Me: What do you want for dinner?
Deus Ex Machina: Yes.
Either that, or he'll say something with pasta.
I'm okay with pasta, but pasta, for me, is not the quick, easy meal prep that Deus Ex Machina thinks it is. First off, it takes a lot of dishes to prepare, then, there's the actual prep time involved, because I don't just boil some noodles, dump on a jar of sauce, and call it good.
I want meatballs with my spaghetti, and for that, I have to make meatballs, which take a lot of time, and I usually cook my meatballs before I add them to my sauce. So - even more time. And dishes!
I'm okay with pasta, but pasta, for me, is not the quick, easy meal prep that Deus Ex Machina thinks it is. First off, it takes a lot of dishes to prepare, then, there's the actual prep time involved, because I don't just boil some noodles, dump on a jar of sauce, and call it good.
I want meatballs with my spaghetti, and for that, I have to make meatballs, which take a lot of time, and I usually cook my meatballs before I add them to my sauce. So - even more time. And dishes!
Or I want a baked Mac & Cheese, which means I need to: boil pasta (large saucepan or kettle and a colander), grate cheese (cheese grater), make a cheese sauce (small sauce pan), cube bread (cutting board and knife), brown Italian sausage, and mix everything in a baking pan and bake. If you're keeping that's two sauce pans, a colander, a skillet, the cheese grater, a cutting board and knife, and a baking dish. My sink is now full of dirty dishes, and that doesn't even include the plates we eat on or the utensils we eat with.
I love to cook. I hate doing dishes.
I love to cook. I hate doing dishes.
The real issue is that on those days when I am asking what other people want for dinner, what I'm saying is, "I'm wiped out today - for whatever reason - and I can't think about what I should make for dinner, because I can't even think about what color socks I should put on my feet, and so I am asking for your help in picking something SUPER EASY and fast that I can whip up in about ten minutes." Or, I might be asking for take-out. Either works.
Unfortunately, I don't usually articulate it in that way. I just ask for ideas, but then, I end up making whatever I want anyway, which is why the conversation has evolved. I still ask, but recently, the conversation has gone more like:
Me: What do you want for dinner?
Deus Ex Machina: Yes.
Me: Chili it is.
A friend recently posted some of the lessons she learned in the 2020 Pandemic. The biggest thing I learned is that I love the life that I had been building, and my ultimate goal was to get back to that way of life - working from home blogging/writing, homesteading/homemaking, tending the home and hearth. There's a theme here. For me, life is about making a home. Those are the things that feed my soul and make me feel necessary. We all like feeling necessary, don't we?
I also learned that I have an amazing pantry and that I'm a pretty decent cook (in spite of what my son once told me, and which has become a running joke in my family). Just about any thing I want to eat, I can make - cheaper and tastier than I can get carry out.
My fresh from scratch version is often better than the prepared version from the grocery store, too. Like my homemade ramen. I use store-bought ramen or rice noodles, but everything else, including the seasoning, is from my pantry.
The broth for this ramen was made from leftover roast chicken.
My daughter loves hummus. She was coming over for dinner during the holidays, and I thought I would surprise her by making some hummus. I had everything I needed to make the simple, five ingredient dip: garbanzo beans, garlic, sesame oil, lemon juice, and salt. That's it. It was delicious, and she appreciated that I made it - just for her.
That's the benefit of having a well-stocked pantry.
Food is so integral to our human communal experience. There are special dishes associated with every major holiday. When people get together, it's food that we share, along with our company and our stories. Being able to offer a hearty, tasty meal makes me happy.
Food is so integral to our human communal experience. There are special dishes associated with every major holiday. When people get together, it's food that we share, along with our company and our stories. Being able to offer a hearty, tasty meal makes me happy.
Two nights ago, Deus Ex Machina and I had our usual dinner discussion. I was looking for ideas on that particular evening. I wanted chili, but we were low on tortilla chips, which we all like in our chili, and so I didn't want to make that. But I had ground beef in the refrigerator, and so whatever I made, it would have ground meat in it.
Meatballs and meatloaf are time consuming.
I didn't want pasta.
Anything Tex-Mex was out, because of the above-mentioned tortilla chip shortage.
So, I consulted my google cookbook, and I found a recipe for a Japanese dish called Soboro Donburi (I used this recipe).
Donburi means "something served over steamed rice as a bowl." Soboro is a dish with ground meat (and since making the above version with ground beef, I have seen other recipes with the same name that use something other ground meats, like chicken and pork).
Donburi means "something served over steamed rice as a bowl." Soboro is a dish with ground meat (and since making the above version with ground beef, I have seen other recipes with the same name that use something other ground meats, like chicken and pork).
The recipe I used called for five ingredients, and I was SO excited to see that I had all five of them: ground meat, soy sauce (or Tamari, for us, since we're gluten-free), ginger (of which I have a ton, thanks to my Misfits Market subscription), sugar, and frozen peas. I was actually worried that I didn't have any peas, but in the back of the freezer, under some frozen blueberries, was a bag. Huzzah!
