Monday, May 13, 2019

I Hate to Cook

Well, maybe that's a little bit harsh.  I hate to cook for just one.

I enjoyed making big meat and potato type meals or big bowls of spaghetti or pans of lasagna when there were lots of kids at the dinner table.  I miss that.  I even miss the inevitable "But, Mom...Do I really hafta eat the green beans?  You know I hate green beans."  And I miss the nearly nightly arguments about whose turn it was to wash the supper dishes. These days if I really want a full meal, my crock pot is my friend.  Toss the food in and let it simmer all day.  And there are no arguments about whose turn it is to wash dishes.  Sadly, it is always my turn.

I read blogs where the writers are serving up fantastic meals for their families and I am jealous.  They spend hours slicing and dicing and sauteing and allowing the flavors to blend.  My idea of a gourmet meal is frying the Spam before making a sandwich.

 Perhaps I have just become lazy.  It's not that I dislike working with food.  My shelves packed full of home canned goodies and my other shelf full of home dehydrated foods are testimony to that.  I just can't seem to muster the ambition to cook very many real meals for just myself.

 Might be  form of 'empty nest syndrome,' for I am looking forward to tomorrow when I will cook a venison roast with roasted potatoes and carrots to share with Duane.  There might even be a dessert involved.

 So I am wondering if anyone besides me considers crackers and cheese and a handful of grapes a sufficient lunch.  Sigh.

18 comments:

  1. When hubby is away I eat much as it sounds you do...just don't feel like it is worth it to fix a big meal. My one exception is quiche as can eat that a few days and love it and hubby doesn't. What about making a nice lasagna then freezing pieces? I know it isn't the same but then you get to have your own great cooking without the energy to do it daily.

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    1. Cheapchick...I used to do that - make a lasagna and freeze individual portions. I don't know why I stopped. Come to think of it, my mother would fill those aluminum tv dinner trays with leftovers and freeze them for homemade tv dinners. Might have to try that, too. :)

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  2. I have a damn hard time cooking for one. If you lived closer you could cook for me.

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    1. BW...It's a deal.....but only if you take your turn at washing dishes. :)

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  3. that's my kinda lunch. I really don't like cooking...for one or 10. haha.

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    1. One Family...Ah - someone after my own heart!! I guess, truth be known, I'm not all that fond of cooking at all any more. Open a jar - heat it up - work for me. :)

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  4. perfectly normal
    important to eat regularly and have a protein and a veg or fruit with the meal.
    i defrost broccoli in microwave, then pour in a tin of beans on top add a little coconut oil and salt and pepper. reheat and that is dinner for me and daughter we may then eat a piece of fruit or have toast and she has tea.
    as long as nutritional needs are met, it is okay
    minimum dishes to wash, or use paper bowls, and little energy to use the microwave.
    when i lost all estrogen- the stuff tried to kill me!- i lost much of my sense of taste so i sometimes forget to eat
    as one ages it is important to eat regularly and keep food on hand that is easy to fix. that is why i like tinned beans. already cooked and one tin feeds us both. minimum effort, maximum protein

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    1. deb...I eat enough of the right things. I just dislike fixing proper meals just for myself. I get fresh fruit with my grocery order every two weeks and have lots of meat and veggies home canned. It all works out.

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  5. Vicki, I just knew we had a lot in common! The cheese and cracker routine works for me if no one else is here to ask, "What's for supper?" I'm not real fond of cooking but I love to eat. The part about cooking that I really do not care for is the "clean up." I try to put a hot meal on the table at least once a day. My family is very happy to eat leftovers so I usually make big meals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. The other evenings are reheated meals as we do not like to waste food. And...desserts are a must! Your canned food storage is great for easily prepared meals and preps. I think it is so important to store food that we eat on a regular basis. Take care and have a great week! CW

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    1. CW...I am not overjoyed with the clean-up either. I am finding that paper plates are a good thing! I dislike waste, too, and because of that I have been known to have leftover spaghetti for breakfast on occasion. :)

      I agree wholeheartedly on storing what you eat normally. A crisis time is not a time to try new things. I mostly home can ingredients, unseasoned, and then add to them whatever a recipe calls for. Today I made up a batch of my dehydrated scalloped potato mix, added a half pint of home canned ham cubes and opened another jar of canned coleslaw/relish. Easy and good. Have yourself a great week, too!

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  6. Maybe once a month, I eat snacky stuff for a meal. I still cook, but can no longer lift iron skillets, even empty. My crockpot is broken! I put meat in a pan covered with foil or in a baking bag. I freeze meat portions separately. My watr heater is broken, and the kitchen sink once again leaks, so cooking is hardly possible! I do not wash dishes!

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    1. Linda...I need to take a lesson from you on how to cook with a bare minimum of dirty dishes. I don't know how I wind up with a sink full of dirty dishes every day. :)

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  7. Says the women who cans everything placed in fron of her. Picky eaters. Still have them #1 still will not eat pickles on a burger, #2 still will not eat kidney beans, #3 I don't remember anything she won't eat, #4 Loves spicy food, #5 I don't remember what she won't eat..Old fart syndrome.

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    1. Rob...Cooking - canning. Two different animals. Taking the time to cook for just me seems like a waste of time sometimes. Each of my kids had something they disliked, but they had to eat the rest. I wonder how many times I reminded them that I wasn't running a restaurant. :)

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  8. I tell myself that I'm worth fixing a good meal for myself. I enjoy cooking, especially when I can make my favorite and don't have to listen to anyone saying thy don't like what I made.

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    1. Mom's Musings...I enjoy a good meal, but much of the time I eat because I need the fuel. I find that when I get involved in an activity like my crocheting or sewing, I hate to stop to cook. I hadn't thought about it, but you are right. Not having to listen to complaints about a meal is a definite plus of living alone. :)

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  9. I agree. Cooking for one is not much fun. I'm the queen of reheating though.hahaha.
    Cheers, SJ

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    1. SJ...If you are the queen of reheating, I am next in line for the crown!! Which explains goulash for breakfast this morning. :)

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