Rest assured I will stay away from grainlady, annie, and anyone else on that forum whose posts are an accusation of laziness! Better yet, I'll stay away from that forum altogether, lol.

I was uber organized about meals when our 3 kids were home, planning meals by the week, including a cooked breakfast at least three times a week. When they were old enough the kids made their own schedule of lunches for the following day, but I had a master calendar up in the kitchen listing breakfasts and dinners and available snacks. I can see in retrospect that I must have been howling mad.

It's the relentlessness of cooking that is so difficult. It's even worse than bed making or dishes or anything else--- it happens about every six hours each day for life!

I'm hearing though that everyone does slow down after their kids leave home. My return to work preceded our youngest child's departure for college by about six months, and that is when we added days for our HK for marketing and cooking. And in those short four and a half years I have grown to really like not cooking.

I think I am just venting because it looks like we may have anywhere from 8 to 14 at thanksgiving (nobody else cooking or bringing anything either, these are elderly gaga relatives or young people smart enough not to ever have gotten on the cooking merry go round). And at Christmas we will definitely have 10 people staying in the house for Christmas Eve dinner, 3 meals on Christmas Day including the big production, and breakfast the next day. I just need to grit my teeth and start planning, I guess, but instead because of these measly two days of cooking I am dreading it.

I cook 6 nights. I am tired of it. DH's night to cook is Saturday, which means we always go out. (insert eye rolling emoji here)

DH exercises a lot and needs a "real" meal. I would be happy with a bagel or a sandwich. Our 17 yo daughter can go either way. Three nights a week or so the meal is simple. Protein on the grill, some type of starch and a plain vegetable.

The other nights I make something from my list of family favorites. Asian, Italian, Indian, Greek, Mexican, etc. My family could eat Mexican every night.

I'm with sueb20, don't particularly like to cook but I'm home, DH works, so I'm "it" nearly very night. When DS#1 was about 7, he asked one night "mom, are we having fish or chicken with the rice and peas tonight?" Yeah, it was that limited. The next day I subscribed to a menu planning service and our lives changed forever. Variety! Flavor! Efficiency! 14 years later, I'm a better cook and don't mind it as much (but I love it when DH, who is a good cook, volunteers).

I lucked out big time this weekend! Friday I brought home leftover mostaccioli from school, we had more of it Saturday with my family over (there was a lot!) and DH cooked chicken curry tonight. Yiy-ha!

I cook almost every dinner meal. My college kids have moved back home and their boyfriend and girlfriend eat here regularly.

Thank you a million times for posting this. I love, love, love having everyone here for dinner and wouldn't change having them here for a nanosecond, but I get tired. They all help when they can and so does my husband, but they are all really busy with work and school, and they are so grateful for my efforts.

I love hearing someone else vent about cooking.

I used to like cooking. I think. Maybe. I can barely make myself do it anymore.

I enjoy cooking. I love trying new things, new techniques, putzing about in the kitchen. However, I do not like it every day. It does not help that I am generally not fond of most processed foods or inferior ingredients.

Kids lunches are simple and they usually handle that. Breakfast too, although I am trying to make something twice a week. I am getting smarter/wiser. If I double a batch of muffins or whatever, I put the extra in the freezer as soon as it cools or it disappears. I try to do large batches of stock, etc and keep that in the freezer. I wish there were more crockpot recipes that I actually liked.

For me it is exhausting because I work a split shift, finish the first part at 3p and start the second part at 6p and have to pick up kids from school in between. Then, I have to figure out a meal that is both healthy and satisifying. While I have not resorted to it, I do understand why some of the mothers in the pregious generation served a lot of fish sticks.

I am glad to find I am not alone in my cooking ennui! Seriously now, I think we need a version of that pbs radio where someone calls in a list of impossibly sophisticated stuff in his or her fridge while a celebrity chef tells them what marvelous dish can be made of it. Only for ingredients like limp basil, a half picked carcass of a roast chicken, leftover chick peas, some dubious half and half and a shriveled orange. Or, alternatively, peanut butter, Nutella, carr's water crackers, Boursin and chopped chives.

