I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it. I can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that "WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always "Idunno".

It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes around.
How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.

On 2013-08-27 23:32:52 +0000, Kalmia said:

> I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it.
> I can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that
> "WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is
> always "Idunno".
>
> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried
> recipes around.
> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.

I sometimes feel the way you do, but if I don't go through this "MAKE
IT, ALREADY!" process, it will never get made.

1) Make a list of things you really want to try.
2) Prioritize it from "most feasible or convenient" down to "highly unlikely".
3) Remove all the "highly unlikely" dishes from the list.
4) Set a day that you have the time and project the energy to make the
first listed meal.
5) Write down the ingredients you will need for that meal.
6) Put that list of ingredients in your car. Use that car the next time
you shop.
7) Buy the ingredients on the list.
8) Prepare the meal.

On 2013-08-27 7:32 PM, Kalmia wrote:
> I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it. I can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that "WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always "Idunno".
>
> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes around.
> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.
>


I found a way out of that. I was supposed to be away on vacation this
week, our annual family camp week in Algonquin Park. We had to cancel
because because of my emergency gall bladder surgery last week. My wife
and I went out to dinner tonight to sort of make up for our vacation
plans going down the tubes.

We went to the Smokin Buddha in Port Colborne, our new favourite
restaurant. It's not much to look at but the food is incredible. I had
beef Panang, a Thai curry with tomato and coconut milk sauce. My wife
had a a fish green curry which she realy enjoyed.

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
>I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it. I
>can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that
>"WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always
>"Idunno".
>
> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes
> around.
> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.


I imagine a lot of folks have 20 or 30 favorites and go back to them time
after time. I do.

Cheri

On 8/27/2013 6:32 PM, Kalmia wrote:
> I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it. I can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that "WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always "Idunno".
>
> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes around.
> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.
>

Choose a cookbook and 'riffle' it and choose a recipe on the page that
happens to open? Sort of like throwing a dart at a map; hopefully, that
makes sense

Sky

--

Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 7:44:56 PM UTC-4, gtr wrote:
> On 2013-08-27 23:32:52 +0000, Kalmia said:
>
>
>
> > I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it.
>
> > I can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that
>
> > "WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is
>
> > always "Idunno".
>
> >
>
> > It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried
>
> > recipes around.
>
> > How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.
>
>
>
> I sometimes feel the way you do, but if I don't go through this "MAKE
>
> IT, ALREADY!" process, it will never get made.
>
>
>
> 1) Make a list of things you really want to try.
>
> 2) Prioritize it from "most feasible or convenient" down to "highly unlikely".
>
> 3) Remove all the "highly unlikely" dishes from the list.
>
> 4) Set a day that you have the time and project the energy to make the
>
> first listed meal.
>
> 5) Write down the ingredients you will need for that meal.
>
> 6) Put that list of ingredients in your car. Use that car the next time
>
> you shop.

Hmmmmm.....the BMW, Corvette or the Mercedes........? Decisions, decision. : ))

Just poking fun at 'that car'.....as if I own a fleet.

On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 7:51:43 PM UTC-4, Cheri wrote:
>
>
> I imagine a lot of folks have 20 or 30 favorites and go back to them time
>
> after time. I do.

You've removed a modicum of guilt. Thanks. I guess 20-30 beats the newlywed's repertoire of hamburgers, hotdogs, hamburgers, hot dogs.....

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
>I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it. I
>can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that
>"WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always
>"Idunno".
>
> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes
> around.
> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.

We have gotten that way sometimes only because Angela is such a picky eater
and it is easy to make the same things over and over. We ate so much pasta
for so long that I think we are all sick of it now. Then I moved on to
brown rice and now we are getting sick of that.

I do frequently try new recipes. My family doesn't always like this. They
seem to prefer the familiar. But they did love that chicken with the
Montreal seasoning.

But for myself... Unless I am cooking for others (and then I will give more
variety), I can eat the same thing, day after day with little variation. If
I make bean tacos, I might change up whatever vegetables I put in them,
might add taco sauce or salsa, might put some dairy free cheese. I might
even change the beans. But mostly it is refried beans on tortillas. Might
occasionally use the hard shells.

