> wrote in message
...
> OK, I will confess. I am an older bachelor, and a lousy cook. But
> there is at least partially a good reason I am a lousy cook. The
> reason is that I never have the right ingredients. For example, I
> bought a box of that Zatarins (sp?) rice mix. I get home and find
> that it needs to be mixed with a can of diced tomatoes. I dont have
> any canned tomatoes..... I live in a rural area, and the nearest
> grocery store is 6 miles away, so I am not driving all the way to town
> just to get a can of tomatoes. Heck, by the time I burn up all that
> gas, if I get to town, I'll eat at a fast food restaurant and probably
> save money, not to mention eating better tasting food.

6 miles is a long way? But, nevermind. When you pick up the box, read the
directions. They will tell you exactly what you need to make it. Then ask
yourself if you have everything need at home. Then grab what you need since
you are already at the store.

> My question is this: How does anyone know how to have the right
> ingredients at home, or do all the good cooks go to the store at least
> 3 times a day? I guess the other option would be to buy a few cans,
> jars, and boxes of every product sold in a grocery store, but I cant
> afford that, and half the stuff would spoil, not to mention where to
> keep it all. I opened another box of something awhile back that said
> "just add one cup of chicken". OK, I sat there thinking about how I
> was going to load my rifle, and go find me a chicken, chop off one
> cups worth and proceed to finally cook my meal a week later..... yeah,
> right !!!!

Well, I'm a married man with a kids. We keep all kinds of staples on hand
all the time. I figure we can whip up 3 days worth of meals with what we
keep on hand. Figure out what you eat most and keep the necessary
ingredients on-hand at home. You also need to learn how to use left-overs.
Cook a whole chicken for a meal. Save the left-overs. That's where your
cup of chicken will come from.

> So, what do you people really do? Do you actually read these entire
> boxes while you are in the grocery store, and make lists and fill out
> plans and menus for the week, etc etc??? This may be fine for a
> housewife that has nothing more to do, but I am just not all that
> serious, nor interested in cooking. When I buy a box of something
> that is meant to be made into a meal, I expect EVERYTHING to be in
> that box, except the water and maybe some oil or milk. (I always have
> oil and keep powdered milk for those occasions). Unfortunately it
> dont work that way. If I need a cup of chicken, what am I supposed to
> do with the rest of that chicken.......???? There's got to be a
> better way to deal with food, so it dont become a full time job, which
> I do not have time for. In all honesty, if it were not for health
> concerns, and times of bad weather where the roads are too bad to go
> to town, I would just eat fast food daily. It always tastes better
> than what I make, and by the time I figure all the wasted food, dish
> washing detergents, fuel to cook, and everything else, it's much
> cheaper to eat out, and that dont include my time either.

Well, I can't speak for everybody but I do read the nutritional box,
ingredient box, and the "how to cook" box. Once you get used to cooking
with good ingredients, you'll find the taste of fast-food will start to
taste like shit.

As far as turning it into full time job, try watching Rachel Rayes' "30
minute meals" on the food tv network. You'll probably learn a lot.

> By the way, I made that rice stuff without the canned tomatoes, but i
> dumped in a can of tomato soup instead. It was ok, and got rid of a
> can of tomato soup that has been sitting around for ages, because I
> can not eat tomato soup by itself. That stuff is just plain nasty.
>
> Rob

If you can't eat it by itself, why'd you buy it? Buy canned items that you
would eat by itself. There are a lot of "Cream of" soups out there that
lend themselves as ingredients in a recipe.

But, YMMV.
Bret



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

On 28-Feb-2005, wrote:

> My question is this: How does anyone know how to have the right
> ingredients at home, or do all the good cooks go to the store at least
> 3 times a day? I guess the other option would be to buy a few cans,
> jars, and boxes of every product sold in a grocery store, but I cant
> afford that, and half the stuff would spoil, not to mention where to
> keep it all. I opened another box of something awhile back that said
> "just add one cup of chicken". OK, I sat there thinking about how I
> was going to load my rifle, and go find me a chicken, chop off one
> cups worth and proceed to finally cook my meal a week later..... yeah,

I am also older and divorced for 10 years. I have a pantry stocked with a
few cans of commonly needed ingredient; like, diced tomatoes, canned beans,
jars of pasta sauce, etc. Oh, and canned chicken breast, ham and little
shrimp. I read labels; why are you putting things in your cart without
checking what else you need. Most of the boxed dinners have directions on
the back or side telling you what you need to make it; before you put it in
your cart, make sure you have what you need or add it to your grocery list.

Grocery list - that is the next thing you need. Before you go to the store,
think about what you have on hand, what you will be wanting to fix and make
a list of the things you need.


x-- 100 Proof News - http://www.100ProofNews.com
x-- 3,500+ Binary NewsGroups, and over 90,000 other groups
x-- Access to over 1 Terabyte per Day - $8.95/Month
x-- UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD

L, not -L wrote:
> On 28-Feb-2005, wrote:
>
> > My question is this: How does anyone know how to have the right
> > ingredients at home, or do all the good cooks go to the store at
least
> > 3 times a day? I guess the other option would be to buy a few
cans,
> > jars, and boxes of every product sold in a grocery store, but I
cant
> > afford that, and half the stuff would spoil, not to mention where
to
> > keep it all. I opened another box of something awhile back that
said
> > "just add one cup of chicken". OK, I sat there thinking about how
I
> > was going to load my rifle, and go find me a chicken, chop off one
> > cups worth and proceed to finally cook my meal a week later.....
yeah,
>
> I am also older and divorced for 10 years. I have a pantry stocked
with a
> few cans of commonly needed ingredient; like, diced tomatoes, canned
beans,
> jars of pasta sauce, etc. Oh, and canned chicken breast, ham and
little
> shrimp. I read labels; why are you putting things in your cart
without
> checking what else you need. Most of the boxed dinners have
directions on
> the back or side telling you what you need to make it; before you put
it in
> your cart, make sure you have what you need or add it to your grocery
list.
>
> Grocery list - that is the next thing you need. Before you go to the
store,
> think about what you have on hand, what you will be wanting to fix
and make
> a list of the things you need.

Wasting your time... this guy only needs to remember the beer... and
fortunately... 'cause likely that's the most he can remember.

wrote:
> OK, I will confess. I am an older bachelor, and a lousy cook. But
> there is at least partially a good reason I am a lousy cook. The
> reason is that I never have the right ingredients. For example, I
> bought a box of that Zatarins (sp?) rice mix. I get home and find
> that it needs to be mixed with a can of diced tomatoes. I dont have
> any canned tomatoes..... I live in a rural area, and the nearest
> grocery store is 6 miles away, so I am not driving all the way to town
> just to get a can of tomatoes. Heck, by the time I burn up all that
> gas, if I get to town, I'll eat at a fast food restaurant and probably
> save money, not to mention eating better tasting food.
>
> Rob
>

People who cook from scratch tend to have all kinds of stuff laying
around from their craft, and a true cook knows how to gracefully get rid
of it in an improvised meal or two. Fundamentally, learning to cook
will just generally get you in the habit of maintaining a small horde
that will bail you out of an amazing amount of situations.

