Monday, December 10, 2012

Listicles - I Miss Food

 

I once had a conversation with my grandma about cooking.  Her take on it:

"I love to eat.  In order to eat, I need to cook.  So I cook.  Because I like to eat."

My sentiments exactly.

I love food.  Sweet.  Savory.  Salty.  Comfort.  Healthy.   So unhealthy it will take 4 years off your life.

I like it all.

Well, not Indian.  Curry and I don't get along.

Oh, and anything too spicy.  I don't understand the appeal of food that makes you cry for your momma and some milk. 

Although, I do love a great big glass of cold milk.

Stasha has chosen 10 Foods as our Monday Listicles topic for the week.

As I may have mentioned a time or two, I don't have a kitchen at the moment.  We're living out of a crock-pot and a microwave.  My eating habits, and thus my husband's and children's, have gone down the tubes.

At a party this weekend, Hubby actually answered the question, "Have you been eating out a lot since the kitchen is getting redone?" with, "No, we've just been eating junk." 

To his credit, he realized exactly how that may sound to his wife (who has been trying very hard to make good, nutritious food for over a month) as it was coming out of his mouth and quickly tried to fix it.  He really couldn't fix it, but bless his heart, he tried.

Basically, we're all missing real, normal-for-us food.   

For the list this week, I'm giving you 10 Foods That I Am Really Missing These Days.

1.  Eggs in general, but hard-boiled in particular.  We raise chickens for crying out loud.  We normally eat eggs at least once a week.  I am used to eating a hard-boiled egg every single morning. Without my egg, I get hungry so much earlier.  Which means I eat things I shouldn't.

2.  Banana Bread.  It makes me so sad to give our over-ripe bananas to the chickens.  We love banana bread, and I normally make it at least every other week.  I buy more bananas than we need just so we have some to make bread.

3.  Pasta.  We eat some sort of pasta every single week.  Sometimes two times a week.  We miss the fast and easy rotini.  We long for the shrimp and broccoli fettuccine Alfredo that takes a little longer, but is so worth it.  And then the fan favorites lasagna and stuffed shells.  Oh, Carbs, we miss you so.

4.  Pancakes.  We love some breakfast any time of day.  Pancakes with our homegrown and canned apples sprinkled with a little cinnamon are a favorite.  It's just too hard to make them on a griddle precariously balanced on a piano bench, though.  So we've gone without.

5.  Salmon.  Really, any fish, but mostly salmon.  We normally eat some sort of fish most weeks.  I only buy salmon when it's on sale, and I swear it has been on sale ever since we lost our oven.  And since we had to change clocks, it is dark well before dinner.  You just can't cook salmon on the grill in the dark. We still go to the fish counter when we shop, so the boys can visit with the lobsters and I can drool/cry over the salmon.  

6.  Pork.  Once again, we are pig farmers and we haven't had a pork chop or bite of sausage for over a month.  That's just not right.  Actually, I miss meat in general.  There aren't many recipes that call for raw meat in the crock-pot.  It's always "brown the meat" first.  Fortunately, I did cook a bunch of ground pork and chicken before we lost the stove, so we've been able to eat chili, tacos, white chili, chicken nuggets, and chicken quesadillas.  Chicken, chicken, and more chicken.  I do miss some hot out of the oven/off the stove meat, though.

7.  Homemade anything, but mostly potatoes (mashed and au gratin in particular) and mac and cheese.  We've made do with prepared stuff from the store that you heat up in the microwave, but it's just not the same.

8.  Christmas cookies.  I know I did a whole post about how I'm using this time as our chance to change our traditions and focus on Advent, blah, blah, blah.  I know we'll make the cookies very soon after Christmas Day.  Oh, but I love a Christmas cookie.  I just plain want one.

