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Location: Nothing could be finer... I'm in S. Carolina!!
1,294 posts, read 6,490,445 times
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Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I have a lot to learn with cooking. I am a big fan of allrecipes.com and have had good and not so good luck on there. It feels like with a lot of the recipes on foodnetwork there are a LOT of ingredients. I also have a ton of cookbooks. The biggest thing I should have mentioned is my husband doesn't eat hardly anything. Nothing green, hardly any vegetables - so while I could eat salad and fruit and veggies only - I have to constantly think of how to recreate chicken, pork, and chicken and pork so that it's different. We eat out all the time b/c of my sad cooking skills and our love of eating. We love to eat and I hate to cook....is that weird? haha. I actually don't mind cooking and if I make good things, I enjoy it. But I feel like I wasted time if it doesn't turn out great. Sigh - I'll just have to keep practicing and everyone keep my husband in mind...haha!
I never follow recipes. My cooking is to blue print a recipe as a guideline and for ideas on what goes good together. Meaning what spices add to what dishes.
Your husband eats pretty much like I do. I hate veggies and eat them rarely and only then because I know they are nutritional. You need simple "man food" recipes, because let's face it, eating out gets expensive and old.
Some good "man-food 101" recipes like throw chicken and rice into the oven/stove top (with just the right seasoning) and forget it. He will will love it and you. The basic burger gets dash of soy sauce, worcestire sauce, and chopped onions before you make the patties.
Roasts are a man's best friend and easy for you. And remember, hot sauce is the great equalizer and a man's second best friend.
Toss the cookbooks into a pile and add lighter fluid to them. They are too controlling unless you can find a really old cookbook. My old favorite cookbook is an antique book called, "It Seems Like I Done it This-a-way." It has a picture of an old granny on the cover and the recipes are from way back when.
P.S. Get a bread making machine. They make your house smell good and they beat the heck out of any store bought bread.
Location: Nothing could be finer... I'm in S. Carolina!!
1,294 posts, read 6,490,445 times
Reputation: 421
Thanks redbird! I am kind of tired of chicken and rice...haha. But I did make a pork roast the other day in my trusty crock pot and it was wonderful. But I can only cook in the crock pot! I don't like burgers, but that's a good idea. I should get some hamburger meat for him and he can make me hotdogs.
That's a funny name for a cookbook!
I have to laugh at this because you sound just like my mom.... When my son was born I would do nothing but sit and watch the cooking network since I had to nurse every 2 hours or so. Before doing so I had no idea how to cook. I think it gave me confidence. I think your on the right track. Not everything your going to cook is going to be your favorite. It is all a process of elimination. Keep trying. Variety is important so try watching the food network. I just made this last night....
I bought a pork tenderloin and cut it into thick chops clearing all fat.
I made a breading from saltine crackers, 1 tbl spoon flavor glow or season salt, onion salt, garlic salt and some salt and pepper. a dash of basil.
Dip in egg then breading mix. Place in hot pan 2 tbl olive oil. Just brown each side then put in bakeing dish. bake at 350 for 45 min. Add a little pork gravey and yummy! I had sauted cabbage onion and butter as one side and boiled red potatoe with butter sour cream and chives. My husband just ate the leftovers for dinner tonight and I swear he is not getting thinner ha ha ha. hope you try this..... Good luck and best wishes stay positive and don't give up!
I have to laugh at this because you sound just like my mom.... When my son was born I would do nothing but sit and watch the cooking network since I had to nurse every 2 hours or so. Before doing so I had no idea how to cook. I think it gave me confidence. I think your on the right track. Not everything your going to cook is going to be your favorite. It is all a process of elimination. Keep trying. Variety is important so try watching the food network. I just made this last night....
I bought a pork tenderloin and cut it into thick chops clearing all fat.
I made a breading from saltine crackers, 1 tbl spoon flavor glow or season salt, onion salt, garlic salt and some salt and pepper. a dash of basil.