I can't say I'm a true cook, but I do have a little treasure trove worth
of stuff stored here. It's all kinds of crap we don't have immediate
plans for, but the need will come out of nowhere. I try to read the
directions when I can, although I tend to get most of the stuff down
after having it awhile. For example, just about every cheesy variety of
Lipton noodles needs butter and milk. Hamburger helper will likely need
milk and/or cooking oil. Cake and brownie mixes need eggs and cooking
oil in some form or another.

Given you're by yourself, you'll want to get a bunch of canned
stuff--things that don't have to go into the fridge. The things that
have to go into the fridge should be in small amounts, and can be stored
in a cupboard until opened. It won't perish then.

If you're going to need tomatoes, and you might as well learn how to do
everything you need from a base. Like pasta sauce, and all. You can
probably just get whole tomatoes in a can and transform them as needed
for whatever you're making. It's somewhat messy, but they can be diced,
or mashed down and slowly boiled into a sauce. This way, you're only
storing canned, whole tomatoes instead of spaghetti sauce, diced
tomatoes, tomatoes w/ chiles, whatever.

If you liked that rice mix, you should probably just figure out how to
do it yourself from scratch. That way you'll have plain rice laying
around, along with beans or whatever goes into it. You have all the
stuff to make that kind of rice if you want, but you also have it for
whatever else you need.

If you need a starter chest, consider:
2 cans of green beens
2 cans of sweet corn
2 cans of cremed corn
2 cans of sliced carrots
8 cans of whole tomatoes -- bachelor's love pasta sauce! Learn to play
with tomatoes.
2 boxes of pasta. Pick and play.
1 can of shredded parmesan. You can make alfredo sauce from that, but
don't tell the purists!
1 pound of ground beef, in freezer wrap and stuck in the freezer.
1 pound of chicken breast, in freezer wrap and stuck in the freezer.
granulated salt
black pepper, in one of those metal boxes you can shake or pour from
4 cooking onions, kept dry. They'll keep awhile.
one box of dehydrated milk. You see, one day you'll get an box of
instant crap and realize you're out of milk. This stuff is kind of
nasty, but you're mixing it in with all kinds of other stuff. Just
don't try a glass of it.
1 can evaporated milk (NOT CONDENSED MILK). If you ever need creme,
just mix equal parts of this with your milk.
a pound of multi purpose flour
a small box of corn starch. Will last forever
one can of baking powder
two boxes of baking soda. One is opened and stuffed in the fridge.
one pound of white, granulated sugar
Unopened bottle of ketchup

In the fridge, every week:
Half gallon of milk (for most people)
Half a dozen eggs, pasteurized. It will be marked on the container.
You can be a slob with pasteurized eggs and not get salmonella.

You don't need spices with instant mixes, but there are generally a few
things to keep, and that will vary on preference. If I was recommending
some thins above black papper:
Cayenne pepper -- to burn your butt
Garlic powder -- Learn to play with real garlic or get garlic paste if
you really like garlic though
Italian seasoning -- Makes $3 frozen pizza taste better, and goes well
in pasta

I'm running out of steam here, and I'm sure somebody else can help you
out. Anyhow, that seems like a lot of stuff, but you will be holding on
to it for awhile. That's possibly a month's worth of backup stuff.
Some will be used every day, like the salt, but everything else is a backup.

Yeap, I forgot cooking oil. Canola oil should be fine, although not
best for deep frying. Get olive oil (lightest color you see) if you
want something tasty (but don't fry), or peanut oil if you want to fry.

On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 18:40:22 -0800, wrote
(in article >):

> My question is this: How does anyone know how to have the right ingredients
> at home, or do all the good cooks go to the store at least 3 times a day?

What we do:

1) Make some of our standard favorites most nights of the week -- we
know what's in them, so we keep that stuff stocked. Example: We love
spaghetti, so we always have the pasta in the cupboard and some sauce
either in the freezer or the cupboard. We use TVP for the protein
source for the spaghetti, and that's something we always keep on
hand.

2) Plan ahead when we try something new. If I'm making a new
recipe, I read the recipe as I prepare my shopping list. Sometimes
it's not an ingredient I lack, but a pan or utensil that I can buy or
borrow (or skip the recipe if I don't have the necessary stuff at
hand).

3) Read the labels of prepared mixes to see what's required to make
them (though we don't use many prepared foods).

serene

On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 19:40:44 -0800, Damsel in dis Dress wrote
(in article >):

> My only problem with these dinners is that I have to eat 2 of them to fill
> up. It's a good idea to supplement one dinner with a large salad (pre-made
> in bags in the produce section).

I couldn't afford to feed us two tv dinners each. It's about $4
apiece, right? For the three of us, that's 24 dollars, before
counting the salad or other sides -- I can make a feast with that, or
feed us for four days.

serene

serene >, if that's their real name, wrote:

>On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 19:40:44 -0800, Damsel in dis Dress wrote
>(in article >):
>
>> My only problem with these dinners is that I have to eat 2 of them to fill
>> up. It's a good idea to supplement one dinner with a large salad (pre-made
>> in bags in the produce section).
>
>I couldn't afford to feed us two tv dinners each. It's about $4
>apiece, right? For the three of us, that's 24 dollars, before
>counting the salad or other sides -- I can make a feast with that, or
>feed us for four days.

That's not my recommendation for everyone, but the OP isn't interested in
cooking at all. TV dinners are fast, convenient, and some are actually
pretty good. We stock up when they're on sale. You're right. The prices
are outlandish!

Carol
--
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

*James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_

On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 23:12:57 -0800, Damsel in dis Dress wrote
(in article >):

> That's not my recommendation for everyone, but the OP isn't interested in
> cooking at all.

Yeah, I was just reacting. (Actually, I think he is interested in
cooking, but is frustrated by not having the ingredients he needs on
hand.)

serene

In article et>,
serene > wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 23:12:57 -0800, Damsel in dis Dress wrote
> (in article >):
>
> > That's not my recommendation for everyone, but the OP isn't interested in
> > cooking at all.
>
> Yeah, I was just reacting. (Actually, I think he is interested in
> cooking, but is frustrated by not having the ingredients he needs on
> hand.)
>
> serene
>

And frustrated because he really does not know what he is doing, but
seems to want to learn the quick and easy stuff. :-) And that's ok!