Then the day will come when I can't face another bean taco for a while. I
will switch to something else. Like hummus and flat bread. Or soup. I do
seem to be able to do the bean tacos for really extended lengths of time
though and the other things get me burned out on them in a few weeks.

I just mainly am constantly looking for new recipes to try. New (or new to
us) foods, be they processed or whole foods. Such as the Farro that I will
be making into salad. I also get prepared things from Costco. I don't mind
trying those things because they are usually pretty cheap. We did love the
Bolani but really there was just too much in the packages. Next time I buy,
I will make sure that I have freezer space and freeze half. We would have
had to eat the stuff daily to use it all up before it expired. But we did
eat most of it. I had to throw out 4 small wedges.

"Cheri" > wrote in message
...

> I imagine a lot of folks have 20 or 30 favorites and go back to them time
> after time. I do.
>
> Cheri

One thing I ate a lot of when growing up was spaghetti red. My mom always
made it with macaroni though. Only reason I can figure is that perhaps in
those days the macaroni was cheaper? I can sometimes see it for cheaper if
I was not brand or type loyal. It's basically a red sauce with ground beef
and chili powder. I will add green pepper, red pepper and or onions if I
have them. It is one thing that I will fall back on if I need a quick dish
or can't decide what to make. Sometimes I will add corn which makes it
Johnny Rozetti or Johnny Ronzoni, depending on where you live or whatever.

None of us particularly like this dish but we don't hate it either. Now I
would have to make Angela's portion with no meat.

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:51:43 -0700, "Cheri" >
wrote:

>"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
>>I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it. I
>>can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that
>>"WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always
>>"Idunno".
>>
>> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes
>> around.
>> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.
>
>
>I imagine a lot of folks have 20 or 30 favorites and go back to them time
>after time. I do.

I don't think there are 30 different meals here, I don't do very
imaginative for every day meals... for one thing the eonly meats I
cook at home are pork, beef, and chicken... tonight was tuna salad,
not cooked. There are no fetish eaters here.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:32:52 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia wrote:
>
>> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.
>
> Don't go to the grocery store with a shopping list. Buy stuff you
> don't normally buy at the grocery store and figure out what to do with
> them later. Keep a well-stocked pantry and freezer. Don't rely on
> recipes.
>
> -sw

I used to get CSA boxes. Didn't work out so well because despite being able
to make changes, we still got a lot of fruit. And we are not in general,
fruit eaters. Husband and daughter will eat some fruits but it was never
what was in the basket. But... It did force me to seek out new recipes to
use the vegetables that were in the basket. Yes, some might say that it
should have forced me to find recipes for the fruit but I know for a fact
that I would never have eaten any of the fruit dishes and neither would
they. But we did eat most of the vegetable stuff. I never would would have
tried fennel had I not gotten that box. And we all liked that!

Kalmia wrote:
> I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it. I can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that "WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always "Idunno".
>
> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes around.
> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.


Since you say "lately" is it possible that something in your life is
keeping you close to the familiar? Or maybe you screwed up a new dish or
two and unconsciously are avoiding it. Not that I'm probing or anything.
But sometimes a rut just has to run its course. And 30 meals is plenty
of variety for home cooking, unless you count pork sauce and applesauce
as a separate meal from pork chops and green beans. You're not a
restaurant. Whenever I don't know what I want I probably make what's
easiest.

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
> On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 7:51:43 PM UTC-4, Cheri wrote:
>>
>>
>> I imagine a lot of folks have 20 or 30 favorites and go back to them time
>>
>> after time. I do.
>
> You've removed a modicum of guilt. Thanks. I guess 20-30 beats the
> newlywed's repertoire of hamburgers, hotdogs, hamburgers, hot dogs.....

Who ever ate like that? I do remember an episode of the Honeymooners where
Ralph complained of eating hot dogs again and also that Loretta Lynn movie
where they were on the road for days on end and had to eat endless amounts
of bologna, in both cases because the food was cheap.