I've been preserving the garden. Long, long days harvesting in the kitchen, I have been Canning. Both water bath and pressure cooking. 10 hours a day for three weeks. I'm over it.

I know Judy relates.

Ugh,cooking! It is the thankless chore. The only way for me to survive is to stock the freezer with "thaw-able" meals. Meatballs, cooked hamburgers and turkey burgers, soup and chili come to the rescue when I JUST. CAN'T. COOK. another meal. I also pre-assemble and cook breakfast burritos for my son. That cuts down on the morning messes.

Crockpot is fabulous...throw it together in the a.m. and come home to a prepared meal...I'll use it for soups and stews so it's one dish ready. But I've also used it for company...pot roast, pork roast or ham in the crockpot is great.

I'm a big believer in using the mw for vegetables. Wash, cut, zap...add butter and maybe an herb or spice. Yum.

Then you only have to get a protein...grilled chicken breasts, fish, pork chops, steak, fast and easy.[

The prepared salad mixes are great...you can choose to add some other stuff like cukes, radish, tomato, or not. A spot of dressing and you're good to go.

Then I leave it to DH if he wants a starch on the side...I certainly don't need it, but he can zap some peas or corn or a white or sweet potato, no problem.

In addition to being healthier, it's actually a lot faster than getting a meal to go...

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1521025}}

kswl, I'm surprised your town has enough population to sustain those chains but not other restaurants.

I probably cook on average 4 times per week, with the remaining nights being leftovers, something quick (salad, sandwich, cereal for DH - the man likes his cereal) or dining out. Like many of you, meals for us consist of salad, a lean protein, veggies and maybe a starch. Pretty simple.

I find it helps to ask family members to submit one meal request per week.

I've been involved in meal swaps with friends in the past (only good when everyone's committed to preparing healthy meals), but lately I've been attending meal preparation parties where we assemble 8-10 dinners to take home to freeze. It's actually an enjoyable social time. Empty nesters participate, too, and simply make smaller portions.

Jujubean, we do have other restaurants....lots of very cheap Mexican food, barbecue places full of gristle with fried bread as a side, a cafeteria in which I would not sit on the upholstery, an "Italian" restaurant that serves canned tomato sauce over overlooked spaghetti noodles, and so on. They are truly awful. Progresso soup and crackers = 100% better!

Kswl.......save yourself on Christmas for the big meal. How about a crockpot hearty stew and nice bread Christmas eve? Put together an egg casserole Christmas eve day to pop in the oven Christmas morning and serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake (that's what we do....casserole cooks while we open gifts). Lunch---have a supply of cold cuts, cheese, nice rolls, chips or slaw, etc..and everyone is on their own for lunch...just set everything out. Everyone will be sick of food by the following morning...so cereal or oatmeal with leftover coffee cake and fruit. Christmas is no fun when you are slaving away for 3 days in the kitchen!

Joanie, I would do exactly that for just our own nuclear fam. Usually I make apple French toast from the old Neiman Marcus cookbook (sits overnight in fridge, cooks in oven and makes its own syrup, fantastic!!!) for Christmas morning. However we do have a tradition of a fancy dinner the night before, as we usually opened presents Christmas Eve.

However. Fam of four coming to visit (my 2 nephews, brothers widow and her husband) are all sorts of allergic...,.to gluten (have seen SILscream at a waiter who placed a roll on her son's plate that it could kill him), to milk products, etc., etc., etc. Cannot just have breakfast casserole or French toast, no cereal unless vetted, etc.

Adding for Annie, my homemade crockpot beef stew is good but uses roux for thickening the stock /liquid. That's a no no with this group, and I don't think cornstarch is allowed either, although I would not use that as a thickening agent because of the glossy, translucent appearance it gives a sauce or stock.

Another here who cooks about 4 times a week. Only two of us also, so I try to cook a couple of meals that will provide leftovers. Like Sue, I try to prepare healthy meals for us to eat. Like Annie, I love my crockpot and will often (I work part-time) use it for a meat or soup/stew. However, we DO NOT like microwaved veggies and many of the salad mixes have preservatives or to me smell like the plastic bag. I generally will chop up a head of lettuce and other veggies first of the week and have that on hand for several days for salads. Place a white napkin/paper towel in the container with the lettuce and it will absorb moisture and help keep the lettuce from turning brown so quickly.