He needs to try watching some cooking shows.......

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

wrote:
> OK, I will confess. I am an older bachelor, and a lousy cook. But
> there is at least partially a good reason I am a lousy cook. The
> reason is that I never have the right ingredients.

No, it's that you don't know what you're doing.

> My question is this: How does anyone know how to have the right
> ingredients at home, [snips]

First, know what you want to eat. Then figure out what you need to
make it. Then see what you have already, and go get the rest. Until
you learn something about cooking you shouldn't just wander around the
store buying whatever strikes your fancy.

> So, what do you people really do?

See above.

> Do you actually read these entire
> boxes while you are in the grocery store,

Maybe the first time. Shouldn't need to after that.

> and make lists and fill out
> plans and menus for the week, etc etc?

Not necessary to be obsessive about it, but yeah, see above.

> [snips]There's got to be a better way
> to deal with food, so it dont become a full time job, which
> I do not have time for.

Why not start small? Pick two days a week when you're going to cook
yourself a real meal. Decide what you want to eat, shop once for what
you need for those two meals. It might turn out that it's not as much
work as you think and the results might be better than you anticipate.

> [snips] ...I would just eat fast food daily. It always tastes better
> than what I make, and by the time I figure all the wasted food, dish
> washing detergents, fuel to cook, and everything else, it's much
> cheaper to eat out, [snip]

Trust me, you don't need to learn very much at all to make both of
those statements untrue for the rest of your life. In fact, why not
pick one of your common fast food meals and make that the thing you
learn to cook? And then do it again. Pretty soon, you're cooking.

Finally, though this is probably where we should have started, go to
your local thrift shop spend a couple of bucks for a copy of "The Joy
of Cooking."

-aem

On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 23:03:21 -0800, serene > wrote:

>On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 19:40:44 -0800, Damsel in dis Dress wrote
>(in article >):
>
>> My only problem with these dinners is that I have to eat 2 of them to fill
>> up. It's a good idea to supplement one dinner with a large salad (pre-made
>> in bags in the produce section).
>
>I couldn't afford to feed us two tv dinners each. It's about $4
>apiece, right? For the three of us, that's 24 dollars, before
>counting the salad or other sides -- I can make a feast with that, or
>feed us for four days.

There are banquet TV dinners that are a buck a piece at my grocery store,
all the time. They're not very good, but they are relatively filling. You
can even get some Stouffers flavours (which are better quality) for just
under two bucks each. And the no-brands are dead cheap. So it's possible.

--
Siobhan Perricone
"I ain't afraid of your Yahweh
I ain't afraid of your Allah
I ain't afraid of your Jesus
I'm afraid of what ya do in the name of your god"
- Holly Near

On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 20:40:22 -0600, wrote:

>This may be fine for a
>housewife that has nothing more to do

This line (and the overall tone) totally set off my troll alarm.

--
Siobhan Perricone
"I ain't afraid of your Yahweh
I ain't afraid of your Allah
I ain't afraid of your Jesus
I'm afraid of what ya do in the name of your god"
- Holly Near

On Mon, 28 Feb 2005, Maverick wrote:

> > wrote in message
> ...
>> OK, I will confess. I am an older bachelor, and a lousy cook. But
>> there is at least partially a good reason I am a lousy cook. The
>> reason is that I never have the right ingredients. For example, I
>> bought a box of that Zatarins (sp?) rice mix. I get home and find
>> that it needs to be mixed with a can of diced tomatoes. I dont have
>> any canned tomatoes..... I live in a rural area, and the nearest
>> grocery store is 6 miles away, so I am not driving all the way to town
>> just to get a can of tomatoes. Heck, by the time I burn up all that
>> gas, if I get to town, I'll eat at a fast food restaurant and probably
>> save money, not to mention eating better tasting food.
>
> 6 miles is a long way?

somehow i don't think he's as rural as he thinks he is. to me, it sounds
like he lives just outside of Uniontown (American reference, because it's
where i'm from ;-) )

> Well, I'm a married man with a kids. We keep all kinds of staples on hand
> all the time. I figure we can whip up 3 days worth of meals with what we
> keep on hand.

from the stuff I keep on hand, we could eat healthily for about.... three
months. how do you manage to keep so little on hand?

> Well, I can't speak for everybody but I do read the nutritional box,
> ingredient box, and the "how to cook" box. Once you get used to cooking
> with good ingredients, you'll find the taste of fast-food will start to
> taste like shit.

the ingredient box is mostly only useful on stuff like sauces (if you're
an "i don't like sugary sauces" person, you'll be staying away from
teriyaki, etc.)

lena

On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 05:19:00 -0800, Siobhan Perricone wrote
(in article >):

> There are banquet TV dinners that are a buck a piece at my grocery store,
> all the time. They're not very good, but they are relatively filling. You
> can even get some Stouffers flavours (which are better quality) for just
> under two bucks each. And the no-brands are dead cheap. So it's possible.

Yeah, I was reacting to the thought of serving my family Boston
Market meatloaf. Not gonna happen. :-)

serene

In article >,
wrote:

> OK, I will confess. I am an older bachelor, and a lousy cook. But
> there is at least partially a good reason I am a lousy cook.

She finally threw you out? "-)

> The reason is that I never have the right ingredients.

Then you need to pay better attention to what you're about.

> For example, I bought a box of that Zatarins (sp?) rice mix. I get
> home and find that it needs to be mixed with a can of diced tomatoes.
> My question is this: How does anyone know how to have the right
> ingredients at home,

If you're going to "cook" from prepared mixes, you need to check the
back (or side) of the box for the instructions. Read them twice to see
if preparation requires anything not in the box. Then maybe check the
box again while you're standing in the checkout line.

I'm looking at a box of Zatarain's Gumbo Mix with Rice and Step 1 of the
instructions say to combine water, meat, and the mix. Meat? What meat?
Well, above the numbered steps is the note (Part of the directions, but
not one of the numbered how-to-do-it steps) that "gumbo can be prepared
with your choice of 1 pound of chicken (pre-cooked), smoked sausage or
seafood cut into bite-size pieces. So pay attention to your box before
you get to the checkout line. Take the time then so you're not cussing
when you get to the stove at home. It's not rocket science.

>or do all the good cooks go to the store at least 3 times a day?

I'd die first. If money's tight I can stay out of the grocery store for
two weeks.

> I opened another box of something awhile back that said "just add one
> cup of chicken".

See above about paying attention.

> So, what do you people really do? Do you actually read these entire
> boxes while you are in the grocery store,

Well, yeah. If I'm doing something from a mix, I *do* make sure I've
got what it takes--otherwise I'm cussing at the stove.

<> and make lists and fill out plans and menus for the week, etc etc???