Me: What do you want for dinner?
Deus Ex Machina: Yes.
Me: Soboro Donburi it is!
And it was, and it was DELICIOUS!
Have you ever made something that turned out so good that you wanted it the next night, too? That was this dish. It was so easy and so tasty, I almost made it the next night, too.
I don't like fussy meals with lots of exotic ingredients, but what I'm finding is that what used to feel like exotic ingredients to me are now mainstays in my kitchen - like ginger and garlic and sesame oil. I have an enviable spice cabinet.
The pandemic taught me that I like cooking. That I prefer eating at home. That there are very few meals I can purchase as take-out that are as ethically sourced (with regard to ingredients) and tasty as what I can make at home - for a lot less money.
The pandemic also taught me that I can maintain my well-stocked pantry with a lot fewer trips to the grocery store, but also that if I look more deeply into the backs of those cabinets, I will find exactly what I need to make whatever I'm craving.
The pandemic also taught me that I can maintain my well-stocked pantry with a lot fewer trips to the grocery store, but also that if I look more deeply into the backs of those cabinets, I will find exactly what I need to make whatever I'm craving.
If you don't do anything else for yourself, this year, build your pantry.
Here are some tips:
Here are some tips:
1. Sit down with your family and think of ten meals that you frequently prepare or purchase as take-out.
This isn't a "make a menu" recommendation. Personally, the weekly menu thing has never worked for me, because invariably on Taco Tuesday, I don't want tacos, or something similar. Props to those people who can do it. It's just not me.
This isn't a "make a menu" recommendation. Personally, the weekly menu thing has never worked for me, because invariably on Taco Tuesday, I don't want tacos, or something similar. Props to those people who can do it. It's just not me.
2. Find a recipe for those meals.
I grew up believing that those terrible, square packs of instant ramen were actually what "ramen" is. Then, we went to an actual ramen restaurant, and I had "real" ramen. I liked it so much, I thought, "I need to learn to make that!" And I did, and it was amazing. I keep rice noodles in my pantry now, so that when we want something like ramen, I can make it.
I grew up believing that those terrible, square packs of instant ramen were actually what "ramen" is. Then, we went to an actual ramen restaurant, and I had "real" ramen. I liked it so much, I thought, "I need to learn to make that!" And I did, and it was amazing. I keep rice noodles in my pantry now, so that when we want something like ramen, I can make it.
3. Make an ingredient list.
Way back, before I really learned how to actually cook, I was under the mistaken belief that spice packets - like taco seasoning - contained some fancy and/or mysterious ingredients that I couldn't just purchase. At some point, I figured it out. My three youngest daughters grew up with my own way of seasoning taco meat. Big Little Sister learned to season tacos by the way the taco meat looks when it's properly seasoned using spices in my (and now her own) cabinets. If you're interested, taco seasoning, for me, is just: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, sometimes onion powder, and dried cilantro. I haven't bought taco seasoning packets in, probably, twenty years.
All of those spices that go into my taco meat can be used for other dishes, as well.
Way back, before I really learned how to actually cook, I was under the mistaken belief that spice packets - like taco seasoning - contained some fancy and/or mysterious ingredients that I couldn't just purchase. At some point, I figured it out. My three youngest daughters grew up with my own way of seasoning taco meat. Big Little Sister learned to season tacos by the way the taco meat looks when it's properly seasoned using spices in my (and now her own) cabinets. If you're interested, taco seasoning, for me, is just: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, sometimes onion powder, and dried cilantro. I haven't bought taco seasoning packets in, probably, twenty years.
All of those spices that go into my taco meat can be used for other dishes, as well.
My family LOVES ranch dressing. Unfortunately, we're almost out, but I'm not due to go to the grocery for another week - if I want to adhere to my bi-monthly shopping trips. So, I looked for a recipe for ranch dressing, and guess what? I have all of the ingredients in this recipe, except buttermilk. Instead, I will use half&half (because we love coffee and we always have half&half or real cream in the refrigerator for our coffee) and some lemon juice, which we also usually have (because I use it in canning and food preservation).
P.S. Several of the spices that go in the taco seasoning are also used in the ranch dressing. Life is grand that way ;).
4. Look at what you have in your pantry right now and make either a written inventory or a mental list.
5. Based on those meals that your family most enjoys, make a list of ingredients that you don't have and/or that you are low on.
6. List in hand, go to the grocery store.
7. Be sure to buy some snack foods. You know you will want them, and it's better just to buy the chocolate bar at the lower grocery store price than to sneak over to the 7-11 later for that over priced Snickers bar.
Helpful hints:
- When you're building your pantry, you will want to have more than one meal's worth of most things. Buy two cans of tomatoes, even if you think you'll only use one. Those cans of tomatoes will be fine in your cabinet for a couple of years, and you will use it, eventually. Buy extra.
- Multi-purpose items or "ingredients" are better than processed products (see taco seasoning example above).