I think most newlywed cooks try to impress their new spouse by trying lots
of new things. Things that may or may not work. I can remember working my
way through cookbooks. The "Company's Coming Beef and Peaches" would surely
have kept that company from coming back had I served it to them! Luckily, I
only served it to my husband and it didn't go over so well.

"Brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:51:43 -0700, "Cheri" >
> wrote:
>
>>"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
>>>I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it.
>>>I
>>>can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that
>>>"WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always
>>>"Idunno".
>>>
>>> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes
>>> around.
>>> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.
>>
>>
>>I imagine a lot of folks have 20 or 30 favorites and go back to them time
>>after time. I do.
>
> I don't think there are 30 different meals here, I don't do very
> imaginative for every day meals... for one thing the eonly meats I
> cook at home are pork, beef, and chicken... tonight was tuna salad,
> not cooked. There are no fetish eaters here.

I never really counted up what all that I make but I am sure it is more than
20-30 things. There are some things that I only make maybe once or twice a
year. Like baked beans, grilled sandwiches, ham. Yes, we eat a lot of
pasta but I do vary the shapes and the sauces. We eat a lot of salad but I
vary what I put on/in it. Even my pot roast will vary. Sometimes I make
the old standard of onions, carrots and potatoes with beef broth or gravy.
Other times I put a more highly seasoned sauce in it of tomatoes and I add
celery, mushrooms and peppers to the other vegetables. Or I just do plain
meat with noodles. I make a lot of soup but I rarely use recipes and it's
never exactly the same way twice.

I do feel sorry for people who have to eat a limited variety of foods. Some
because they have allergies or intolerances and literally can't eat other
things and some because they either can't afford other things or can't get
them.

My one friend was stuck eating whatever they could get at Costco for a great
many years. She has a rather large family and at that point in time, a
limited income. I don't personally think that being stuck eating only what
they have there would be so bad because they do sell good food and they do
change out what they have from time to time, you would be stuck eating the
same cereal for quite a while if only because the boxes are so big. Luckily
now, their income has improved and she has moved to an area that has a
Grocery Outlet so that is another option for her. But...

There is an area near here where some people are pretty much stuck buying
all of their food at Wal-mart. This particular Wal-Mart does not have a
full grocery. When they opened, they had considerably more fresh food than
they do now. I don't know why but now what you can get fresh is very
limited. Perhaps a head of iceberg lettuce, some bananas, a bag of
potatoes, maybe onions, if you are lucky, some other form of fruit or veg.
But mostly they are out. They do have frozen pizzas and other cheap,
prepared foods and that is what a lot of people buy. And I know that they
are limited to shopping there because I have heard them say so. They said
they were very grateful that the store expanded the grocery section.

We do have bus service here but it's not necessarily so good. People can't
always afford it. And even if they can, lugging groceries onto the bus does
limit what you can buy.

Walmart also put one of their grocery stores (can't remember the name) in
another part of Lynnwood. In both areas, there are a lot of apartments
around there and no other grocery stores.

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:32:52 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

>I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it. I can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that "WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always "Idunno".
>
>It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes around.
>How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.

I have good days and bad days on this. On busy days I'm likely to
grab anything and fix it and I feel guilty because 2/3 of the plate
isn't veggies, everything is one color, it's unimaginative, etc.
Weekend days I will probably do interesting or involved stuff.
The other day I did Emeril's Cajun Jambalaya and it was delicious.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/e...pe2/index.html
or'
http://tinyurl.com/5excp5
I always keep a pretty well-stocked pantry. I'll use the contents of
the freezer and pantry and a web search to find ideas. Cookbooks are
for bedtime reading and marking for future planned meals. I don't
have time or inclination to search a cookbook before dinner.
Hang in there. My husband's reply to your question is always
'whatever you want to fix.' Pah! no help there.
Janet US

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 19:08:52 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:



>Don't go to the grocery store with a shopping list. Buy stuff you
>don't normally buy at the grocery store and figure out what to do with
>them later. Keep a well-stocked pantry and freezer. Don't rely on
>recipes.
>
>-sw

Very good advice. In addition. go to a different store too. Every so
often we head out to Whole Foods, or the Italian stores in Providence,
or the Polish stores in Vernon, etc. One those trips I try to find
something different. It may be a thick veal chop, or a different fish.
Be adventurous.