I don't do written menus. I'm not a particularly adventurous cooker
and I'll bet that 80% of our meals are one of 10-12 that I make
frequently. And I've got a pretty good idea of what I have available
for "supplies." I've been cooking long enough to know that if I cook a
pot roast (they were on sale here last week), I'll have leftover meat
and will need to do something with it. My husband loves roast beef
hash, so when I cook the roast, I make sure I have plenty of carrots and
spuds in it so there'll be some of those to include in the hash. I do
make a shopping list but it's mostly to replenish staples -- the basic
tools of my trade. I use a fair amount of canned tomato products --
usually as sauce or diced tomatoes -- so I want to be sure they're
available from my pantry.

> This may be fine for a housewife that has nothing more to do,

Careful there, Rob. Most housewives have more to do than cook for you.

> but I am just not all that serious, nor interested in cooking. When
> I buy a box of something that is meant to be made into a meal, I
> expect EVERYTHING to be in that box, except the water and maybe some
> oil or milk.

"Welcome to the NFL, Kid." Either lower your expectations to realize
that there will be something else required (most common and almost
always); or start *looking for* the packages that DO contain everything.
I think I've seen some frozen bagged stuff that might fit your criteria,
complete with the meat parts included. Maybe Green Giant brand. It'll
take you another 5-10 minutes in the store, but you won't be cussing at
the stove.

> (I always have oil and keep powdered milk for those occasions).
> Unfortunately it dont work that way. If I need a cup of chicken,
> what am I supposed to do with the rest of that chicken.......????

Eat it?
You can buy canned chicken meat in a 6- or 8-ounce can, I think. That's
a cup. Are deli-rotisserie-roasted chickens available in your local
market? I can get one here for $5. I just saw (maybe a month or two
back) a Betty Crocker paperback-at-the-checkout cookbook that uses those
as the chicken source in the recipes. In my house, (husband and me),
we'll use about half of one of those for the first meal. The rest of it
will appear a couple nights later if it hasn't been nibbled away or used
for a sandwich or salad in the meantime.

> There's got to be a better way to deal with food, so it dont become a
> full time job, which I do not have time for. In all honesty, if it
> were not for health concerns,

Not wanting to burst your bubble or anything, but eating from those
boxed mixes isn't all that good for a person, either. They're very
often heavy on sodium fat.

> and times of bad weather where the roads are too bad to go to town,

Where are you located, Rob? Just curious.

> I would just eat fast food daily. It always tastes better than what
> I make, and by the time I figure all the wasted food, dish washing
> detergents, fuel to cook, and everything else, it's much cheaper to
> eat out, and that dont include my time either.

You pays your money, you makes your choice. :-) I'd rather eat
home-cooked food than most fast food. Then again, if I really hated to
cook, I'd do whatever I could to not do it.

> By the way, I made that rice stuff without the canned tomatoes, but i
> dumped in a can of tomato soup instead. It was ok, and got rid of a
> can of tomato soup that has been sitting around for ages, because I
> can not eat tomato soup by itself. That stuff is just plain nasty.

Do you like Sloppy Joes? Here's another way to use that can of tomato
soup.

Sloppy Joes (making this up as I go along)
1# lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (or 2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes)
1 tbsp cooking oil (optional)
1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed tomato soup
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. black pepper (ground black pepper)
1/4 cup ketchup (four tablespoons)

Brown the meat and onion in a skillet, over medium-high heat, in the oil
(or just do it in a dry skillet) for about 5 minutes breaking it up so
it's crumbly. Stir in the remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer over
low heat for about 10 minutes.

Serve on toasted hamburger buns. Or untoasted burger buns.

> Rob

Good luck.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

On 1-Mar-2005, Siobhan Perricone > wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 20:40:22 -0600, wrote:
>
> >This may be fine for a
> >housewife that has nothing more to do
>
> This line (and the overall tone) totally set off my troll alarm.

and, probably the reason he is an "older bachelor"


x-- 100 Proof News - http://www.100ProofNews.com
x-- 3,500+ Binary NewsGroups, and over 90,000 other groups
x-- Access to over 1 Terabyte per Day - $8.95/Month
x-- UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD

wrote:

> OK, I will confess. I am an older bachelor, and a lousy cook. But
> there is at least partially a good reason I am a lousy cook. The
> reason is that I never have the right ingredients. For example, I
> bought a box of that Zatarins (sp?) rice mix. I get home and find
> that it needs to be mixed with a can of diced tomatoes. I dont have
> any canned tomatoes.....

Glance at the back of the box before you put it in the cart. It will
take mere seconds and improve your cooking.

I live in a rural area, and the nearest
> grocery store is 6 miles away, so I am not driving all the way to town
> just to get a can of tomatoes.

Six miles to the store is rural? Inconvienient I can see but
rural...nah. The lake house is a hour from a real grocery store and
many people don't think of that as rural.


Heck, by the time I burn up all that
> gas, if I get to town, I'll eat at a fast food restaurant and probably
> save money, not to mention eating better tasting food.

If you start cooking that stuff will start to taste like the crap that
it is. Confession....I used to think that Dominoes made the best pizza
in the world. Then I learned to make pizza, and came to the conclussion
that Dominoes was only marginal and the other pizza joints were even
worse. Aside from one place that does brick oven pizzas I don't care
for the pizzas available. Thusly making my own these days, there is
work and time involved but not much more than the time from phone call
to delivery, not to mention that it costs maybe $4 to make an excellent
pie.

>
> My question is this: How does anyone know how to have the right
> ingredients at home, or do all the good cooks go to the store at least
> 3 times a day? I guess the other option would be to buy a few cans,
> jars, and boxes of every product sold in a grocery store, but I cant
> afford that, and half the stuff would spoil, not to mention where to
> keep it all. I opened another box of something awhile back that said
> "just add one cup of chicken". OK, I sat there thinking about how I
> was going to load my rifle, and go find me a chicken, chop off one
> cups worth and proceed to finally cook my meal a week later..... yeah,
> right !!!!

I keep some boneless skinless chicken in the freezer for occassions like
that, kept company by some steaks, chops and shrimp. A microware with a
defrost feature, a few minutes and it can be cut up and used. Beef and
seafood don't get the micro defrost though.

>
> So, what do you people really do? Do you actually read these entire
> boxes while you are in the grocery store, and make lists and fill out
> plans and menus for the week, etc etc??? This may be fine for a
> housewife that has nothing more to do, but I am just not all that
> serious, nor interested in cooking.

Yeah, I really read the boxes, it doesn't take long, hell you can look
at the pictures on many brands. Guilty of a menu plan for the week and
a grocery list as well. It takes up about fifteen minutes of my week,
leaving me 60 hours to work, 42 hours to sleep, and 65 hours 45 minutes
to do everything else.

