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I think there are two types of such ennui, although the two can sometimes coincide. a) Cooking ennui. Sometimes I just can't be arsed with the shopping, cleaning, chopping, stirring etc. When that strikes, I just go out or order meals in. b) Eating ennui. Obviously more dangerous. Sometimes, although hungry, I just can't be bothered with the whole eating exercise. This is especially annoying, after I have spent hours preparing and cooking an eight dish meal for friends and then just feel totally uninterested in eating it myself. It's easy for this to last a few days. I usually ease myself back by making a simple, slightly spicy lentil soup. Or just have cheese with bread or crackers.

Today’s dessert is a combination of three strawberry elements, strawberry cake made with sour cream, strawberry gelato and strawberry sauce. I usually don’t bake with strawberries, but this cake is the exception. The cake is moist and light and the sauce is a perfect accompaniment to both the cake and gelato. ( cake and sauce adapted from Natasha’s Kitchen)

I wasn't working today and it cooled off enough that I decided I was going to cook something special that I haven't made in a couple of years. Julia Child's Sauté de boeuf à la Bourguignonne, with some minor adjustments. Beef tenderloin filets in a wine sauce with mushrooms and pearl onions. Or in this case small Cipollini onions because I couldn't find pearls. Much easier to peel than the pearl onions.

@FrogPrincesse Your apricot galettes look so delicious. Love when they have that tart edge to them. I wish apricots were available for a longer period of time!

Yes, in the same boat. I generally have crackers and cheese when all else fails.

I found a site that may offerwhat I'm looking for, and another couple of recipes that may be close (hard to say without seeing the original, although I'm looking for ideas as much as the recipe. Never heard of Google Books, but I'll explore that as well. Thanks.

My post includes the names of the recipes as they appear in the book, its title and authors. Since I own the book, I haven’t searched for the recipes online but you might try via Google Books or just a basic search. If that comes up empty, post back and I can try to paraphrase them for you.

For me, minimal prep food includes an omelet, tuna salad, leftovers, or just a can of sardines with hot sauce. Or, as weinoo says, go out for dinner. Hope your ennui is soon on its way. 😉

Dinner was nearly all Mrs. C tonight: Steelhead, seared to remove the skin and then baked. Very simple - just lemon juice, S&P - but very tender. I had mine with some tartar sauce from the other day. Beet and baked rhubarb salad with fried plantains, parsley, shallot, and a dressing of olive oil, pomegranate molasses, and champagne vinegar. I would happily eat that in a restaurant. I had mine with feta cheese. My only contribution was frying the plantains.

That sounds like an amazing tuna salad thing. Can you provide the recipe(s) or a link. I'd love to play around with it all.

I believe this is the first tuna melt I’ve made. Zero expectations as I only had one before and it wasn’t good but this one was excellent. I was also hungry 😋 This is the Tuna Melt with Charred Jalapeño Pickles, Chives, and Provolone from Sunlight and Breadcrumbs by Renee Erickson and Sara Dickerman. It starts with making a batch of the Charred Then Pickled Jalapeno Peppers with Onion which are easy and good. In addition to the pickled jalapeños, the tuna mix includes fresh serrano chilies, capers, onion, chives and just enough mayo to stick it together. I used a mix of mozzarella and English coastal cheddar instead of Provolone. No complaints. .

@Smithy, one thing I do NOT when ovetaken by said ennui is make a salad. I hate making salads with lettuce anyway; it seems like a lot of labor, washing and chipping and mixing dressing, etc. In this situation I make a cheese omelet. If I can still walk over to the fridge I might have a raw carrot and/or an apple and crackers.

I go out to dinner.

@FrogPrincesse beautiful! Love tart apricots and yes, they are wonderful for baking.

Those are gorgeous! Thanks for the reminder that cooking apricots intensifies their flavor. I'd forgotten that, even though I've used that trick on other stone fruits.

I've got no advice because I'm suffering from the same thing. For about the last month, the only thing that appeals to me for lunch is salami sandwiches on homemade bread. And yet, like you, I have two refrigerators full of food. I'm anxiously awaiting to hear some good answers.

I believe I just coined that term. Culinary Ennui is the exact equivalent of looking at one's wardrobe and thinking "I don't have a thing to wear!" And it's just as ridiculous. I mean, look at this refrigerator! The freezer compartment is similarly packed. There's another refrigerator / freezer combo and a separate small freezer in the garage. They're all packed. It's an embarrassment of riches, and I know I'm very fortunate to have this wealth. Still...I just spent a preposterous amount of time thinking that I'm hungry and need to eat something, and not being able to think of a thing I wanted to eat. Coooked beans? No. A sandwich of some sort? No. Green bean salad? Cole slaw? Too much work to make. Some, maybe most, of this Culinary Ennui is due to personal issues that are affecting my mood and energy. I have a singular lack of ambition despite oodles of things I need to be doing. But is that all it is? I dunno. I just know I need to do something about it. There's no point in having all this food if I don't want to eat it. So I've thrown together a green salad to provide some sustenance while I contemplate this issue and toss it out for discussion. What do you do when none of your food options appeals? This is related to, but not quite the same as, Help! I've lost my cooking mojo and I want it back! except in the sense that I'm the only person cooking or eating in this household.

I also love apricots. Cooking them intensifies their flavor so it makes even mediocre apricots taste good. I made these individual galettes last weekend. The apricots were a bit tart (I added only a minimal amount of sugar) but I didn't mind.

@FrogPrincesse Nice ! \I(d love pics of the store, after you ask , w a smile on your face.

what he said ^ infused oils using anything - herbs/spices/leaves - that grew in soil - aka had soil contact - have the potential to erupt into botulism. that mechanism take time, the time is 'delayed' by refrigeration. hence the 'not longer than' storage theory . . . this my fav 'bread dipping' schufft: 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 1 teaspoon fresh basil leaves, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt I only do 1/2 of the recipe (for two) so we can use it up before it may go wonky

I have had Bulgarian feta and agree that there are good ones. I honestly never had a truly awful feta when it was sheep or goat milk. All the terrible (dry, overly salty, tasteless) fetas have been cow milk based and therefore not authentic feta. I have a few middle Eastern stores nearby. Last time I shopped there was to get goat to make birria. When I go back, I will make sure to check out the feta offerings for you.

@FrogPrincesse Im wondering if youv'e tried Bulgarian feta ? possibly , right out of the brine , cut to order ? I mention ' from a brine ' , ie a Middle Eastern store , as the series there might be ' fresher ' I tried about 8 feta's at a local-sh Middle easter store. I was surprised at the noticeable differences . all very interesting , texture , salinity , creaminess, varying I was surprised at the creaminess of the Bulgarian , w s muted salinity.

The parsley crackers aren't awful but they aren't great either. They taste mostly of garlic, with a hint of dried parsley (which doesn't have much flavor to begin with). Here they are with the parmigiano reggiano stravecchio (which is a favorite). Lately, the cracker offerings at TJ's haven't been that great, I used to love their beet crackers (which also happened to be gluten-free) but they disappeared from the shelves a while back.

Stuffed Peppers with Chili and Vegetables from an “essen & trinken” recipe - green bell peppers are filled with a mixture of ground beef, tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika and tarragon. Roasted in the oven together with zucchini, cherry tomatoes, fresno chili, smashed garlic, shallots and thyme

I prefer the Greek feta (in the white tub), it has a lot more flavor than the Israeli. It's also cheaper as you pointed out. About "cow feta" - in Europe, feta cannot be called feta unless it's made from sheep or goat milk. Cow feta lacks the distinctive flavor of feta.