"Janet Bostwick" > wrote in message
...
> I have good days and bad days on this. On busy days I'm likely to
> grab anything and fix it and I feel guilty because 2/3 of the plate
> isn't veggies, everything is one color, it's unimaginative, etc.
> Weekend days I will probably do interesting or involved stuff.
> The other day I did Emeril's Cajun Jambalaya and it was delicious.
> http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/e...pe2/index.html
> or'
> http://tinyurl.com/5excp5
> I always keep a pretty well-stocked pantry. I'll use the contents of
> the freezer and pantry and a web search to find ideas. Cookbooks are
> for bedtime reading and marking for future planned meals. I don't
> have time or inclination to search a cookbook before dinner.
> Hang in there. My husband's reply to your question is always
> 'whatever you want to fix.' Pah! no help there.
> Janet US

Some people think I go overboard by planning my meals. And I don't always
do it. I didn't really plan this week except to use up some freezer food.
And when Angela and I were here alone, it wasn't usually necessary to plan
the meals. But now with husband home, I especially need to make sure there
is prepared food for him when we are not home. And I want to make sure that
I am not wasting things like produce. Yes, some waste is inevitable due to
various reasons. But I also don't want to be running to the store every day
for something.

I also tend to do the opposite of what you do. I always have plenty of
vegetables in the house. It's the proteins that I don't always have. I do
always have beans, nuts and cheese. I don't always have eggs and meat.

My plan now is to eat through the freezer stuff so there is nothing old in
there and then start from fresh. Aside from my eating occasional canned
turkey and some ground beef, husband will be the only meat eater.

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:32:52 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

> I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it. I can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that "WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always "Idunno".
>
> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes around.
> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.

I'm not stuck in a rut. There's something new every day that I want
to try and my problem is finding a time to repeat something that I
liked. Today, I was torn between

Peach Sriracha Chicken (I had drumsticks to use)
http://thelatinkitchen.com/recipe/pe...-chicken-wings
or
Swahili Chicken in Coconut Vinegar (Kuku Siki)
http://www.navarrowine.com/kitchen/i...hp?recipeid=32

Hubby requested "chicken and rice". He hardly ever makes a request,
so I made it for dinner instead. However, I'm making the peach sauce
(with sambal oelek) tonight... to use later.


--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 2013-08-28 00:06:35 +0000, Kalmia said:

>> 6) Put that list of ingredients in your car. Use that car the next time
>> you shop.
>
> Hmmmmm.....the BMW, Corvette or the Mercedes........? Decisions,
> decision. : ))
>
> Just poking fun at 'that car'.....as if I own a fleet.

Well, as you know, many couples have one each. I feel great when both
of ours are running.

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:44:56 -0700, gtr > wrote:

> 7) Buy the ingredients on the list.

Are you saying you have to shop for everything on the list? I don't
make any recipe that I have to buy more than one unusual ingredient
for.... okay, two - if I'm really enamored with it. That's how I
roll.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
news
> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 19:08:52 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
>
>
>>Don't go to the grocery store with a shopping list. Buy stuff you
>>don't normally buy at the grocery store and figure out what to do with
>>them later. Keep a well-stocked pantry and freezer. Don't rely on
>>recipes.
>>
>>-sw
>
> Very good advice. In addition. go to a different store too. Every so
> often we head out to Whole Foods, or the Italian stores in Providence,
> or the Polish stores in Vernon, etc. One those trips I try to find
> something different. It may be a thick veal chop, or a different fish.
> Be adventurous.

Yes! Although we love to shop at Winco for the cheap prices, there are a
lot of things that they don't carry. Including one whole category of
prepared foods that most stores do. Like mashed potatoes and those things
like Hormel and the like, meat and meal products that you can just heat and
eat. I don't know why they don't carry these. I don't buy them all of the
time. Although I do buy the red skinned mashed potatoes that Costco carries
because my family likes them a lot and they are cheap.

