or sauce should go in after most of
> the water is absorbed by the pasta or rice. It's a very free form thing.
> Sort of like a blank canvas. It's never the same twice, but it's always
> delicious and filling. Whatever your imagination and pantry can come up
> with.
the way my mother made meatloaf...
> >> Last week, I made a beef stew that had too much liquid. I saved the excess
> >> liquid and made a pot of barley mushroom soup, which I took for lunch 5 days
> >> in a row. Barley costs 45 cents a pound.
> >
> > where are you getting it so cheap? a box around me costs about three
> > dollars.
>
> Barley doesn't come in a box. It comes in a bag. Near the dried beans.
> There's some in the Latino grocery aisle, usually under the GOYA
> brand...maybe another brand. There is also some in the "anglo" dried bean
> section. Sometimes they are in different aisles, sometimes, in the same.
> Depends on your market. I'm in Connecticut. It's always been like
> that...although, when I was in college it was 20 cents a pound.
mrfl. will have to investigate. last time, i just asked the grocer, who
pointed me to a box.
> >> I used about 15 cents worth of
> >> barley, a dollar's worth of mushrooms (from the "old and tired looking, but
> >> still a good value" rack in the back of the produce department), and stock
> >> that I recycled from a previous meal....the entire pot of soup cost me less
> >> than $3 and I ate lunches from it for a week.
> >
> > that's how to cook! but do take into account how much the soup liquid
> > cost you...
>
> Ahhh, but that cost was calculated as part of the stew budget, not the soup
> budget. I made the stew for company from ingredients that I had on hand.
> Yes, I had to buy them at some point, but...the entire pot of stew didn't
> even cost that much to make...hmm....about $4 worth of beef. a couple of
> onions, which came out of a 3 lb bag for 99 cents....an envelope of onion
> soup mix (generic, 45 cents, maybe?) a cup or so of wine from a magnum that
> cost about $6...so what? maybe a dollar?) Some carrots and celery, which
> had been brought to a party I had a couple nights before as part of a dip
> and veggie platter...so I didn't buy those. Various herbs and spices, cost
> of which can't be calculated. Oh, maybe $1 worth of potatoes (Half a bag,
> costing $2). What does that total? Maybe $7? For a pot of stew that fed 3
> one night, 2 another, and 2 more meals for myself. PLUS enough liquid to
> start a pot of soup that lasted for 5 meals. So that's $10 for 12 meals.
> PLUS I got to entertain two sets of friends. I can't complain about that.
It's a nice total. I certainly wouldn't complain about that...
> >> Several weeks ago, I bought a
> >> small roasting chicken for about $2.
> >
> > how tiny was this? even when roasting chickens are on sale, they always
> > seem to cost $5 around here.
>
> It was 39 cents a pound. So....I dunno...about 5 pounds?
*blink* man... i'm jealous. why can't food cost like that around here?
> >> And I guarantee you, even with the
> >> occasional can of soup or ravioli transgression, I eat healthier than people
> >> who live on frozen dinners and takeout food. And I spend a helluva lot less
> >> on food than some of my coworkers.
> >
> > And I spend less than you do... by buying wisely, and not being fooled by
> > how prepared something is. Sometiems, it truly is cheaper to buy the
> > prepared stuff (on sale) than to make it yourself. Plus, it saves on time,
> > and even for a budget like mine, an hour still costs about five dollars.
> >
> > lena
>
> What is this, some kind of contest?
of course! now, if you aren't playing, I'll cross you off of the list...
Lena
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