I enjoy cooking, when I have time. So I try to plan around that and on my busier days, use the crockpot or leftovers. We are in a small town but close to three larger cities that have some fab restaurants. We usually eat out several times a week - mainly through the weekend.

Kswl, Buy a bag of Cup4Cup flour, available on Amazon and at Williams-Sonoma. It is gluten-free and pretty much can be substituted for wheat-based flour in any recipe. I have to cook gluten-free during the holidays and have been using the product for four years. Check out Whole Foods for gluten-free corn bread and white bread cubes to use in making dressing/stuffing. Be sure to buy gluten-free stock/broth.

I know what you mean about holiday cooking. We do four large dinner parties during December and Christmas breakfast. I enjoy two of the parties and have fun trying new recipes and pretty table settings. The other two parties are each for 30+ family members and I don't enjoy them at all. Sad to say, but once my parents are no longer alive, I will NOT be hosting those people ever again.

AnnieD & I must be graduates of the same culinary academy! Yes to crockpot dinners and microwaved veggies. Also pressure cookers and a George Foreman grill. Crockpot red beans and rice are a family favorite.

Yesterday I actually cooked a convoluted recipe -- smothered chicken -- on the stove, but used the microwave for shortcuts. I microwaved the onions/celery/carrots while the chicken was pan browning just to shorten their cooking time. Later they got tossed into the pan for a final caramelizing, and since the chicken wasn't quite done in the center, I put the pieces in the mw for a couple of minutes while the veggies were browning. I think I shaved 15 minutes off of a lengthy cooking time.

I only make recipe meals once in a while, but keep ingredients on hand to whip up an impromptu meal in between. Well stocked supplies of canned diced tomatoes, corn, various beans, green beans, soups; ample amounts of frozen kale, collards, broccoli/cauliflower/carrot, colored pepper strips, lima beans; fresh green peppers, onions, carrots, celery, bags of salad greens. Fresh parmesan. Just add meat to make a stew, a soup, or a pasta topping. Frequently we'll have canned soup, but with lots of added veggies, and I'll make oat or corn muffins or rye biscuits or whole wheat biscuits just for some taste oomph. My husband loves hamburgers with fresh tomato & lettuce -- our Jenn Aire grill gets plenty of use for that, or the George Foreman if we're lazy.

I could have written pretty much what bossyvossy wrote. "What has worked best for us is to eat out a little, cook every day a little, do marathon cooking a little". That describes us very well.

I don't do much 'marathon-style cooking' except for holidays. I seldom make cakes, pies or desserts unless the kids are coming. I tend to use the crock pot more and more. In the winter we love soup or chili so I do make a big pot and we will eat that another day or two and I freeze some. I often make a small pan of cornbread to go with it, but our appetites are smaller than they used to be so really a bowl of soup is fine.

Kswl, you are right about the fact that I cooked all.the.time when the kids were home. The boys ate a lot so it was a necessity. But now we seem to be busy a lot of nights, which is why we eat out occasionally. Nothing fancy, but we'll grab a salad or soup at Panera or someplace we like. I'm with you on finding that cooking class. I think it should also limit the number of ingredients!

Yes to limiting the number of ingredients, outsideplaying! Really, "somebody" should do this!

Fun2bhere, I know there are a lot of gluten free products out there, although none of the ones you describe. Whole Foods....not around here....I think the closest one is a little more than an hour away! The thing that worries me about this is that I have never cooked with those substitutes, so I am either going to have to do a trial run of all the dishes well in advance or make two different batches of everything. I don't want to make huge dinners for 10 and have none of my own family eat then because the dishes taste different or (to them) bad. If I told her she had to cook all their own meals herself she would gladly do it--- she's a love--- but she is the kind of cook who sets out to make an apple pie for dinner that night at 5 pm (when dinner is supposed to be at six), starts by going through every cookbook she has, uses every pot and pan in the kitchen, every surface looks like a nuclear test site, and dinner is eaten at 8:30 pm. She is a great cook but we BEG her not to, and if she took over the kitchen on Christmas Eve or day we would be eating dinner at midnight.