They do have a very large frozen section and they do carry stuff like OnCor
that the other stores in the area do not have. But one can only buy so much
frozen food unless they have an extra freezer.

And I don't think their meat is the best. Angela was fine with it when she
ate meat but husband didn't like the steaks. I usually buy steak at Central
Market. It's expensive but I know it is good.

I would hate having to buy my food at only one store. My one friend has to
do that because her husband works there. I guess he figures since he gets
the employee discount, they should only shop there. And now that she no
longer has an income or even a car, she has to depend on him to do the
grocery shopping.

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 19:46:57 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> I had
> beef Panang, a Thai curry with tomato and coconut milk sauce. My wife
> had a a fish green curry which she realy enjoyed.

That's the beauty of eating out... everyone can order something
different.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:44:56 -0700, gtr > wrote:
>
>> 7) Buy the ingredients on the list.
>
> Are you saying you have to shop for everything on the list? I don't
> make any recipe that I have to buy more than one unusual ingredient
> for.... okay, two - if I'm really enamored with it. That's how I
> roll.

Not me. I try new things all the time.

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:45:30 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

> One thing I ate a lot of when growing up was spaghetti red. My mom always
> made it with macaroni though. Only reason I can figure is that perhaps in
> those days the macaroni was cheaper?

You're younger than I am, but I remember when spaghetti was considered
exotic foreign food and my father (who worked in Chicago) taught us
how to twirl it around our fork.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Brooklyn1" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:51:43 -0700, "Cheri" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
>>>>I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it.
>>>>I
>>>>can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that
>>>>"WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is
>>>>always
>>>>"Idunno".
>>>>
>>>> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried
>>>> recipes
>>>> around.
>>>> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.
>>>
>>>
>>>I imagine a lot of folks have 20 or 30 favorites and go back to them time
>>>after time. I do.
>>
>> I don't think there are 30 different meals here, I don't do very
>> imaginative for every day meals... for one thing the eonly meats I
>> cook at home are pork, beef, and chicken... tonight was tuna salad,
>> not cooked. There are no fetish eaters here.
>
> I never really counted up what all that I make but I am sure it is more
> than 20-30 things. There are some things that I only make maybe once or
> twice a year. Like baked beans, grilled sandwiches, ham. Yes, we eat a
> lot of pasta but I do vary the shapes and the sauces. We eat a lot of
> salad but I

Well yeah, but pasta is pasta, like a person might make roast beef 50
different ways, but it's still roast beef which is what I mean by 20 or 30
standbys.

Cheri

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:45:30 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> One thing I ate a lot of when growing up was spaghetti red. My mom
>> always
>> made it with macaroni though. Only reason I can figure is that perhaps
>> in
>> those days the macaroni was cheaper?
>
> You're younger than I am, but I remember when spaghetti was considered
> exotic foreign food and my father (who worked in Chicago) taught us
> how to twirl it around our fork.

My dad made us furious by cutting ours into little pieces. We wanted to
twirl it and we couldn't! I could see chopping it up for a toddler, but not
for an older kid. I also hate it when people break it in half.

Now that I think of it, I remember as a kid having spaghetti, macaroni,
shells, and egg noodles. If there were other things available, we never had
them. I don't think I ever had lasagna until I was an adult. The only
ravioli I knew of was canned. Although I did make my own from scratch and I
made egg noodles too. My mom made manicotti for the first time when I was
in Jr. High. I had a friend over to do some homework and she was invited to
dinner. Then she freaked when she saw what the food was. Not only did she
refuse to eat it but insisted on being taken home right then and there so
she didn't miss her own dinner. Talk about rude!

Apparently people in this area at the time did not vary much from what they
ate for dinner. We were known for serving weird food. Like the manicotti,
black eyed peas and hominy. I did eat at a lot of other people's house.
They typically had vegetables from a can, a piece of some kind of plain meat
and a form of potatoes. Also bread or rolls which was something we only had
when company came (invited ahead of time) or for holidays.

