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CKatCook

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Everything posted by CKatCook

  1. Living in the south part of the U.S. most people I know eat butter on their rice, sugar and cinnamon if it's morning. I never saw stranger eating habits than when I lived in New Orleans. I worked with a group of grandmothers native to New Orleans. They ate ketchup on fried chicken, grits every morning with eggs, butter, bacon all stirred in together. I once date a guy that went to a "finishing school" I was in my very early 20's and was knocked out when I saw him eat nachoes with a fork, definately to be eaten by hand in my book. He showed me the proper way to eat a banana, roll, when you sip water and when you sip wine or other beverage. All too fussy for me, the only time I break out the real table manners is at a formal thing, or if I know it will really offend someone... I grilled banana's tonight and my husband thought I had lost my mind.
  2. I am a real newbie and I watch the Nigella Lawson on food network, thats about it anymore. I use to watch a lot more, but lately it's hasn't been that great...I hang more with PBS these days, too.
  3. I loved this show last year, I hope it is just as good this year.
  4. You know, I was doing the whole Christmas-stress-out thing until I read this..so true your words. I am with the OP on this. So far I have baked, cooked, tore a muscle in my hip shopping, headaches. And for what??? All reaching for the ideal holiday that it seems no one ever has, really, now that I think about it. It's early morning Christmas eve as I type this and I think from this point forward I am going to just take it easy. Rest, curl up with a good book. Ring in the new year with peace and celebrate my way. Thanks for this thread.....
  5. Not caring whether or not what you eat is "pc" for eGullet. The guiding principle should be that you enjoy it. If your experience with eGullet has led you to eat better food, that's great, but if you enjoy foods that might run afoul of some Taste Police contingent or other, relax. There are probably Society members out there who share your fondness for same. Sometimes, we'll even 'fess up about them. Let NulloModo serve as your inspiration. ← yeah...but it does lurk in the back of your mind somewhere.....hmmmmmmm....the food I used to call "normal" is now swell compared to what I can cook now.....
  6. AMEN!! You know you are an e-gulleteer when... Your husband can sooth your extreme dental phobia by offering you prime rib. (yep, happened last week....)
  7. the absolute worst had to be these salmon cups that are made by the starkist tuna folks. They are little cups that suppose to hold single servings of salmon (they come in tuna as well) in what is supposed to be a favored sauce. I usually know better than to buy stuff like that but I was suckered in by the idea of something different and new. I picked up the orange salmon and HOLY CRAP! that was the most disgusting thing I ever I tasted. I tossed the whole thing right then and there, I still recoil in disgust when I think about it...
  8. yeah, you are right..just a little overly ambitious....
  9. ohhhhhh...I want to try this...what I cannot figure out is exactly what kind of pot did he bake that in.....I will have to go buy one, thats why I am asking. If I even come close to that it will be worth any price I pay for the pot.... the breads on this thread are beautiful!!!!
  10. I am soooooo excited to do this. I have never made a traditional french dish. I may break down and make bread and all....
  11. I wanna play too!!! I have never made this.....ever....I am excited to try! I will get the ingredients tomorrow (11/10) and make it. Only I don't have a camera, is one required to make a photo of your results?
  12. I just wanted to jump in and say that I have read this whole thread with absolute fasination. Very different experience of Christmas than the one here in the southern half of the U.S. where I am at. I like the Christmas cake concept. (although I have to admit I was surpised that they came from 7-11, here in this part of US 7-11 is for buying gas and maybe a coke and nothing more) But ordering a cake sure beats the heck out of killing yourself making dozens of cookies and pies. (which I do every year) I maybe joining in on the Christmas cake concept here. Thanks for the lovely pictures and posts...
  13. I am so grateful to everyone that has responded. I have followed bits and pieces of everyone's advice all week and I have spend much less money and have eaten and enjoyed my food more. I have found ingredients in my cupboards that could make all kinds of things and could probably go another week before having to go get perishables from the store. I am interested in seeing all the things that extra money can go for. I am definately checking out the indian food section of this forum... I will have to start freezing more things. To be honest I never gave that much of a thought. I figured the veggies would come out soggy and nasty. I will have to read up on it and try it now. kat
  14. Miriam - soups on at my house this weekend.... dock - thanks for that...I always would just go out and buy what I wanted because I never knew what to do with what was in the pantry. Thanks for that! There are no bulk bins in Oklahoma City, inless there is some in a store I have not found. The only ones were at this one health food store that is very limited in selection of stuff. When I lived in Austin, TX. I would shop at the bulk bins all the time and save all kinds of money that way. I do go to the ethic food stores and shop for spices... I will have to look for a muslim butcher in my area, I know there is one as a friend of mine at work was talking about it one day. Thank you everyone!