9.  Appetizers and desserts.  During the last month and a half, I have been to Thanksgiving, scheduled to donate to two Teacher/Staff Birthday Celebrations, had one book club meeting, and gone to two parties.  All of which I would have liked to take some yummy concoction.  Unfortunately, I've either had to simply donate the plates, buy some weird thing from the grocery store, or show up empty-handed.  Usually empty-handed.  My friends don't mind feeding me, but I would like to be less of a heel and contribute.

10.    All the yummy-looking recipes I've seen on other people's blogs.  I don't get on Pinterest, but I swear that since I can't cook anything people have been posting the most delicious-looking recipes on their blogs.  It's really starting to annoy me.  Don't you all know that I'm living out of a crock-pot here?  Save the good stuff until I can do something about it.  Because you know I don't have a pen or paper next to the computer to jot down the sites to which I want to return.  I used to have pen and paper.  People about the same size as my children keep taking them.  And when I'm all cuddled up under a blanket, catching up on my reading, the last thing I want to do is brave the cold of my house to find a pen and paper.  So I don't.  And I forget where I saw all of these yummy recipes.  So they will never be made. 

Um, just thinkin' off the top of my head, but could this be why Pinterest was invented? 

Too bad I've sworn off the internet and its creepiness.  Who knows what information the internet would learn about me if I started pinning things all willy-nilly.  I don't want to find out.

And....back on track.

If you would like to see how other folks did their lists, or you want to join in, head over to



Have a lovely day!


37 comments:

  1. I'm no cook (Hubs does that), but it's so easy to take having a kitchen for granted. Sounds like you're holding up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're managing. If my husband did the cooking, we'd have five pounds of ham and nothing else. Don't laugh. He's done it.

      Delete
  2. Our summers used to consist of 5-6 weeks of basketball camp, and masters classes for Keith, the first year of no camp only classes we opted to skip the cost of the meal plan and go for cooking in a dorm room instead. I had access to a toaster and there was a microwave in the lounge. But I cooked dinner almost every night in a electric skillet. I know your pain. 6 weeks of going to walmart (which you know I HATE) and getting convenient foods about made me crazy. But I learned to cook pasta in the skillet, could make pancakes and french toast, potatoes and chicken together, and went against my mom instincts and started serving my kids the frozen family meals... it made me appreciate home cooked meals so much more! (oh and I think in the end it would have been cheaper to buy the meal plan... at least less stress for me!)
    jen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my word, I can't believe you did that with a perfectly good meal plan available. It surely would have been better both to the wallet and your sanity.

      Delete
  3. Oh girl... who the heck browns the meat first? LOL. I never do and it turns out fine. Throw that meat in the crockpot and cook it up!

    Julia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WHAT?!?!?!? Let me quote from your reply to my question about your not your momma's soup when I asked if I could use the crock-pot.
      "Definitely! Make it the same way. Cook your beef first and then add everything else the last couple hours of cooking."
      Good grief. :)

      Delete
    2. OK, I'll get off my huffiness now. After rereading this, I realize you could have maybe meant to cook the meat in the crock-pot before adding everything else. Oops.
      My bad. Thanks for the tip! :)

      Delete
  4. What?! You're supposed to brown the meat first? Julia beat me to the punch, so I'll just second what she said. My family's dinner plans for tonight? Potatoes and pork roast, cooked in the crockpot--and I am NOT browning the meat first. I didn't realize I was such a rebel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This only proves that I am both a rule and recipe follower. A cook I am not. Thank you very much for the tip.

      Delete
  5. Wow--I can't imagine having six kids and no kitchen. Hope you get it back soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I couldn't imagine it, too. We're almost there. The cabinets are basically done, so I can at least start putting the food in the pantry. Won't get the countertop until two days after Christmas, but at least we're close.

      Delete
  6. First of all!!!! Your kids are beautiful! And what your hubby said was funny and it's sounds like you're alright with it. I love your grandma's take on food. I may steal it but with definitely give you and her credit!