Then I was contacted by a guy that I went to school with. I've known him
since we moved here. Never had a problem with him although we were never
really friends either. We got to talking about food. He said that seafood
was his favorite and I said that I didn't like it at all, perhaps because we
never had it at home. And he was like... Wha? But everyone eats it here
We had it almost every night! And perhaps it is common but the people we
hung out with didn't seem to eat it very often. We used to go clamming with
the neighbors and we always gave our clams to them. My parents do eat clam
chowder but I can't see my mom ever popping a clam open to cook it. And we
had friends who invited us over for salmon. My parents would eat that from
time to time but I don't think it was a favorite for either.


Anyway... I disovered new shapes and flavors of pasta when I struck out on
my own. I do remember getting Popeye spinach noodles as a small child. I
loved them and they discontinued them. I don't think we could get any other
spinach noodles at that time.

My favorite pasta was some bulk stuff that I got at the Fred Meyer's health
food section. I can't remember what they called the shape. The pieces were
big and almost cone shaped. There was plain, spinach, tomato and beet. I
loved the taste, texture and shape of it but every time I ate it, I got a
stomach ache so after about the third time of trying it, I gave up.

I do think some people get into a rut because they buy the same things every
time and won't try new things. Although my mom will sometimes try new
things, she also seems very frightened of them. So this may have limited
our food when I was growing up.

On 8/27/2013 9:46 PM, sf wrote:
> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:32:52 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> > wrote:
>
>> I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it. I can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that "WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is always "Idunno".
>>
>> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried recipes around.
>> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.
>
> I'm not stuck in a rut. There's something new every day that I want
> to try and my problem is finding a time to repeat something that I
> liked. Today, I was torn between
>
> Peach Sriracha Chicken (I had drumsticks to use)
> http://thelatinkitchen.com/recipe/pe...-chicken-wings
> or
> Swahili Chicken in Coconut Vinegar (Kuku Siki)
> http://www.navarrowine.com/kitchen/i...hp?recipeid=32
>
> Hubby requested "chicken and rice". He hardly ever makes a request,
> so I made it for dinner instead. However, I'm making the peach sauce
> (with sambal oelek) tonight... to use later.
>
>
Bookmarked the wings recipe - nice...

"Cheri" > wrote in message
...
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Brooklyn1" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:51:43 -0700, "Cheri" >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
>>>>>I seem to rotate about 30 different evening meals, and that's about it.
>>>>>I
>>>>>can't seem to branch out and try new things lately. I hate that
>>>>>"WhatamIgonnamakeforsupper" thought, and my better half's reply is
>>>>>always
>>>>>"Idunno".
>>>>>
>>>>> It's not that I don't have hundreds, maybe thousands, of untried
>>>>> recipes
>>>>> around.
>>>>> How do you get out of that rut? And please don't' say 'eat out'.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I imagine a lot of folks have 20 or 30 favorites and go back to them
>>>>time
>>>>after time. I do.
>>>
>>> I don't think there are 30 different meals here, I don't do very
>>> imaginative for every day meals... for one thing the eonly meats I
>>> cook at home are pork, beef, and chicken... tonight was tuna salad,
>>> not cooked. There are no fetish eaters here.
>>
>> I never really counted up what all that I make but I am sure it is more
>> than 20-30 things. There are some things that I only make maybe once or
>> twice a year. Like baked beans, grilled sandwiches, ham. Yes, we eat a
>> lot of pasta but I do vary the shapes and the sauces. We eat a lot of
>> salad but I
>
> Well yeah, but pasta is pasta, like a person might make roast beef 50
> different ways, but it's still roast beef which is what I mean by 20 or 30
> standbys.
>
> Cheri

Well, for pasta I could make: Mac and cheese, Fettucine Alfredo, Shrimp
Scampi, beef tips and noodles, spaghetti with red sauce, pasta fagioli, tuna
casserole, chicken and noodles, buttered noodles as a side dish, and noodle
kugle. I am sure there are tons of other things one can do with pasta but
that is 10 right there. I could make these things one after the other and
the family couldn't complain that they are getting the same thing night
after night.