When I buy a box of something
> that is meant to be made into a meal, I expect EVERYTHING to be in
> that box, except the water and maybe some oil or milk. (I always have
> oil and keep powdered milk for those occasions). Unfortunately it
> dont work that way. If I need a cup of chicken, what am I supposed to
> do with the rest of that chicken.......???? There's got to be a
> better way to deal with food, so it dont become a full time job, which
> I do not have time for. In all honesty, if it were not for health
> concerns, and times of bad weather where the roads are too bad to go
> to town, I would just eat fast food daily. It always tastes better
> than what I make, and by the time I figure all the wasted food, dish
> washing detergents, fuel to cook, and everything else, it's much
> cheaper to eat out, and that dont include my time either.

Learn a few simple dishes...fresh ravioli, tortellini and other pastas
are available in the markets, pick one pair it with a jarred sauce that
strikes your fancy, pick up a salad in a bag, dressing and some bread
and butter and you have a decent quick easy meal. Frozen meatballs can
be added to a jarred sauce while it warms on the stove and served over
pasta. A chicken breast pan fried in a bit of oil with a bit of garlic
can be cut up and added to an alfredo sauce. Pork chops pan fried with
salt & pepper, nuke a potato top with butter, sour cream, bacon bits
whatever, serve with whatever canned or frozen vegetable you like.

For meats the freezer is your friend. If you aren't going to cook all
of the meat within 2-3 days ziplock and freeze.
>
> By the way, I made that rice stuff without the canned tomatoes, but i
> dumped in a can of tomato soup instead. It was ok, and got rid of a
> can of tomato soup that has been sitting around for ages, because I
> can not eat tomato soup by itself. That stuff is just plain nasty.

I'd pick nothing over a sub of tomato soup, but that's just me.
>
> Rob
>

Start small and work up. Trying to do too much at once can be
overwhelming. Read the ingredients and pick up what you need for any
given recipe. Most grocery stores have precooked chickens and with a
bag salad, some dressing and dinner roll, it makes a good meal. And one
chicken should make two dinners, with some leftover for sandwiches.
Michelina's come on sale at our store occasionally for a buck apiece.
It does take two to make a meal, but they're not bad. Some of the
cooking shows use so much stuff that I don't keep on hand, so I'm
building my spices etc. slowly. Hope this helps.....Sharon

wrote:
>
> OK, I will confess. I am an older bachelor, and a lousy cook. But
> there is at least partially a good reason I am a lousy cook. The
> reason is that I never have the right ingredients. For example, I
> bought a box of that Zatarins (sp?) rice mix. I get home and find
> that it needs to be mixed with a can of diced tomatoes. I dont have
> any canned tomatoes..... I live in a rural area, and the nearest
> grocery store is 6 miles away, so I am not driving all the way to town
> just to get a can of tomatoes. Heck, by the time I burn up all that
> gas, if I get to town, I'll eat at a fast food restaurant and probably
> save money, not to mention eating better tasting food.
>
> My question is this: How does anyone know how to have the right
> ingredients at home, or do all the good cooks go to the store at least
> 3 times a day? I guess the other option would be to buy a few cans,
> jars, and boxes of every product sold in a grocery store, but I cant
> afford that, and half the stuff would spoil, not to mention where to
> keep it all. I opened another box of something awhile back that said
> "just add one cup of chicken". OK, I sat there thinking about how I
> was going to load my rifle, and go find me a chicken, chop off one
> cups worth and proceed to finally cook my meal a week later..... yeah,
> right !!!!
>
> So, what do you people really do? Do you actually read these entire
> boxes while you are in the grocery store, and make lists and fill out
> plans and menus for the week, etc etc??? This may be fine for a
> housewife that has nothing more to do, but I am just not all that
> serious, nor interested in cooking. When I buy a box of something
> that is meant to be made into a meal, I expect EVERYTHING to be in
> that box, except the water and maybe some oil or milk. (I always have
> oil and keep powdered milk for those occasions). Unfortunately it
> dont work that way. If I need a cup of chicken, what am I supposed to
> do with the rest of that chicken.......???? There's got to be a
> better way to deal with food, so it dont become a full time job, which
> I do not have time for. In all honesty, if it were not for health
> concerns, and times of bad weather where the roads are too bad to go
> to town, I would just eat fast food daily. It always tastes better
> than what I make, and by the time I figure all the wasted food, dish
> washing detergents, fuel to cook, and everything else, it's much
> cheaper to eat out, and that dont include my time either.
>
> By the way, I made that rice stuff without the canned tomatoes, but i
> dumped in a can of tomato soup instead. It was ok, and got rid of a
> can of tomato soup that has been sitting around for ages, because I
> can not eat tomato soup by itself. That stuff is just plain nasty.
>
> Rob

Nola wrote:
> On 1-Mar-2005, Siobhan Perricone > wrote:
>
>
>>On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 20:40:22 -0600, wrote:
>>
>>
>>>This may be fine for a
>>>housewife that has nothing more to do
>>
>>This line (and the overall tone) totally set off my troll alarm.
>
>
> and, probably the reason he is an "older bachelor"


Lazy with food = lazy in bed.
Ouch. That could be a problem for an older
bachelor.. lol.
Yup, that's my opinion.
Goomba

In article >, Siobhan
Perricone > wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 20:40:22 -0600, wrote:
>
> >This may be fine for a housewife that has nothing more to do

>
> This line (and the overall tone) totally set off my troll alarm.
>
> --
> Siobhan Perricone

LOL! Maybe Lucy's back. The thought crossed my mind, too -- but
because he uses Agent as a newsreader. Somehow, I have a picture in my
mind that someone who uses a real newsreader could figure out that a box
mix might require more than just what's in the box. OTOH, my DH is a
pretty smart fellow and I'm not sure ---- nah, he'd make damned SURE
that he had everything required because he wouldn't want to go back to
the store. <grin>
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

Rob,
I can understand where you are comming from, as I recently was
living a bit far from the stores myself. So, I suggest you stock a
small pantry with items that are used frequently. Then learn how to
substitute and improvise.
Here is what I suggest :

First, get one of those combo spice racks with a variety of common
spices.
Onions. A big bag is cheap, and they last a while if stored
properly.
Potatoes are much the same.
A bulb of garlic.
Cans of tomatoes. I have stewed, diced, and crushed on hand, but
you really can sub any one of these for the others in a pinch. Pick one
or two and keep a can or two around.
A few cans of broth. Chicken or beef.
Oil, but you have that already.
A jar of good mustard. (in the fridge)
A jar of horseradish. (ditto)
Vinegar. It is cheap, and lasts a long while.
A bottle of soy sauce.
Eggs are a bit iffy. They do not last forever, but they are cheap.
Hardboil them if they get near their ending date. This will give them a
bit more time, but lessen their versatility.
Meat is easier than you might imagine. Buy a pack of boneless
chicken breasts when they are on sale. Then put them in the freezer.
Better yet, separate them into smaller packages (two breasts each) and
then freeze them. This works for other meats as well, such as pork
chops, ribeyes, and ground meats. A pack of smoked sausage would've
worked with your rice, and it freezes fine.
There are some dried things that are quite good. If you like
peppers or mushrooms, get a dried pack of your favorite. A few minutes
in hot water will have them ready for the dinner mix. Fresh is better,
but dried is better than none.