So I am going to have to come up with a plan. She always asks if she can bring anything, but I have learned to say no as she has never brought food when I said yes----she brings ingredients because she got too busy to cook. And then takes over the kitchen, see above. Last Thanksgiving....don't ask.

Funny thing for me, kswl, is I am reasonably good at figuring something out from odds and ends. Our grocery budget is on the limited side so waste is kept to a minimum. Those bits of chicken I would add to some soba noodles, add some cilantro and a package of broccoli slaw, put the orange in a peanut sauce and that is a good summer dinner. In the winter, I would take the chicken and half and half, grab some dried mushrooms and dried tomatoes and some frozen spinach to make a pasta sauce. But, even if I had that all figured early in the day, come 5 o'clock, I still would have a hard time motivating myself to get in the kitchen. I may need to start fixing a cup of tea at 4, maybe some caffeine and sugar would help me get going.

I used to love to cook but for me, it has now become a chore. Why? Because I have four kids, ages 9-15, whose schedules keep me out the door on the go most evenings, plus, they have a wide variety of tastes so I can never please them all. There are only a few meals I make that will satisfy my entire crew, and even then, they want me to make the same things all the time, so I get tired of the same thing over and over.

That said, I make dinner at least 5 nights a week and despite the busy schedule, we try to eat together as a family nearly every night. It means eating late, but it somehow works out. They don't like to eat a meal before heading off to practice.

But, my kids do not like a large variety of veggies, or two will like one kind, but the other two won't. They also don't like their veggies with anything on them so I can't really jazz them up to make them interesting. I mean, I do, sometimes, but they will gag them down. For instance, I'll make steamed broccoli and then do a lemon/olive oil, garlic sauce and maybe a sprinkle of pine nuts. Nope. My youngest will eat almost anything, but often I will make the steamed broccoli, serve the boys theirs plain, then put the sauce on for dh, me and my girls. They don't like cheese or bread crumbs on them, or mushrooms, etc. I make a nice zucchini, yellow squash, onion and mushroom sauté. Girls will eat it, boys scoff. Raw carrots for them. And none of them really like their food mixed together, so can't do casseroles really either. Or if I do, they will pick out the parts they like. And I'm not a big meat eater, so there is nothing I'd love more than to make a big pot of quinoa loaded with veggies, but even dh is not a fan. I did make a quinoa dish with mango and black beans that he enjoyed, but the kids wouldn't touch it except my youngest. So things are often boring….grilled fish/chicken, steamed veggies, and plain orzo, rice or mashed potatoes. Oh, they ALL love mashed potatoes, but will not eat potatoes any other way, not cut up and roasted, not baked, etc. They will eat baked but begrudgingly.

However, they will eat stuff like grilled salmon and tuna, mahi mahi fish tacos, Asian pork tenderloin, sushi, edamame, spicy things. I don't know…just weird sometimes what they will eat, but then what they won't eat. They all love dh's grandmother's meatloaf recipe. And I gotta say, I'm not a big meatloaf fan, but it is really good for meatloaf.

One other big disappointment - none are big fans of marinara sauce or other classic Italian dishes. They will eat it, but it's not their favorite. And this Italian momma, who learned to cook in an Italian restaurant and whose father regularly made pasta from scratch growing up, goes nuts knowing her kids who are part Italian, do not really like ricotta cheese, or would rather eat their pasta with butter and cheese than with sauce. At least they like my meatballs and lasagna (but lasagna is just ok, not their favorite - it was my birthday request every year growing up!).

To try to keep myself sane during the week, I do make a plan on Sunday after looking over our calendar for the upcoming week. I see which nights will need a quick or prepared ahead meal that can be reheated easily (like tacos) or which nights I can do something a little more time consuming (last week we had chicken parmesan one night b/c it rained and no one had practice). And when dh is OOT and I have to manage logistics alone (like the next three nights), I admit, I cave and do "crap" meals. My son's most requested meal is steak subs and I only do that when dh is gone - Trader Joe's sells shaved beef so I do make it myself (marinade meat in a mixture of low sodium soy sauce, water and corn starch, then brown the meat - easy peasy!). And frozen french fries. And a salad for me and the girls (raw carrots and cukes for the boys who won't eat "leaves").