  15. Oh I agree with you on that one! I do need to educate myself more on food and how to cook, how others do it, etc.
  16. Okay, I snipped some of your post. You mentioned taking canned soup for your own lunch and also about making some for your husband. Why not make a pot of soup for lunches for you both? Much cheaper than canned soup, and much healthier! Do you buy any ingredients that can be found in bulk bins? I am thinking of your oatmeal, for instance. It tends to be much cheaper and you are not paying for packaging. Same for a lot of ingredients though. One thing struck me as I was looking at your dinner menus, and maybe this will give you an idea of what I am talking about. You mentioned ham casserole. Did you buy all the ingredients for that particular dish? Such as a piece of ham, etc? Now mind you, I am not a particularly inventive cook myself, but a few things came to mind. For me, if I thought I might be wanting that sometime during the week, I might buy a ham to start with, say for dinner on Sunday. Then I could plan somethings around the remainder of that ham, such as your ham casserole. Maybe ham sandwiches for lunch one day, or ham salad. Plan on saving the meaty bone from the ham, and make a wonderful bean type soup with the bone and some of the ham-there are more meals there for your lunch, maybe even as a main dish meal later on. I would probably freeze part of the soup and bring it out later on down the road, along with some good cornbread and a tart salad. To not get bored with the ham, I would probably freeze some of it, and then bring it out to add to something else down the road. And what is left of the ham casserole itself, would find it's way into my lunchbox the next day. This is just one example. Like many folks here, I tend to buy things on sale, and use them as needed. So for your chicken, I would have waited til I saw a good sale then stocked up on the chicken I needed. Then sometime down the road, say this week you could pull out what you needed from your stash to fix those chicken dishes. Maybe others will have suggestions how to best plan meals, etc for you. Hope this helps a bit... Christine ← OH...I get it..buy one big thing (like a ham) and figure meals that you could use all week with it...makes sense...thanks! I was buying fresh for each meal. I just never knew how people did that... thanks a bunch!
  17. You're welcome, Ludja. My mother likes to say, "Soy muy sopera!" (I am a soup lover.) So am I. Today's was spinach and mushroom soup on a light bechamel base, with a little rice in it. It was cool weather soup, filling, and followed by warm fish croquettes, then a salad of mixed greens. Simple food, and I am still amazed that my husband rose from the table satisfied, where before he would have needed lots of of chicken, or liver, or beef. He still gets all those foods, I just know to plan on smaller portions now that soup is served first. Miriam ← Do you make a new soup daily?
  18. Good ideas! I like the advice from the newspaper you mentioned. My husband eats lunch out daily and when I brought up the idea of me packing him something he was all for it. Normally we take turns doing the evening cooking, but I am the main cook in the house and could whip up some soups that pack in a thermos. I pack my lunch daily. As I have gotten older I noticed I just can't eat out like I use to. When I calulated it all by the month the eating out is what is killing me. We spend 100 a the grocery store....not a high end grocery store that sells out of season stuff, or what would be considered gourmet, but a store that is actually cheaper than the super Walmart here. On top of the 100 in groceries, is another 100 eating out. I never realized the waste! Christine ~ I will give you this weeks meals - breakfasts- english muffin egg sandwhiches or oatmeal with dried cranberries and almonds or homemade granola w/ soy milk lunch - I take canned soup or some japanese dish I made, popcorn. (the hubby eats out..) dinner - monday - homemade pizza, tuesday - ham cassarole w/ bread, weds - homemade pot stickers, rice, veggie stir fry, thurs - homemade BBQ wings with fries, Friday - chicken yakatori, rice, I probably will put some veggie dish with this...I have also home made bread and pumpkin bars for the week. That is about an average week for me and my hubby...I don't consider this fancy food at all, so the fact my grocery bill is so high is what was killing me! I can see from everyone's response they cook very different. As you can tell from the menu there is nothing on there that is "cook once - eat twice" even the pizza crust came from scratch. The serving sizes huge! Of course I am leaving out beverages, which we don't drink, so it's tea or colas. Beefcheeks - I will have to try that cookbook, can you get it on amazon?