Now you have the basics without a huge investement in money or
space. Fresh vegetables are the only thing really missing. Most of
these will last a week in the fridge, and they aren't too expensive.
Buy what you will eat. Also, if you are going to cook soon after going
to the store, fresh meat is better than frozen, if only for the
convenience of not having to thaw it. When you buy something, try to
think what goes with it. For example, if I buy a pack of ribeyes, I
almost always get shallots and mushrooms. Sometimes even a can of beef
consume'. If I'm getting mexican stuff, I usually also get a lime
and/or a lemon as well as fresh cilantro.

Dean G.

"Lena B Katz" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005, Maverick wrote:
>
>> > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> OK, I will confess. I am an older bachelor, and a lousy cook. But
>>> there is at least partially a good reason I am a lousy cook. The
>>> reason is that I never have the right ingredients. For example, I
>>> bought a box of that Zatarins (sp?) rice mix. I get home and find
>>> that it needs to be mixed with a can of diced tomatoes. I dont have
>>> any canned tomatoes..... I live in a rural area, and the nearest
>>> grocery store is 6 miles away, so I am not driving all the way to town
>>> just to get a can of tomatoes. Heck, by the time I burn up all that
>>> gas, if I get to town, I'll eat at a fast food restaurant and probably
>>> save money, not to mention eating better tasting food.
>>
>> 6 miles is a long way?
>
> somehow i don't think he's as rural as he thinks he is. to me, it sounds
> like he lives just outside of Uniontown (American reference, because it's
> where i'm from ;-) )
>
>> Well, I'm a married man with a kids. We keep all kinds of staples on
>> hand
>> all the time. I figure we can whip up 3 days worth of meals with what we
>> keep on hand.
>
> from the stuff I keep on hand, we could eat healthily for about.... three
> months. how do you manage to keep so little on hand?

First of all, my two boys, 20 and 12, can out-eat the wife and I. Secondly,
they absolutely will not eat a meal if it doesn't have some kind of meat in
it, preferably beef. I'm going to quit counting the reasons now. The 20 yr
old will not eat soup unless it is Chili Verde or Chili Rojo stews. Now,
lets talk about the real reason I don't keep three months of food on hand.
My pantry. It's large but I have to physically climb up into it. They made
it out of the wasted space over the stairs leading down to the basement. It
is not user friendly. My kitchen. It has two roughly 3' X 3' countertops.
Seven doors on the upper cabinets and 4 doors on the lower cabinets with 5
drawers to store all our kitchen stuff so a lot of it went into the very
back of the pantry since it doesn't get used that often. I HATE MY
KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the rant. ;->

>> Well, I can't speak for everybody but I do read the nutritional box,
>> ingredient box, and the "how to cook" box. Once you get used to cooking
>> with good ingredients, you'll find the taste of fast-food will start to
>> taste like shit.
>
> the ingredient box is mostly only useful on stuff like sauces (if you're
> an "i don't like sugary sauces" person, you'll be staying away from
> teriyaki, etc.)

I'm just nosey that way. I like to see if I can figure out what makes
something and then see if I can make my own. BTW, I make a mean teriyaki
sauce!

> lena

Bret



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

Siobhan Perricone wrote:
> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 23:03:21 -0800, serene >
wrote:
>
> >On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 19:40:44 -0800, Damsel in dis Dress wrote
> >(in article >):
> >
> >> My only problem with these dinners is that I have to eat 2 of them
to fill
> >> up. It's a good idea to supplement one dinner with a large salad
(pre-made
> >> in bags in the produce section).
> >
> >I couldn't afford to feed us two tv dinners each. It's about $4
> >apiece, right? For the three of us, that's 24 dollars, before
> >counting the salad or other sides -- I can make a feast with that,
or
> >feed us for four days.
>
> There are banquet TV dinners that are a buck a piece at my grocery
store,
> all the time. They're not very good, but they are relatively filling.
You
> can even get some Stouffers flavours (which are better quality) for
just
> under two bucks each. And the no-brands are dead cheap. So it's
possible.
>
> --
> Siobhan Perricone
> "I ain't afraid of your Yahweh
> I ain't afraid of your Allah
> I ain't afraid of your Jesus
> I'm afraid of what ya do in the name of your god"
> - Holly Near
==================
WOW! Somebody else likes Holly Near?
Lynn from Fargo
(old feminist folksinger)
^

wrote:
> OK, I will confess.

<snip>

I have been cooking a long, long time - 30 years or more. I keep what
I call "staples" in my pantry - canned tomatoes of various types
(diced, puree, sauce and paste), canned beans (pinto and white), all
baking goods (flour, sugar and shortening, as well as yeast, powder and
soda), pasta, noodles, rice (plain and wild), canned baked beans
(Bush's onion variety), packaged chicken broth (Pacific brand
low-sodium), sauces, condiments, pickles and olives, capers, all my
dried spices, and other stuff I'm too tired to think of.

I also keep meat frozen - whole chickens, whole turkeys, ground turkey,
fresh pork picnic hams, ribs (we don't eat beef.)

I grocery shop once monthly for staples, and once or twice a week for
fresh fruit and vegetables, milk and bread. If I'm out of a staple, I
buy that as well. I buy all fish fresh because where I live, it's
really fresh. I buy partially cooked, smoked hams and store them as
they keep a long time.

When I cook, I cook enough for at least two meals. A whole roasted
chicken becomes soup, chicken enchiladas or chicken with noodles later
in the week. Turkeys and hams are cooked whole, and the (white) meat
is sliced for sandwiches and frozen. The dark meat is eaten as is, or
made into soup, cassrrole, or whatever. The ham is eaten as a meal and
the rest used in omlettes and sandwiches, or cobb salad. Al meals are
served with a starch - either a potato, pasta, dressing, rice, etc.,
and at least one fresh vegetable - usually two.

I plan a meal around what I have and I use NO boxed meal starters or
anything like that. You will find that using freash, simple
ingredients makes for a better-tasting meal and you will feel better as
well, because you aren't eating unnecessary preservatives and "flavor
enhancers".

I managed my kitchen the same way when I was single as I do now, except
I didn't keep as much meat frozen.

