MetsFan5

I find cooking to be super frustrating unless I know I can make something on instinct. That’s no doubt a result of my working in the FOH for a while, getting a non practical BA in Hotel & Restaurant management. I think I really enjoy dining out after years of waiting on people dining out.

I am not confident in the kitchen at all. My husband works late so unless I use my slow cooker, a lot of nights result in hotdogs or take out. It literally makes me insane to waste food. So when recipes turn on me I get really down and won’t cook anything for a while. That said, I am comfortable making lasagna (with homemade sauce), plus a few other random things like beef and broccoli or Swedish meatballs. We do order a lot of take out and knthe summer fire up the BGE. But in general I stick to the tried and true. I’m a crappy housewife— my mom is a good home cook and I just never got into it after I stopped working. I love reading about others meals and reading cookbooks but I am never really comfortable in the kitchen unless I’m making lasagna.

Yes I always tip the housekeeping staff. Moreso when we have our dog with us.

Okay so... sorry to repeat myself but my husband and I are in an extending living hotel. We have a suite with a full kitchen and pots and pans, full sized refrigerator, separate bedroom, etc. due to not having power at home. We had reservations through Tuesday morning with a noon check out. We never thought we would even need that much time away. We were wrong, big time. So on Saturday I was talking with the overnight front desk agent? And asked if there was anyway to extend our stay until Saturday 3/10? Idk my days are messed up. She said she’d take my info and try her best. Her manager barked at both of us that “they don’t take waitlists”. She rolled her eyes and said “ignore her”. Because I am a smoker I went out again to smoke and the night front desk agent saw a cancellation come in as I was going back into the hotel. This saved our asses; we’ve accumulated more things the longer we are here. She looked out for me and I like to look give back in situations like this. I gave her $60 but am kinda feeling maybe that I should have given her $100? She was super appreciative and said I didn’t have to, etc. and yes she was doing her job but she did me a solid and looked out for me, personally. Thoughts?

Stop and Shop, which is where I get my groceries delivered (via Peapod) also offers meal kits. Lately their offering feed 6+ and unless it looking really good, I’m not buying it for a household of two adults. The photo below is the one ‘kit’ I have bought probably about 4 times because we really enjoy it. It was priced (I haven’t purchased in about 6 months or longer) at $12.99 I didn’t learn anything exceptional, although I will say the garlic roasted green beans were really delicious.

I prefer Prosseco too. But when champagne or drier sparking wines are traditionally served, I put a nice pour of Chambord into my champagne and enjoy it that way.

Kool-aid has a negative racial stereotype. So does watermelon. They’re fairly widely recognized, hence the backlash. Also, there is zero excuse for Ardamark to pay for such out of season things on a menu tinged with racism. It’s not so much that I, personally, feel strongly— they literally fed the students stereotypes and as a result, people are losing their jobs. The menu offended a lot of students. And at the cost of college tuition, I don’t think students deserve to be disrespected in the cafeterias. Hell, even if it was free, no one deserves to feeel disrespected.

IMO- as a college student in the early 2000s the meal plan prices were not only insane and obligatory, they had hours that didn’t work for most students. An issue here is serving out of season food. Which brings up the cost. The Kool-Aid is the biggest offender. I find that blatantly racist and beyond unnecessary— all college dining rooms have their own automatic drink systems and no one NEEDS kook aid on top of the obvious soda options. Plus imagine how much they spent on sugar? And watermelon is NOT in season in the tristate area. Hell, serve sweet tea and you’d bet better off. To me, they missed the point. African American cuisine to me, has roots in the Geechee culture, so even grits (easily made in large batches) should have been a no brainer, same with biscuits. That said I think companies like Aramark have NO business attempting to make “holiday” foods for the masses. They would never be able to properly prepare a Chinese New Years feast. I sincerely doubt that anyone at NYU was enlightened about African American cuisine as a result of this messy meal. ETA- I did not read the linked article to completion but the quality of food for death row inmates is probably one of the last things I could care about.

@timotb I think I get where you’re coming from. I’d rather simply not eat than eat something that I’m not in the mood for or that is supposedly “quick” but often becomes a waste of time due to the quality. And I often felt that way while working in Union Square in NYC. So I imagine you have even less options. I have always staunchly ate for enjoyment and not for necessity. But when you’re working long hours and living off coffee, tea or Diet Coke— I can see how a pill form of substance would be useful— and keep me working. The more I worked, the more I made. So I could actually enjoy meals when I had the time for them. I am not a confident cook. I actually don’t enjoy cooking; my mother cooked homemade meals 4-6 times a week but as someone who worked crazy hours all of my career lifespan so far, I’m just not a domestic. That said my husband frequently skips meals at work as well. I remember freaking out when I’d take my 1:55pm, 5 minute lunch break at the Starbucks across the street to grab a venti unsweetened green tea because the line was long. And to the nah sayers, well, I have a BA in Hotel and Restaurant management and have organized state wide wine tasting events and worked at some of the highest ranked restaurants in Northern Nj. When you work hours like that, it doesn’t particularly inspire cooking.

