Food Rut

[adfoster84]

used book stores have all kinds of old cookbooks for a cheap price. I do find that the old church cook books have the best recipes. I also as older family members and friends who have been cooking for a great many years what their favorite recipes. They have been tested for many years so typically they are the best ones to start adding in to the rotation.

 

[LisaRae2]

So I'm a planner.... not just Disney... pretty much everything...

So meal planning is something that I do.... Here's a peak into how I meal plan... I also cook 2 for 1 meals, and freezer meals...

Use a list when shopping so that you get everything that you need... I have to take a few minutes and really check the pantry out...

First thing is having a solid pantry full of good basic items - Basic seasoning, that you and your family like - (we like alot of different styles of food, so I do have quite a bit of seasonings), Flour, Sugar, Brown sugar, Rice, Canned things like tomatoes ( flavored ones if you like them) - corn, black beans, white beans, baked beans, chicken and beef stock, Pasta - everything from spaghetti to elbow macaroni, instant mashed potatoes, soup basic's like tomato, chicken noodle, cream of soups like mushroom, chicken, asparagus, salad dressing bottled - such as Ranch, Blue Cheese, Zesty Italian, packages of dry salad dressing mix, taco, gravy or whatever you like... Dessert items, cake mix, pie filing, brownie mix, cookie mix...
Stock it how you and your family eat....

Freezer - bags of frozen veggies this is one of things that I use alot..... with these you can add a side, or beef up rice or pasta leftovers...throw into soup or stews...

When you buy fresh veggies, have a purpose in mind when you are buying them...especially seasonal offerings... great deal on blueberry's... you can make blueberry pancakes, muffins, cookies, blueberry coffee cake...

Have Ziploc baggies on hand, as well as containers to put leftover in...

Plan ahead for big meal or celebrations....and know what you can do with the left overs....

Look at your grocery store's AD so you know what is on sale, what is seasonal and plan meals around this.... saves time, and money...

So this my dinner meal plan for this week and next week...

Sunday - Grilled Chicken, baked potatoes, and steamed buttered baby carrots

Monday - Grilled port chops marinated in zesty Italian dressing, left over baked potatoes cut into wedges, seasoned with some citrus basil salt and pepper, top with cheese and sour cream, and a side green salad

Tuesday - Grilled cheese and Tomato basil soup... DH like pepperoni in his grilled cheese...

Wednesday (today 11/6) - Sauteed shrimp and veggie wild rice - I am using up the some bits and pieces of frozen veggies warming them in veggie stock, adding them into the wild rice after the rice is cooked, which I use some of the veggie stock to cook the rice in... side green salad...

Thursday - Baked Cod, with egg noodles with asparagus, capers, lemon, and sun dried tomatoes,

Friday - BBQ chicken, green beans, and leftover veggie rice,

Saturday - date night

Sunday - we have plans for a late lunch with friends... so more than likely snacking a bit in the evening...

Monday - Pork roast and all the trimmings, potatoes, carrots, onions, - dinner rolls - green salad

Tuesday - Shrimp and Baked potatoes, green salad

Wednesday - BBQ pork sandwiches, ( made from the leftover pork roast - I shred the pork and onion together and simmer in homemade BBQ sauce) with coleslaw or pasta salad.. chips... depending maybe some tater tots...

Thursday - Roasted chicken with pan seared potatoes and carrots, I start with sauteed fresh onions, and garlic, take them out ,then add in the potatoes and carrots sort of browning them, ( they have alot of moisture so them keeps them from turning to mush) then add in the sauteed onions, and finish with fresh herbs, and a squeeze of lemon... ( left over from the pork roast meal)

Friday - I plan on making some freezer items, so more than likely it will be Chinese take out night...

Nothing is set in stone, life happens so having some items on hand for a quick soup and sandwich night is always a good thing...

Can I come to your house?

 

[disykat]

I can't imagine being so self-centered that I only cook food *I* like.

Pretty much every cook in the world does this. While you might avoid foods people in your family dislike, or you might buy something someone specifically requests, in general you cook to your preferences. The exception might be making a treat for a special meal for someone and you happen to know they love a certain dish. But in general, you buy what you like.

My kids discovered brussel sprouts as adults because I didn't like them so I never made them. It never even occurred to me to buy them. I also never served liver.

 

[Neverbeast]

fresh water fish (my husband) because of allergies

Off topic but I am allergic to fresh water fish and no one ever believes me. Even had a dr tell me I must be mistaken despite breaking out in hives after eating catfish and lake perch. This just made me quietly happy to not be alone.

 

[mom2rtk]

Pretty much every cook in the world does this. While you might avoid foods people in your family dislike, or you might buy something someone specifically requests, in general you cook to your preferences. The exception might be making a treat for a special meal for someone and you happen to know they love a certain dish. But in general, you buy what you like.

My kids discovered brussel sprouts as adults because I didn't like them so I never made them. It never even occurred to me to buy them. I also never served liver.