I just hope by the time I don't have to regularly feed this gang I will be happy to start cooking again. I long for the days when my Bon Appetit would come in the mail and we'd try 1-2 meals from eat each week. Dh loves to cook too. On the bright side, my youngest is the adventurous one, so by the time the other three leave the house, I'll then be able to have some fun cooking again while she is still here!

During the week I'm the queen of pan roasting. Very little oil in a pan, super high-heat searing then pop in a very hot oven for a few minutes and done! It works for anything: Chicken breasts, beef filets, fish, pork chops. Creates some nice juices too to pour over everything. Then I microwave some steam-in-the-bag veggies or make a salad.

We don't eat a lot of carbs these days so on the weekend (mostly for DH) I'll make a sweet potato hash, browned potatoes, or wild rice that can just be heated up during the week.

Also, on the weekend I make more complicated dishes like soup or ethnic dishes. I make enough for a meal, for leftovers and for freezing. Plus, I'll make stuff for lunch during the week like carnitas in the crock pot, hamburger patties and chicken meatballs. I concentrate mostly on protein.

I find that we eat much healthier when I cook. Even when DH is traveling a lot and it's just me at home, I still eat home cooking - that's when all the frozen meals really come in handy.

Magdalena - what do you put in the sweet potato hash?

I agree re the george forman grill although KSWL's climate is probably similar to mine and can grill outdoors many months of the year. Grilling - a big time saver. You can do meats and veggies on the grill.

Roasting - one of our fav things is roasted veggies. YUM!

And KSWL, I'm jealous of the silver queen corn. I had such a hard time finding it this year! The bi-color is becoming more popular around us and I think the weather was not great for silver queen this year. It's my absolute fav!

"Fam of four coming to visit (my 2 nephews, brothers widow and her husband) are all sorts of allergic...,.to gluten (have seen SILscream at a waiter who placed a roll on her son's plate that it could kill him), "

Just to clarify-for someone who is allergic to gluten ie has Celiac disease, *any* gluten starts a severe and diastrous biochemical reaction in the intestines which leads to the painful and debilitating cycle of lesions/digestive upset/scarring etc. It's a misconception that celiac sufferers just can't 'eat bread'. Literally a crumb left from a crouton on a salad can lead to weeks or months of agony.

Ann
aunt of a Celiac disease patient

Did I ever rant and rave about my last "gourmet" group dinner? I'll try to condense the story: planned as two groups at two houses. Hostess would do main course, other couples were assigned dishes. Hostess of 2nd house had to cancel a few days before, I said I can fit everyone at my house, I'll double up on the main dish, everyone stick to their original assignment. Two different people assigned to potatoes. One emails me at noon on the day of the event to cancel. Ok, I still have potatoes coming. At 5:45 pm, guests scheduled to arrive for 6, the 2nd potato person calls to say "that was tonight? I'm out of town, won't be there." Ooookay, I still have time to throw together a scalloped potatoes dish because one couple is always late and cocktail time can run a little longer while they finish cooking. Bread person shows up with bread that requires the oven. The oven that the main dish is still in. And still needs to be used for the potatoes. Also brings bagged salad and bottled dressing. To gourmet club. You would never know that the two desserts are the same dish they look so completely different. One brought spray can whipped topping. To gourmet club. The other made fresh whipped cream for the first time ever. That dinner of mediocre food was the last straw for me and I didn't rejoin the group after the summer break.

As for regular cooking, I cook 4-5 nights a week. I mostly enjoy cooking but go through periods when I'm tired and uninspired. I keep a log book of what I made, where I can find the recipe (if I decide to make it again), and comments about the meal. Looking back through the book helps inspire me when I'm running out of ideas and it's funny to read the comments months and years later.

Kswl, trust me on this. The whole idea behind Cup4Cup is that you can use it just like you use regular flour and no one will be able to tell the difference. I successfully have made cakes and cookies with it and used it to crust meat. The two things that it doesn't work well in are yeast rolls and thickened sauces, I've found. In my opinion, the C4C as a thickener makes sauces too glutinous, so I usually make a sauce from reduced pan juices and mount it with butter instead. For yeast rolls, you need to use a recipe that is specifically for gluten-free ingredients.