If you don't know how to cook, take a night classs through continuing
ed or at a local college if you have one. It's a great way to meet
people, especially other singles.

HTH,
-L.

On 1 Mar 2005 21:43:24 -0800, "Lynn from Fargo" > wrote:

>WOW! Somebody else likes Holly Near?
>Lynn from Fargo
>(old feminist folksinger)

Actually, I watched a peace rally on the free speech channel before the war
and she was singing these lyrics. The lyrics resonated with me, but I'd
never heard of her before, and I've not pursued finding her music. Maybe I
should.

--
Siobhan Perricone
"I ain't afraid of your Yahweh
I ain't afraid of your Allah
I ain't afraid of your Jesus
I'm afraid of what ya do in the name of your god"
- Holly Near

On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 16:12:33 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article >, Siobhan
>Perricone > wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 20:40:22 -0600, wrote:
>>
>> >This may be fine for a housewife that has nothing more to do
>
>>
>> This line (and the overall tone) totally set off my troll alarm.
>
>LOL! Maybe Lucy's back. The thought crossed my mind, too -- but
>because he uses Agent as a newsreader. Somehow, I have a picture in my
>mind that someone who uses a real newsreader could figure out that a box

Heh... I didn't even look at the newsreader. He could just be a
"professional" troll or "performance artist" as some of them like to be
known. ;D

--
Siobhan Perricone
"I ain't afraid of your Yahweh
I ain't afraid of your Allah
I ain't afraid of your Jesus
I'm afraid of what ya do in the name of your god"
- Holly Near

On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 10:45:21 -0500, "Jessica V." > wrote:

>Six miles to the store is rural? Inconvienient I can see but
>rural...nah. The lake house is a hour from a real grocery store and
>many people don't think of that as rural.

It's not the mileage that makes it rural, it's the setting and what sort of
roads you have to drive. Six miles of paved state highway or interstate is
nothing, six miles of dirt roads, especially curvey or steep ones, is a
long drive to pick up just tomatoes.

--
Siobhan Perricone
"I ain't afraid of your Yahweh
I ain't afraid of your Allah
I ain't afraid of your Jesus
I'm afraid of what ya do in the name of your god"
- Holly Near

In article et>,
serene > wrote:
> We use TVP for the protein
> source for the spaghetti, and that's something we always keep on
> hand.

How do you use the TVP, Serene? I bought some at my food co-op some
time ago and it's sitting in the jar waiting for me.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

On Tue, 1 Mar 2005, Maverick wrote:

>
> "Lena B Katz" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>>
>> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005, Maverick wrote:
>>
>>> > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> OK, I will confess. I am an older bachelor, and a lousy cook. But
>>>> there is at least partially a good reason I am a lousy cook. The
>>>> reason is that I never have the right ingredients. For example, I
>>>> bought a box of that Zatarins (sp?) rice mix. I get home and find
>>>> that it needs to be mixed with a can of diced tomatoes. I dont have
>>>> any canned tomatoes..... I live in a rural area, and the nearest
>>>> grocery store is 6 miles away, so I am not driving all the way to town
>>>> just to get a can of tomatoes. Heck, by the time I burn up all that
>>>> gas, if I get to town, I'll eat at a fast food restaurant and probably
>>>> save money, not to mention eating better tasting food.
>>>
>>> 6 miles is a long way?
>>
>> somehow i don't think he's as rural as he thinks he is. to me, it sounds
>> like he lives just outside of Uniontown (American reference, because it's
>> where i'm from ;-) )
>>
>>> Well, I'm a married man with a kids. We keep all kinds of staples on
>>> hand
>>> all the time. I figure we can whip up 3 days worth of meals with what we
>>> keep on hand.
>>
>> from the stuff I keep on hand, we could eat healthily for about.... three
>> months. how do you manage to keep so little on hand?
>
> First of all, my two boys, 20 and 12, can out-eat the wife and I. Secondly,
> they absolutely will not eat a meal if it doesn't have some kind of meat in
> it, preferably beef. I'm going to quit counting the reasons now. The 20 yr
> old will not eat soup unless it is Chili Verde or Chili Rojo stews. Now,
> lets talk about the real reason I don't keep three months of food on hand.
> My pantry. It's large but I have to physically climb up into it. They made
> it out of the wasted space over the stairs leading down to the basement. It
> is not user friendly. My kitchen. It has two roughly 3' X 3' countertops.
> Seven doors on the upper cabinets and 4 doors on the lower cabinets with 5
> drawers to store all our kitchen stuff so a lot of it went into the very
> back of the pantry since it doesn't get used that often. I HATE MY
> KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the rant. ;->

If they won't eat a meal w/out beef... you've got them cooking on their
own, right? ;-) Quickest way to teach someone the value of other foods.
"If you don't like it--go cook something else!"

> I'm just nosey that way. I like to see if I can figure out what makes
> something and then see if I can make my own. BTW, I make a mean teriyaki
> sauce!

mine... isn't teriyaki anymore. but it does make a pretty good stirfry!

On Wed, 2 Mar 2005 07:01:37 -0800, Melba's Jammin' wrote
(in article >):

> In article et>,
> serene > wrote:
>> We use TVP for the protein
>> source for the spaghetti, and that's something we always keep on
>> hand.
>
> How do you use the TVP, Serene? I bought some at my food co-op some
> time ago and it's sitting in the jar waiting for me.
>

First, we hydrate it (1 cup of TVP granules to slightly less than 1
cup of water, let stand a minute or ten).

Then:

1) Make your favorite spaghetti sauce. At any point in the
heating/cooking process, throw in some TVP. It gives it the texture
of a meat sauce without all the, well, meat.

2) Warm it up in some prepared sloppy-joe sauce and have sloppy
joes.

3) Fry it up in a little oil with a teaspoon of cumin and a teaspoon
of chili powder, along with salt to taste and a tiny pinch of sugar.
Use as you would taco meat -- we usually make tacos or burritos with
this.

4) James needs some protein with his snacks, so we toss some TVP into
my homemade salsa when we're having chips and salsa. If the salsa is
especially moist, we might not hydrate the TVP, or use less water in
the hydration. James says he likes the texture, and it adds no
noticeable taste.

5) Add it to curry, soup, or anything else you would throw rice or
ground beef into.