    Okay about the listicle... can't imagine what I'd miss if I didn't have a kitchen to cook but a whole lot of what you mentioned. And I don't pin either because I'm afraid of getting sucked into one more thing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, thank you! I am fine with what he said, only because it's kinda true. Feel free to quote Grandma as much as you want.
      I'm with you. I am already sucked into too many things. Who needs more? Same reason I refuse to try Nutella.
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  7. Hi, there! It's your cousin, Stephanie, in Ohio. Loved the Christmas card picture :) And now I will love reading your blog. I'm a big blog fan, so at least I will see you and your kiddos some way! Hope all is well. Miss you all!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stephanie!! Hi there! So glad you left a note. Do you not have your blog anymore? We miss seeing you all, too. Say hi to everyone for me. Hope to see you around blogland a whole lot more.

      Delete
  8. Great. Now I am HUNGRY after reading your list!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Boy can I relate to Number 10! As I have also mentioned over and over, I am NOT on Pinterest, and I hope I can keep it that way. Hang in there! It is so hard to "miss" foods!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Be strong. We do not need Pinterest.
      While I do miss plenty of our favorite foods, I'm fortunate that M&Ms do not require a kitchen.

      Delete
  10. All of these things sound soooo good! You should have a buffet to celebrate when your kitchen's done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We'll eat well for at least two days after the kitchen is done. Maybe three. A buffet would mean cooking it all at the same time, and I don't have the stamina for that. :)

      Delete
  11. I am with you in missing the carbs....no pasta really stinks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stinks with an upper case S-T-I-N-K-S. I'm not going to complain too much, though. It's only a temporary situation.

      Delete
  12. All of this talk about homemade goodies from your farm makes me want to come visit. I'm such a boring cook, straight from the grocery store.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I make it a themed party, would you really come to it? I can see you dressed as a chicken with a little barn rap to go along. :)

      Delete
  13. That sounds so hard! I hope you get your kitchen back soon. I'd really miss salmon too! Trader Joe's smoked peppercorn salmon (which i realize is not like fresh) is really good, if you have one nearby.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indianapolis is divided into two categories; the North (pretty people) and the South (where there are hair salons and gun shops on many a corner). Guess where Trader Joe's is? Although, I'm almost desperate enough to make the hour drive. Really good, huh?

      Delete
  14. What kind of Christmas cookies do you make? I've got to get Christmas baking this week - doing Lebkuchen again and gradually building up the numbers of people who want some :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most of the year, snickerdoodles are my cookie of choice, but in December, cut-out iced butter (or is it sugar? My recipe doesn't say.) cookies are where it's at.
      Pardon me while I google Lebkuchen. :)

      Delete
  15. I buy extra bananas to make banana bread too. Funny how you take a "stove" for granted. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fortunately, three of my kids really like bananas. I'd look pretty silly buying bananas for a family that doesn't like them but craves banana bread.
      A stove/oven is surprisingly handy. Who knew?

      Delete
  16. Oh you made me laugh with your Pinterest riff. Good stuff. Funny post, but you broke my heart. I don't usually post links in other people's comments, but consider this crockpot recipe a gift. Ellen

    http://www.sisterhoodofthesensiblemoms.com/recipes/crockpot/healthy-french-country-crockpot-chicken/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love it when people laugh, but I love gifts even more. Thank you! And thanks for linking it here, where I never have to worry about tracking it down.

      Delete
  17. I cannot even imagine only have a crock pot and a microwave! We'd eat out a lot if that was us, cause I never use my crock pot! Soon your kitchen will be done and you can cook again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn't have imagined it either. I don't use my crock-pot all that often, so it's gotten an unusual work-out these last two months.

      Delete
  18. Any closer to your kitchen being done? I mostly use slow cooker for cooking anyway. I have tried making all the recipes from realsimple.com for crockpot and not one disappointed. Hope it helps...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are so close! The counter tops were installed today. Just waiting for the plumber to hook everything up.
      Thank you for the site suggestion. I'll head over to get some new ideas.

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!