I do all the cooking here. I try hard to make things everyone likes. But no, I don't make things I don't like. Everyone in the family knows they are free to take over cooking duties on any given day if they want to cook something else. I would be more than happy to step aside and let them.

 

[DietCoke18]

I can't imagine being so self-centered that I only cook food *I* like.

Seriously! That is just obnoxious. Why not just share the responsibility??

 

[NYCgrrl]

I like to explore different cuisines and fortunately the house residents don't mind as long as I don't get too wild or better yet they don't see what I'm doing (just another reason to stay outta MY kitchen when I'm cooking). DGD still doesn't realise that her favorite version of my chicken broth is made with chicken feet...shh!

To keep my mind engaged in the cooking process I make decisions based on what looks fresh or is reasonably priced at the places I food shop. So happy that I can look at market fliers online now. Knowing what I'm going to buy or what needs to come out of the freezer allows me to wander different recipe sites for ideas if nothing springs to mind.
My favs are epicurious, fine cooking, cooks illustrated, newspapers, serious eats, chowhound and yummly. Heck, sometimes I consume so much food porn I'm not even hungry anymore, LOL.

Oh and about that MY kitchen comment. The man was a sharpshooter cook in the Army and won a medal for his shooting ability but not anything else. A few times a year I let him mess around in there. He likes to make meatloaf every August which I find odd as to why anyone would turn on the oven in all that heat. And he thinks life is better when he can open a can of corned beef hash. After that it's out he goes unless he gets a special invitation. He's quite good at vegetable prep as long as I wash the produce myself since he thinks "a little dirt" is good....uh huh yeah all right- get out.

 

[pfp258]

I try to plan in this way:
day 1: Italian (spaghetti, lasagna, tortellini, ravioli, ziti with a marinara sauce, pesto, Italian sausage, meatballs)
day 2: Mexican (beef tacos, chicken tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, nachos)
day 3: Meat (pork tenderloin, pork chop, flank steak, meatloaf, steak, chicken breasts, chicken thighs) or fish (salmon) along with roasted veggies (potatoes, butternut squash, broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots)
day 4: salad with bread and chili (traditional or white chicken) or homemade soup ( split pea, chicken noodle, pasta fagioli, beef barley, chicken rice, tomato, French onion
day 5: sandwiches (Hamburger, sloppy joes, patty melts, Reuben, ham and cheese, chicken salad, BLT, grilled cheese) with homemade slaw, chips
day 6: Asian ( stir fry beef or chicken over rice, stir fry on pita bread, orange chicken, honey garlic chicken, beef and broccoli, cashew chicken)
Day 7: pizza
I’m sure there are other things I cook and I do actually leave meat out once or twice a week. Having an overall plan helps me meal plan but not eat the same thing each week.
Also, I often don’t cook on the weekend- we go out or have leftovers

 

[NYCgrrl]

used book stores have all kinds of old cookbooks for a cheap price. I do find that the old church cook books have the best recipes. I also as older family members and friends who have been cooking for a great many years what their favorite recipes. They have been tested for many years so typically they are the best ones to start adding in to the rotation.

Old church cookbooks can be very useful. I love when they use local ingredients and varieties of vegetables that are no longer common. I find the ones published during WWII some of the best as rationing made for innovative substitutions. "The Joy of Cooking" is a classic and the only cookbook I brought when I moved overseas. Everything and anything you can think of in American cuisine is in there. The newer editions dabble in world cuisine, expand on vegetarian cookery, and fish yet still stay true to the original writers' (a mother and daughter from St. Louis) Midwestern roots. Thing of beauty.

@LovesTimone - I'd fall apart at the seams w/o my apt. sized chest freezer . So nice to just grab something out of there when I'm too tired to cook.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... My favs are epicurious, fine cooking, cooks illustrated, newspapers, serious eats, chowhound and yummly...

Your mention of Chowhound brings back such fond memories. My local board died a few years ago when the Google blog change happened. (And we had such a fabulous board -- the level of food writing was amazing! Even J. Gold used to stop by in the early years!) My foodie heart still grieves for that board and the 'hounds who contributed there... and then Gourmet magazine had to up and die -- those were not good foodie times, no sir!

 

[tasha99]

We are not repeaters and can go months without having something twice. I get cookbooks from the library (often buying the most appealing ones from Amazon, and making photocopies of recipes from library books I dont buy). My favorite food blogs are nomnompaleo and maangchi.

 

[LovesTimone]

Old church cookbooks can be very useful. I love when they use local ingredients and varieties of vegetables that are no longer common. I find the ones published during WWII some of the best as rationing made for innovative substitutions. "The Joy of Cooking" is a classic and the only cookbook I brought when I moved overseas. Everything and anything you can think of in American cuisine is in there. The newer editions dabble in world cuisine, expand on vegetarian cookery, and fish yet still stay true to the original writers' (a mother and daughter from St. Louis) Midwestern roots. Thing of beauty.

@LovesTimone - I'd fall apart at the seams w/o my apt. sized chest freezer . So nice to just grab something out of there when I'm too tired to cook.

