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post-holiday doldrums


debbiemoose

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I have to admit, it's January and I feel cooked out! Parties, gift baking, Christmas, Hannukah (we do both in my house), New Year's. Part of the problem, possibly, is I've also been testing recipes for a cookbook proposal. Whew! And I LIKE cooking. What do any of y'all do when you feel food fatigue? Or maybe you don't. All I have to say about dinner tonight is: thank goodness there's vegetable soup in my freezer. I need to perk up! Maybe a trip to some ethnic markets will do it...And this forum is great, of course...

Deb

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I have to admit, it's January and I feel cooked out! Parties, gift baking, Christmas, Hannukah (we do both in my house), New Year's. Part of the problem, possibly, is I've also been testing recipes for a cookbook proposal. Whew! And I LIKE cooking. What do any of y'all do when you feel food fatigue? Or maybe you don't. All I have to say about dinner tonight is: thank goodness there's vegetable soup in my freezer. I need to perk up! Maybe a trip to some ethnic markets will do it...And this forum is great, of course...

Deb

I go out for Mexican! And bring the leftovers home and eat for the next few days.

:biggrin: Pam

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We'll either eat out or order in for about a week. That usually cures me fairly quickly of not wanting to cook. :biggrin:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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"I go out for Mexican!" - that does include the requisite number of margaritas, right?!

But of course! Although I did go out for Mexican today, and there were no leftovers....either the portions got smaller, or my appetite is bigger. Let's just say I need to start the diet asap.

:) Pam

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I also go out. That's what restaurants are for.

I also keep a backlog of frozen leftovers for nights when I Just Can't Face Cooking Again. Putting a piece of foil-wrapped eggplant lasagna in the oven or nuking a container of chicken soup and opening a bag of salad doesn't really qualify as cooking in my book.

Marcia.

Don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wanted...he lived happily ever after. -- Willy Wonka

eGullet foodblog

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As I perused what was left in my post holiday fridge, I espied a couple of dozen eggs I hadn't used. I guess I kept thinking I needed to buy more eggs for breakfast (kids home during day), baking, whatever. There were numerous other bits and things leftover.

So, this morning, I hard-cooked them.

While wondering what to do with them, I decided deviled eggs.

Further purusing of the fridge revelaled a hunk of smoked salmon (from Russ Kendall's at Knife River, MN, some goat cheese. Some beautiful baby spinach.

So, for dinner tonight, grazing. Deviled eggs. A bageutte, smoked salmon, goat cheese. That baby spinach, with smattering of garlic and EVOO. And that tapanade leftover from New Year's Eve.

The week after the holidays, in our house, are about grazing.

Edited by snowangel (log)
Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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The week after the holidays, in our house, are about grazing.

Grazing - fabulous!

I'm going to check out a newly expanded Asian supermarket here that has a bakery inside - not sure why, but this is bound to be interesting. And helpful in banishing the doldrums.

Deb

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My refrigerators are still stuffed. I spent yesterday making oxtail stew/soup and cooking a tongue. I have a fresh leg of pork in brine (apple juice and cider based brine) which I will cook this evening.

Some is for a birthday celebration - a neighbor's granddaughter is turning 15 and they make it a very big deal, sort of like a debut into society. Lots of family and friends, eating, dancing and etc....

Late last night I cooked up a big batch of lemon curd to make little tarts.

I fill the baked tarts with the lemon curd, then beat some of the curd half and half with whipped cream to which I add a little lemon zest, for a topping which is sort of like a mousse or bisque. In any event, it is very tasty this way.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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oh I have this too... it's so bleh out there. In January Wisconsin isn't exactly a garden spot and so much is out of season. Can't get a good tomato to save your life right now.

I peruse cookbooks, sometimes something will grab my attention. I just ordered Bourdain's Les Halles from Amazon with a gift certificate I received. I also have a few new toys to try out. A 2.6 le creuset gratin with lid is making me want roasted veggies.

I rely heavily on menu planning this time of year. I find if I plan the stuff and buy for it, I'm more likely to make it. And sometimes the act of planning, which involves perusing through old menus, will take me off on a tangent "hey, remember that eggplant dish we did in October, we never did get that quite right... let's try it again"

What's wrong with peanut butter and mustard? What else is a guy supposed to do when we are out of jelly?

-Dad

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