  19. ok..just for giggles I went in a took out my bank statements and totalled where all my food dollar was going.....fast food for the hubby that was a huge one..and the total for the month was over 1000.00 adding in grocery store, eating out, coffees out...all of it...I am floored at this moment. No, leftovers rarely get eaten round here. I don't know how to make main course meals that can be used for two or three meals. I have never done it. It is from scratch every time. I think I am beginning to wrap my brain around what the problem is...we cook and eat HUGE portions...I mean HUGE....the idea of 3-4 oz of meat per person does not happen around here. It is nothing for the two of us to use a whole pound of meat and throw out the left overs, if there is any. Recipes that serve 4 according to the recipe will serve just the two of us. When I looked at the thread that was posted here about feeding dinner guest on 12 bucks I was floored! 12 bucks!! Then it occured to me that people were eating "portion sizes" per person.....a food scale is on the shopping list for sure. There is always leftovers that don't get eaten. I do brown bag my lunch, but its fresh stuff every time usually I get up that morning and fix it, or I take ramen noodles if I don't have time, of course breakfast and snacks get packed as well, oatmeal, powerbars...my hubby does not, he eats out... Dinners are what is lavish for two people every night. 5-10 ingredients. It seems processed food is cheaper here than fresh for some reason. I have gone to farmers markets and stuff for veggies and wind up spending more than if I go to the grocery store. Maybe a list of 10-12 standard meals for during the week and save the fancy stuff for during the weekend? I love indian cuisine...I have cooked some, but I am not very good at it yet..do you know of any good resources? thanks again to everyone! kat
  20. boiled chicken skin, heavy on the salt. When I was younger that was the only way my mother knew how to cook chicken. And to this day I cannot resist boiled chicken skin w/ salt. Spam and mac and cheese was a staple in my house growing up too. I crave it from time to time.
  21. When I saw this thread I thought.....my soul mate!!! I never, ever, ever have my food touching. The very thought of this grosses me out! I am American with American parents and we ate typical American fare at home. My mother would fill my plate and I would be phyically ill at the sight of everything touching. Somethings can be together. Spagetti and meatballs, curry and rice. But to have canned green beans on the same plate at the meat NO WAY! I have to have one of those Mr. Bentos...do you know where to buy one?
  22. Thank you everyone for your wonderful replies....I guess I didn't give enough information. My hubby and I eat out only once a week, at a usually nice resturant (Oklahoma City, where I am at, has mostly chain food resturants, so when I say nice, I don't mean *real* nice...It cost us maybe 40 week to go...) the hubby eats fast food maybe twice a week..I never touch the stuff. I cook from scratch always, with the exception of bread and canned tomatoes, and bought pasta, and frozen veggies you won't find processed food in my house. I cook alot of japanese and chinese food. I guess what I am looking for is everyones basic staples that can make cheap but quality meals. Are the meals you make have simple, few but good ingredients? The thread that was linked to gave me alot of good ideas. At first I thought my hubby and I just simply ate alot, but when I went to the grocery store it seemed the fresh stuff just cost more. I was asking around to my friends and see what they do and they tend to eat alot of processed meals....(ie: hamburger helper...YIKES!) I will suffer than go there...LOL.. Thank you for your ideas and replies, I am very grateful....
  23. I looked at my bank account today and something occured to me, I spend more on food than I do my rent! There are only my husband and myself in the house and my monthly food bill can total way more than 600.00/month! Now for two people in Oklahoma thats a lot! Now normally I would not complain, I figure I would rather spend the money on good quality food than on all the doctor's bills I would get from eating swell for years on end. And eating healthy is more expensive, but worth it in the long run. But every so often I begin to wonder if there could be a different way, a way to eat good quality stuff and do it cheaper than I do now. So my question is this to my fellow foodies, what do you do (if anything) to keep the food bill down? Do you have certain staples that you eat all the time and only cook the fancy stuff every once and a while and that keeps the cost down? Or do you figure who cares about the cost as long as its good and you like it? Thanks! I am very interested in other people's thoughts on this that is just as big of a food lover as I am! kat
  24. I love this show. I watch Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America and I like that show too. I would love sometime to eat some of Gordon Ramsey's food to see if it is all that great, really. I have to wonder. I am rooting for Heather at this point. I would go on the show if I knew how to apply. There's a resturant down in Austin, TX (I don't know if it is still there or not...) a long time ago called GM Steakhouse. The whole point of the place was that everyone in it was rude. And you didn't go in there unless you wanted to be insulted. I think I would be laughing too much at all the rudeness. The person I feel for in the show is Jean Pierre. Poor guy is getting it from the customers in the show. Why do they have to be so rude, they know when they walk into the place what the resturant is and why its there...
  25. I just read this thread laughing the whole way....Man, the stuff they come up with, I think the same thoughts in the grocery store everytime I am there...the other day I actually saw peanut butter that came in a package like the slice cheese singles that go on sandwhiches. You mean to tell me there are people too lazy to spread peanut butter! Its bad enough with the "cheese", but the peanut butter too now!!! Scary!
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