My Granny taught me lots of good solid tips in the kitchen.... Freezer meals being one of them things she really felt was important.. she said if you can make enough meatballs for one meal, double or triple the recipe, it's not that much extra work, and your hands are already into it, and the oven is on.... so keep going... So if I make meatballs, I normally make around 100 to 150+, I just make a basic recipe, then divide up, and add in whatever seasoning for the type of meatball, that I am wanting to make.... As a matter of fact, Meatballs are on the list for next Friday when I am planning on making some freezer dishes... I am planning on, meatballs - Italian and Asian inspired, Shredded pork and chicken and some type of soups - thinking of Vegetable beef and Chicken noodle... With the holidays coming, I really need to get some extra stuff in the freezer...

 

[LovesTimone]

Can I come to your house?

Do you wash dishes?

 

[NYCgrrl]

Your mention of Chowhound brings back such fond memories. My local board died a few years ago when the Google blog change happened. (And we had such a fabulous board -- the level of food writing was amazing! Even J. Gold used to stop by in the early years!) My foodie heart still grieves for that board and the 'hounds who contributed there... and then Gourmet magazine had to up and die -- those were not good foodie times, no sir!

I hear you on so many levels!. Here's a possible bright light to the Gourmet situ: epicurious has recipes from the unpublished December 2018 edition on it's website. Speaking of epicurious, still haven't figured out all the "new" features like how to create a menu and I don't much like the site's search anymore. Twasn't broke on that level so why did they have to fix it?!

I find egullet.org a great substitute for chowhound's local boards; the site is currently on it's 4th Thanksgiving thread with a minimum of 4 pages each started between September and October for the early birds, LOL. Also has sessions with culinary people like Ruth Reichel, Jose Andre, and Sara Moulton. Might be worth your time.

 

[Moliphino]

Pretty much every cook in the world does this. While you might avoid foods people in your family dislike, or you might buy something someone specifically requests, in general you cook to your preferences. The exception might be making a treat for a special meal for someone and you happen to know they love a certain dish. But in general, you buy what you like.

My kids discovered brussel sprouts as adults because I didn't like them so I never made them. It never even occurred to me to buy them. I also never served liver.

Exactly. I've still never had lima beans because my mom hated them. I would never cook anything with peanuts/peanut butter because I find them/it completely disgusting. That doesn't mean you don't also take other people's preferences into account, but if I'm making a meal it's going to be something I will actually eat.

 

[Minnesota!]

A bit? I don't know. My husband and kids are obsessed with my spaghetti and with tacos. They challenged me maybe a year ago that they could "live on them". So, I said, ok! And, a year later...I cook tacos and spaghetti way more than my cooking-creative mind enjoys.

I can't eat my spaghetti (I am a low carb vegetarian), so I typically have a salad those nights. And, tacos - well, I can change up MINE to suit my moods.

As long as I have things on hand to make for myself each night, I am ok with making the 4 - 5 things they all love. But, it gets boring.

 

[mom2rtk]

Seriously! That is just obnoxious. Why not just share the responsibility??

Someone would have to want to share the responsibility.

 

[SteveH]

And speaking of pancakes, what a joy to actually find pancake mix that isn't just garbage add water stuff.

I mostly agree with this statement, however if you ever have a chance to grab some Snoqualmie Falls Pancake mix it might just change your mind. Once we had it I gave up on any other mix, recipe or blend. I do miss it but I've kicked carbs and pancakes had to go.

 

[disneychrista]

pancake flour

What is pancake flour vs regular flour? If you don't like the add water stuff (I personally like the Krustez buttermilk) then you can make them from scratch also. No real need for anything special or a mix.

 

[Cheetie]

Dinner, or supper, is easy. Salad. It's only me and I cook big when I cook to put it in the freezer for work. Mostly spaghetti unfortunately, and not because it's simple because there's a lot going on with my spaghetti.

My issue with cooking is planning. I very much dislike chicken and I have 30-35 Ribeye and strip steaks in the freezer (ex sends it with the girls when her dad butchers and they can't eat it all since he's giving her 200-300 lb. of beef 3 times a year.) I can pull a Ribeye out to thaw just fine, I will definitely eat that. Chicken on the other hand, I have to force myself to eat and seems every time I prep to cook chicken later, something better comes up.

Then it's the recipes. Can't stand phones, can't stand trying to constantly turn the screen on on the tablet or constantly changing the settings to turn the sleep function off completely. I don't want the laptop in the kitchen and I don't like constantly washing my hands to scroll. I need good old fashion recipe printed, but I don't have a printer and don't have the funds for the ridiculous printer ink. I need to start looking stuff up and printing it out on lunch. There's a ton I can do with the Instant Pot, just don't want to be getting grubby crap all over my tablet.

You could try taking a screen shot of the recipe you’re using and just save it to photos. It will stay on your screen longer that way.

My oldest absolutely hates chicken, unless it’s fried, so I can relate. I work it into pasta dishes so it’s covered by the sauce