But when I was growing up, it seemed like one of the most common meals in
our house, aside from spaghetti red and tuna casserole was hamburger patties
and canned peas. We probably didn't have it nearly as often as I remember.
And I did like canned peas but the hamburger patties, I coud have done
without. Not sure why we had it so often except perhaps because the patties
were easy to fix and pretty much anyone in the family could make them. And
hamburger was cheap. Once they came out with the Hamburger Helper, those
patties seemed to become a thing of the past.

On 2013-08-28 03:50:20 +0000, sf said:

> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:44:56 -0700, gtr > wrote:
>
>> 7) Buy the ingredients on the list.
>
> Are you saying you have to shop for everything on the list?

Not if you already have it.

> I don't make any recipe that I have to buy more than one unusual ingredient
> for.... okay, two - if I'm really enamored with it. That's how I roll.

Me neither. But I didn't say anything about unusual ingredients. For me
all that comes up in the "picking the recipe" portion of the routine.

On 2013-08-28 03:56:37 +0000, sf said:

> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:45:30 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> One thing I ate a lot of when growing up was spaghetti red. My mom always
>> made it with macaroni though. Only reason I can figure is that perhaps in
>> those days the macaroni was cheaper?
>
> You're younger than I am, but I remember when spaghetti was considered
> exotic foreign food and my father (who worked in Chicago) taught us
> how to twirl it around our fork.

I'm likely older than you and don't remember a time that "pasgetti"
didn't exist.

"gtr" > wrote in message news:2013082722261068169-xxx@yyyzzz...
> On 2013-08-28 03:56:37 +0000, sf said:
>
>> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:45:30 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> One thing I ate a lot of when growing up was spaghetti red. My mom
>>> always
>>> made it with macaroni though. Only reason I can figure is that perhaps
>>> in
>>> those days the macaroni was cheaper?
>>
>> You're younger than I am, but I remember when spaghetti was considered
>> exotic foreign food and my father (who worked in Chicago) taught us
>> how to twirl it around our fork.
>
> I'm likely older than you and don't remember a time that "pasgetti" didn't
> exist.

It existed but you probably didn't eat it at home a lot. I think we only
had it in a restaurant when I was really little. And my mom was afraid to
buy it at home after getting a package that stuck together like glue when
she cooked it. She blamed the spaghetti. Thought it was old. More likely
it was her cooking method. I suspect that she didn't have the water at a
rolling boil when she started.

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 22:31:30 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

> And my mom was afraid to
> buy it at home after getting a package that stuck together like glue when
> she cooked it. She blamed the spaghetti. Thought it was old. More likely
> it was her cooking method. I suspect that she didn't have the water at a
> rolling boil when she started.

She probably didn't boil it in enough water too.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 22:53:55 -0600, casa contenta > wrote:

> On 8/27/2013 9:46 PM, sf wrote:
> >
> > Peach Sriracha Chicken (I had drumsticks to use)
> > http://thelatinkitchen.com/recipe/pe...-chicken-wings
> > or
> > Swahili Chicken in Coconut Vinegar (Kuku Siki)
> > http://www.navarrowine.com/kitchen/i...hp?recipeid=32
> >
> > Hubby requested "chicken and rice". He hardly ever makes a request,
> > so I made it for dinner instead. However, I'm making the peach sauce
> > (with sambal oelek) tonight... to use later.
> >
> >
> Bookmarked the wings recipe - nice...

If you make it in the next couple of days, please let me know what you
think. I wanted to give it a trial run because I was thinking of
using it at for a party the first part of September.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 22:31:30 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> And my mom was afraid to
>> buy it at home after getting a package that stuck together like glue when
>> she cooked it. She blamed the spaghetti. Thought it was old. More
>> likely
>> it was her cooking method. I suspect that she didn't have the water at a
>> rolling boil when she started.
>
> She probably didn't boil it in enough water too.

That could be too. I don't think she had any really big pots in those days.

"gtr" > wrote in message news:2013082716445645233-xxx@yyyzzz...

> 1) Make a list of things you really want to try.
> 2) Prioritize it from "most feasible or convenient" down to "highly
> unlikely".
> 3) Remove all the "highly unlikely" dishes from the list.
> 4) Set a day that you have the time and project the energy to make the
> first listed meal.
> 5) Write down the ingredients you will need for that meal.
> 6) Put that list of ingredients in your car. Use that car the next time
> you shop.
> 7) Buy the ingredients on the list.
> 8) Prepare the meal.