Dip in egg then breading mix. Place in hot pan 2 tbl olive oil. Just brown each side then put in bakeing dish. bake at 350 for 45 min. Add a little pork gravey and yummy! I had sauted cabbage onion and butter as one side and boiled red potatoe with butter sour cream and chives. My husband just ate the leftovers for dinner tonight and I swear he is not getting thinner ha ha ha. hope you try this..... Good luck and best wishes stay positive and don't give up!
It would sure be great if you could share this recipe on the "What's For Dinner" thread. We're always looking for some great ideas!!
I've been cooking for 40 years+ and believe me there have some "garbage can" meals. We all have our days-I notice if I'm particularly tired what I make shows it.
Location: Nothing could be finer... I'm in S. Carolina!!
1,294 posts, read 6,490,445 times
Reputation: 421
Thanks for that recipe amber! That sounds great. I may have to make that. And as far as foodnetwork - I do love it, but I think it does the opposite for me - it makes me less confident! I love Ina and all her meals look so good and easy. I need to try some of hers, but she always has fresh this and fresh that and if I buy some of that stuff - I might as well go out to eat b/c some of it is so expensive or you have to buy a lot of it...you know? Especially fresh herbs - Harris Teeter sells them in the bunches and I don't think I'd ever use it all before it went bad. My downfall is that HGTV is my favorite... I always end up changing it b/c I get too hungry watching foodnetwork!!
Lacey - garbage can meals are slowly becoming less frequent...but very slowly!
Thanks again everyone - you all are great support! I won't give up.
When Amber said she had to laugh, you sounded just like her mom---well, that's because "I" am her mom. You do sound a lot like me. We have to stick together with all these wonderful cooks and hopefully some of it will wear off on us!! I agree about buying all the fresh stuff--I use a tiny bit and the rest ends up garbage. Also, buying so many items to make one dish seems like a lot of $$. I guess the items that aren't fresh and are not perishable would eventually get used in other recipes.
Location: Nothing could be finer... I'm in S. Carolina!!
1,294 posts, read 6,490,445 times
Reputation: 421
Aw that is so funny. I will definitely stick around this forum and try out some recipes on the recipe list.
Yeah, I always think by cooking in, I should save money but somtimes by the time you buy all the ingredients, it seems like the same price - I'd rather go out! (:
might as well go out to eat b/c some of it is so expensive or you have to buy a lot of it...you know? Especially fresh herbs - Harris Teeter sells them in the bunches and I don't think I'd ever use it all before it went bad. My downfall is that HGTV is my favorite... I always end up changing it b/c I get too hungry watching foodnetwork!!
Once you start consistently cooking this way, you will find that you save a great deal of money compared to going out to eat. Don't get me wrong, I like to go out to eat too, but the $$ is not even close.
One thing I do most weeks is look at the grocery ads. Once I know that chuck roast is on sale, for example, I have several favorite recipes to make with it. I just don't make them when chuck is at full price.
As for the herbs, I have been growing my own for a few years now and LOVE it! I don't even have a green thumb, I have very little success with flowers or anything else but herbs practically grow themselves.
However, you can get more time out of some of those herbs from the market if you store them properly. Many herbs like to be wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel, then put in a zip lock bag and stored in the crisper drawer.
Some "stemmy" herbs, ESPECIALLY basil will become your best friend if you keep them on the kitchen counter in a small vase or cup of water. Treat them as you would roses - no leaves should be under water, and you should trim the stem on the diagonal and change the water every couple of days.
I often cut more basil than I need in summer and can keep it alive and well on the counter for several days via this method.
The other bonus is that little vase of basil smells wonderful! I use a waterford crystal mismatched candle holder that I found at TJ Maxx for $6.
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Worst cooks anonymous meeting? count me in!
I had sauted cabbage onion and butter as one side and boiled red potatoe with butter sour cream and chives. My husband just ate the leftovers for dinner tonight and I swear he is not getting thinner ha ha ha. hope you try this..... Good luck and best wishes stay positive and don't give up!
but herbs practically grow themselves. 