It makes me laugh how we all use different words for the same things. I always called those “drainers” dish or drying racks. I only pull one out when I am doing a lot of hand washing. Otherwise I keep a kitchen towel to place them on, and once they dry, I toss the towel in the laundry. “Drainers” to me (and I very well could have made this up in my mind as I have a tendacy to misuse works to suit me) are those catch alls in the sink that fill up with junk that makes me gag.

@Kim Shook how did you store it? It looks delicious and a good starting point. Did you reheat it? Just slice and eat? Thanks!

I... don’t even really have words for this, so I’ll let the article speak for itself: https://nyulocal.com/nyu-officials-address-aramark-firing-black-history-month-meal-during-gcomms-meeting-aeb918d2424f

@btbyrd I’m thinking the petite ham to start with because it is precooked. So I wonder how to best store it. I will look into the raw ham as well, my husband lived in Spain for 9 years and would love it if I ordered some. Thanks!

I’m interested in trying an Edwards ham. Because it’s just my husband an I, I have been looking at this one: https://www.edwardsvaham.com/product/petite-country-ham/country-hams Does anyone have any recent experience with their products? Would this be a good one to “try out” first? I’m also curious if it should be refrigerated. Thanks!

Those mushrooms look heavenly. Do you really have dinner so late or just post later?

I loved collecting fridge magnets from various places for about a decade. My stainless steel fridge isn’t magnetic and the sides of said fridge are surrounded by built in cabinet sides. I guess unearthing my collection may motivate me to start using the stand up deep freezer that came with the house!

I’m also a lapsed Catholic. I don’t eat meat on Fridays. Which is oddly difficult as I don’t eat meat often, but when you abstain from something, it’s always in your mind. My husband who isn’t Catholic does eat meat and sometimes I get jealous/ irritated. I haven’t given anything up yet. I couldn’t come up with anything I could do and not fail. My parents both eat meat on Fridays and they both grew up in very strict Catholic homes— one side is Irish, the other Italian. I kind of like doing it as it reminds me of my grandparents. That said I often find myself fasting most of the day then in exhaustion reaching for the “oriental” top ramen or making pasta or eating pizza.

Looks delicious. I can and have eaten capers by the teaspoonful. Hope you were safe in this weather.

Theres one in Union Square

Going out. Yea I know. I worked in restaurants for decades. But it’s Ash Wednesday and pizza isn’t appealing. So we’re going to a small Italian restaurant.

My husband will be away for a bit in a few weeks so I wonder if I will eat earlier. I have a feeling I will mostly graze. I can’t eat what most think is a full meal more often than I can. I am a lazy grazer too. A couple marinated mushrooms there, maybe a slice of cheese. Two sips of low fat chocolate milk if I need something sweet. And English muffin half toasted with butter and sprinkled with sea salt. No doubt it isn’t the healthiest. I was an incredibly difficult eater as a child and as an adult I am not but I really won’t eat just to eat. It has to be something that appeals to me.

In the NYC area I’ve seen actual tv commercials for Spam, on a regular basis. I’ve never seen a Spam commercial that I can recall and I’ve never eaten it. I’m not totally opposed, as Taylor Ham is probably a cousin of Spam’s and I do love a good Taylor ham, egg and cheese with salt, pepper and ketchup on a Kaiser roll. I’m a bit curious as to how or even if there is a way to make Spam palatable. Maybe pan fried? I’ll be on my own for a bit in a week and may just try it out.

I will try to take pictures so I can write up a report of my trip. I’m staying in what I gather is an area called Cannonborough. It’s north of the French Quarter but our rental apartment has a trolley stop nearby.

Thanks ya’ll. (I so cannot pull of saying that especially since when I drink I do have an odd northeastern accent ). Since we’re going over St. Patrick’s Day weekend (my bday is 3/17) I figured a good steakhouse dinner to soak the inevitable drinks (which in my instance is mostly wine) was a good idea for an early dinner that night. I have a lunch reservation for Monday 3/19 at Husk. Crowds can irritate me and their lunch menu seemed just as good. I’m thinking of Hominy Grill for Friday. Or SNOB. Or Magnolia Grill. My eyes are a lot bigger than my stomach!

@liuzhou that schedule appeals to me. I get hungry again later because I am a night owl but I tend to have a cup of broth or something simple. I think a lot of when people eat is due to where they live/ the types of industries they work in and if they have children and the ages of the children when applicable.