Good list! I always decide and organise meals the day before. I keep a
good store and have a large chest freezer so perhaps it is easier for me. I
shop twice a week for fresh stuff.

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"gtr" > wrote in message news:2013082722261068169-xxx@yyyzzz...
> On 2013-08-28 03:56:37 +0000, sf said:
>
>> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:45:30 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> One thing I ate a lot of when growing up was spaghetti red. My mom
>>> always
>>> made it with macaroni though. Only reason I can figure is that perhaps
>>> in
>>> those days the macaroni was cheaper?
>>
>> You're younger than I am, but I remember when spaghetti was considered
>> exotic foreign food and my father (who worked in Chicago) taught us
>> how to twirl it around our fork.
>
> I'm likely older than you and don't remember a time that "pasgetti" didn't
> exist.

First I ever had when when I married and we were posted to Malta. I had my
first pizza there too) Exotic stuff then))

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

> wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 28 Aug 2013 11:28:43 +0100, "Ophelia"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>"gtr" > wrote in message
>>news:2013082722261068169-xxx@yyyzzz...
>>> On 2013-08-28 03:56:37 +0000, sf said:
>>>
>>>> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:45:30 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> One thing I ate a lot of when growing up was spaghetti red. My mom
>>>>> always
>>>>> made it with macaroni though. Only reason I can figure is that
>>>>> perhaps
>>>>> in
>>>>> those days the macaroni was cheaper?
>>>>
>>>> You're younger than I am, but I remember when spaghetti was considered
>>>> exotic foreign food and my father (who worked in Chicago) taught us
>>>> how to twirl it around our fork.
>>>
>>> I'm likely older than you and don't remember a time that "pasgetti"
>>> didn't
>>> exist.
>>
>>First I ever had when when I married and we were posted to Malta. I had
>>my
>>first pizza there too) Exotic stuff then))
>>
>>--
> My proud boast when we left Malta (talking about the 50s) was that we
> had not added a 'Malta baby' Later when a friend was posted
> there I used to send little teddy bears to her daughter. She would
> take the stuffing out (condoms) and restuff the bear with cotton wool.
> The customs I guess never figured it out. True, some were available
> on the ship but these were better.

lol one of my sons was born in M'tarfa ) Where did you live? We were
in Paola We could always get the necessary from the service docs in
Floriana than goodness. Dunno how the civilians used to manage but the
Maltese did tend to have large families. My maid told me about her SIL who,
when she first married and didn't get pregnant immediately, the priest
threatened to come and show them how!!!!!! Nothing would have surprised me.
Did you ever see the 'brothers' (the ones in brown habits) with the lassies
in Valetta?

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Julie Bove wrote:

> only had it in a restaurant when I was really little. And my mom was
> afraid to buy it at home after getting a package that stuck together
> like glue when she cooked it. She blamed the spaghetti. Thought it
> was old. More likely it was her cooking method. I suspect that she
> didn't have the water at a rolling boil when she started.

If pasta get stuck together it usually is because one didn't stir it during
the first few minutes. It happened to me when I was 12 or 13
--
"Un pasto senza vino e' come un giorno senza sole"
Anthelme Brillat Savarin

Sky wrote:

> Choose a cookbook and 'riffle' it and choose a recipe on the page that
> happens to open? Sort of like throwing a dart at a map; hopefully,
> that makes sense

Sometimes I do just that, and if the recipe on that page doesn't appeal to
me I just go on browsing the book until I find one that does
--
"Un pasto senza vino e' come un giorno senza sole"
Anthelme Brillat Savarin

"ViLco" > wrote in message
...
> Sky wrote:
>
>> Choose a cookbook and 'riffle' it and choose a recipe on the page that
>> happens to open? Sort of like throwing a dart at a map; hopefully,
>> that makes sense
>
> Sometimes I do just that, and if the recipe on that page doesn't appeal to
> me I just go on browsing the book until I find one that does

That is more like the way I do it

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/