- Once you start learning to use the ingredients, you can start learning to produce your own ingredients. There's nothing quite so satisfying as making a meal with food YOU grew.
- While all home-cooked, all the time is a noble goal, we all have days when we.just.can't. Be gentle with yourself on those days, open up the freezer, and grab the tater tots and Freschetta cheese pizza. It's okay. No one is judging.
Mason actually likes the square-packet ramen (he’s 11, it’s forgiveable). When I was going into the office to work, I would make my own ramen. One of the local supermarkets often had small (8oz) cans of vegetables for 50c each, so I’d stuff an overhead bin with little cans of corn, peas, green beans, or whatever. I’d take a can of each, add a larger can of chicken, throw in spices, and maybe add a pinch of the sodium packet. I'd let my little 1.5qt slow-cooker stink up the office for the morning :D then toss in the noodles for the last few minutes. I didn’t have the egg, but I could make a hot lunch with nothing needing refrigeration.
ReplyDeleteI also like one-pan meals, for the simplicity as much as the limited cleanup afterwards. There’s a great recipe for chicken breasts on the Pioneer Woman blog, although I like to double or triple the ingredients for the sauce because it seems kind of skimpy otherwise.
And it seems like very few recipes include a proper amount of garlic. I usually double what it calls for.
One thing we did a couple months ago, we pulled everything out of the pantry and took inventory, labeling jars of stuff the wife and her mom canned a long time ago, then reorganized. I don’t think we’ll have to buy salsa for a loooooong time.
Mason is completely forgiven! When I was 11, I liked that ramen, too ;).
DeleteI love your example of making lunch without anything that needed refrigerating. It's a great example of what one can accomplish with a little planning and ingenuity. In a powered down scenario, being able to put together a meal that can be cooked on a woodstove or in the coals of a fire, with stuff that wasn't refrigerated, will be a really valuable skill.
Definitely try the ground pork sometime - almost everything we had in Okinawa was pork, unless we specifically asked about beef, or went to Yoshinoya, where the beef bowls were their big draw for almost every customer.
ReplyDeleteMy home-cooking journey has been a lengthy process of microwave meals to oven/skillet meals to combining mixes and canned food to finally getting to where I can make some things with whole food ingredients. My mom doesn't particularly enjoy cooking, with the exception of her lasagna, so I learned how to "nuke" things. (waving at my mother, as I know she reads your blog LOL)
We recently learned that the pizza place on our new base, which was what where we were getting Friday pizza night meals every week, had a manager who threatened people's jobs and didn't let them tell coworkers they had COVID-19. So several people were working sick, and got several others sick; one of the latter said NO WAY and risked their job by sharing the information with the health department, the base, and customers. I'm sure we aren't the only ones who stopped going there. Husband went recently, after three+ weeks have passed, but in the meantime we'll be stocking frozen pizzas and a I begged a baker friend for a pizza dough recipe. (I tried one in my breadmaker but didn't read the comments; I should have, because I wasn't the only one who ended up with a soup with a glob of flour in the middle. :( ) So all that to say, we already stock the cheese & olives, so I'll be getting pepperoni and finding the right recipe and working my way up to pizza dough made from homeground flour and so forth.
And maybe, just maybe, post-retirement, we can grow our own olives..... *fingers crossed*
What a sad thing that the pizza parlor manager did! I wouldn't eat there - ever again. In fact, I have stopped patronizing shops and restaurants for less egregious offenses ;).
DeleteFor pizza dough, try the "One Hour French Bread" recipe. This is about the easiest bread recipe I have ever used. Before we stopped eating wheat flour, I made it all of the time, and it's so easy and so fast to make, that I used to make a fresh loaf to take with us to some of our homeschooling classes.
I also used it for pizza dough and to make "pizza rolls" (basically, a stuffed bread with pepperoni and cheese).
You can also make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for later. I used to make the dough, and then, put it in an oiled bowl in the refrigerator. My kids would pull off a piece and bake it for 15 minutes whenever they wanted a quick roll.
Here's the recipe:
One Hour French Bread
Ingredients
1 1/2 c warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 c all purpose flour
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Combine warm water, sugar, yeast, and salt. Let yeast proof (give it a couple of minutes to get bubbly).
3. Add the oil.
4. Add flour one cup at a time, combining between additions.
5. Knead dough for 6-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
6. Grease baking sheet.
7. Divide dough into two balls.
8. Flatten dough on sheet, and then, roll into a loaf shapes.
9. Use a sharp serrated knife to make 3-4 half-inch slits on top.
10. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
11. When the loaf or loaves have roughly doubled in size, transfer the bread to the oven.
12. Bake for about 20 minutes.
My mother never really seemed to like cooking much, either, but she is a phenomenal baker, and so where we didn't have gourmet meals, we always had some pretty stellar desserts. Her lemon meringue pie is amazing!
DeleteAnyway, I can cook pretty well, but I never did learn how to make a meringue.