We use a *lot* of TVP, because it's one of the cheapest and most
versatile protein sources we've found. Plus, it keeps forever, so we
always have some around.

serene

"Lena B Katz" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> On Tue, 1 Mar 2005, Maverick wrote:
>
>>
>> "Lena B Katz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005, Maverick wrote:
>>>
<snip>

>> First of all, my two boys, 20 and 12, can out-eat the wife and I.
>> Secondly,
>> they absolutely will not eat a meal if it doesn't have some kind of meat
>> in
>> it, preferably beef. I'm going to quit counting the reasons now. The 20
>> yr
>> old will not eat soup unless it is Chili Verde or Chili Rojo stews. Now,
>> lets talk about the real reason I don't keep three months of food on
>> hand.
>> My pantry. It's large but I have to physically climb up into it. They
>> made
>> it out of the wasted space over the stairs leading down to the basement.
>> It
>> is not user friendly. My kitchen. It has two roughly 3' X 3'
>> countertops.
>> Seven doors on the upper cabinets and 4 doors on the lower cabinets with
>> 5
>> drawers to store all our kitchen stuff so a lot of it went into the very
>> back of the pantry since it doesn't get used that often. I HATE MY
>> KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the rant. ;->
>
> If they won't eat a meal w/out beef... you've got them cooking on their
> own, right? ;-) Quickest way to teach someone the value of other foods.
> "If you don't like it--go cook something else!"

The 12 year old isn't so bad about it but the 20 yr old screwed up about it.
That is the wife's and I fault. I'll admit it. If the older boy doesn't
like what we're planning for dinner, he's on his own. His consideration to
cooking is "how long do I nuke it?" He won't touch a pot or pan but he's
starting to fire up the grill more. But again, he'll only grill meat.
Wait. I just remembered something. There is one meatless meal he likes and
that is Stouffer's veggie lasagna. I'll admit that I like it too so we'll
have that every once in a while if I don't feel like cooking. It is not
fast but the party size container will make 3-4 meals for us and since we
only have that when I'm feeling lazy, I buy the frozen garlic texas toast
crap. I can choke a piece down but I have to doctor it up with more garlic.
The rest of the family think it is really good. They like mine better, of
course. <EG> But then, I make mine from fresh, store-bought, bread and make
my own spread. It's nothing more than melting some butter in the nuke and
mixing in some garlic powder. But, before I spread it on the bread, I take
clove of garlic, cut it in half and rub it on the bread. No big deal but we
like it.

>
>> I'm just nosey that way. I like to see if I can figure out what makes
>> something and then see if I can make my own. BTW, I make a mean teriyaki
>> sauce!
>
> mine... isn't teriyaki anymore. but it does make a pretty good stirfry!

I'm not too sure mine is either but it makes a killer marinade! I tried
using it to make grilled burgers one night. They tasted great but the next
day, I'll be damned if we weren't circling the bathroom like vultures
waiting for the one in the bathroom to get out. Don't know what it was but
that was the last time I made teriyaki burgers! Course, that was pretty
much the last time I've ever grilled burgers too.

Bret



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

In article et>,
serene > wrote:

> On Wed, 2 Mar 2005 07:01:37 -0800, Melba's Jammin' wrote
> (in article >):
>
> > In article et>,
> > serene > wrote:
> >> We use TVP for the protein
> >> source for the spaghetti, and that's something we always keep on
> >> hand.
> >
> > How do you use the TVP, Serene? I bought some at my food co-op some
> > time ago and it's sitting in the jar waiting for me.
> >
>
> First, we hydrate it (1 cup of TVP granules to slightly less than 1
> cup of water, let stand a minute or ten).
(snippage)
>
> We use a *lot* of TVP, because it's one of the cheapest and most
> versatile protein sources we've found. Plus, it keeps forever, so we
> always have some around.
>
> serene

Thank you. Ezzackly the kind of info I was looking for.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

On Wed, 2 Mar 2005 19:43:22 -0800, Melba's Jammin' wrote
(in article >):
[TVP]

> Thank you. Ezzackly the kind of info I was looking for.

Happy to help.

serene

In article >,
> wrote:
>OK, I will confess. I am an older bachelor, and a lousy cook. But
>there is at least partially a good reason I am a lousy cook. The
>reason is that I never have the right ingredients. For example, I
>bought a box of that Zatarins (sp?) rice mix. I get home and find
>that it needs to be mixed with a can of diced tomatoes. I dont have
>any canned tomatoes..... I live in a rural area, and the nearest
>grocery store is 6 miles away, so I am not driving all the way to town
>just to get a can of tomatoes. Heck, by the time I burn up all that
>gas, if I get to town, I'll eat at a fast food restaurant and probably
>save money, not to mention eating better tasting food.

Well, I guess you could eat off the dollar menu.

>My question is this: How does anyone know how to have the right
>ingredients at home,

Read the box, and see below.

>or do all the good cooks go to the store at least
>3 times a day? I guess the other option would be to buy a few cans,
>jars, and boxes of every product sold in a grocery store,

Nope, the other option, the one that most savvy home cooks employ, is to
stock their pantry with canned and dry goods. I have several kinds of
tomatoes, cooked beans, and broths available, as well as a variety of
seasonings. I also stock up on cans of chicken and tuna. I have dry rice
and beans. I have some canned soups around for quick meals (I stock up
on Progresso when it is on sale).

So what is more likely is that I would be out of plain canned tomatoes and
only have tomatoes-with-chiles left, which would not suit the dish.

(I also have a supply of things I personally like.)

I was taught this by my mother, but most mixes should have "what to cook
this with" on the outside of the box.

Get a very-basic beginner cookbook (pictures are good!) that has advice
on pantry and equipment stocking. "Cooking for Dummies" is good; others may
have other recommendations.

>So, what do you people really do? Do you actually read these entire
>boxes while you are in the grocery store,

Absolutely, yes! It bites to get home and find that I don't have
<whatever>.

>and make lists and fill out
>plans and menus for the week, etc etc???

I cook one or two things in "family sized" quantities (whole chicken,
entire recipe of soup, etc.) and eat off it for a while. If I don't take
my lunch in to work, I don't always get to eat due to my schedule. So I
am highly motivated to feed myself. I do try to think ahead at least a
couple of days.

I do make lists. Otherwise I forget things.

>This may be fine for a
>housewife that has nothing more to do, but I am just not all that
>serious, nor interested in cooking. When I buy a box of something
>that is meant to be made into a meal, I expect EVERYTHING to be in
>that box, except the water and maybe some oil or milk. (I always have
>oil and keep powdered milk for those occasions). Unfortunately it
>dont work that way.

That is correct. Most assume "kitchen basics" - canned tomatoes,
broth, eggs, and the like. Even the stuff that is supposed to be
all-inclusive usually tastes better with some doctoring.

>If I need a cup of chicken, what am I supposed to
>do with the rest of that chicken.......????

Put it in the fridge and eat it the next day.

Or just get cans of chicken. But a roast chicken is a glorious thing.
You might be able to get rotisserie chicken at your supermarket to
start you off, but it's also easy-peasy to make at home and I find it
gives me More Bird for the Buck.

Charlotte



--