" Literally a crumb left from a crouton on a salad can lead to weeks or months of agony." Not for this group, Ann.

HHireno, I was laughing at your description of that "gourmet" dinner.... it's appalling how many people take food from the grocery store to a potluck these days!

Fun2bhere, I'm sold! I will have my mother pick up some of the cup4cup (she lives in Atlanta) to bring down the next time she visits. We will experiment, thank you!

I'm gluten-free - I have celiac, so I had to put in my 2 cents. I love the Classical Blend from Authentic Foods, but you have to add Xanthan gum, which is expensive but I've never ever used more than 1/2 tsp in a single recipe in the 4 years I've been cooking gluten free, so it lasts a long long time. So the cup for cup mixes are better for someone who doesn't have to cook GF all the time, but for someone who likes to bake I think it's the best texture and taste, especially when I add some coconut flour for fiber and taste.
I do love to cook, or I loved it more a few years ago. I've gotten tired of how unrelenting it is - just like the dishes. I think the dishes aspect is mostly why I have grown to like cooking less. I have to do all the cooking and cleaning, I stay at home, and I'm territorial about the kitchen, but I'd love a helping hand. I am worn out from cooking! It's hard to plan the meals, be creative with what you have, shop for the best deals, stay on a budget, (I have a strict budget) and prep the food and cook it and then clean up the mess. I have a somewhat limited repetoir, but I think that's because I'm young. I have 3 kids to care for, and we like to eat healthy. We don't have a problem with a meat, a microwaved veg, and a salad, or at least two adults and one child don't. The youngest eats salad!!! So happy about that. We love Mexican, and anything pasta, but that can get boring if that's all you cook. I have been using more fish sticks around here . . . oops . . . I buy GF ones for kids for myself to eat, Ian's, I would think that someone would make an adult version with a full filet of fish! I have a defective crock pot, need to buy one, this was handed down to me. It burns - really burns - stuff on high in three hours that should take 4-5 to cook, and low takes more than 8 hours. So I don't use it, and don't have a repetoir of recipes to use in it, but I LOVE Pinterest, so I'm collecting recipes. I try to cook enough for leftovers, but sometimes they don't freeze well, so I've been requested to stop. We have an extra freezer now, so I'll work on it. I guess I need to just get over the mind-numbing relentlessness of it, stop thinking of it as a chore and more of an expression of creativity like I used to. I love to bake still, but I've been doing it less, mostly because of moving and summer heat. Now it's time for pumpkin treats, so that's starting to change!!!! I made pumpkin donuts with my donut maker this weekend (counter-top teflon, waffle iron-like thing, I'm not very good with frying, wish I was but my health thanks me for it!!). I really like the donut maker - any cake recipe, supposedly, can be poured into it. I've found that to be mostly true, but try to thin some batters out with milk which helps.
I wish I could assemble stuff in advance and freeze it, like the breakfast burritos. I try - I really do, but we end up eating it all that night, and there isn't enough leftover, and it's usually too time-consuming to cook two meals in a night so that I can put nice little burritos in the freezer. It would be nice. But I try to do a nice breakfast or two on the weekends, with waffles or pancakes or eggs or cakes or something like that. I've even tried crock pot oatmeal two different ways, it wasn't worth the effort.
I get disappointed and frustrated by my novice-ness, new word there, when a meal bombs. Things fail miserably a lot because it's a new recipe (they almost always are) and it just doesn't come out right, and I don't always know what I'm doing, and I don't have everything down pat. Like timing a meal so that it gets done at the same time. It'll come, I'm sure, but everyone has to grin and bear it. (While I'm trying to grin and bear the relentlessness of it . . . what a cycle!)

I strongly dislike cooking...but then I am a very picky eater too. We grill year round (did this in MA too...shoveled a path to the grill) because I prefer plain, simple food. Now that my boys are older and are more open to different tastes they enjoy experimenting with different rubs, blackening, etc. However my younger son (21!) still refuses to eat meat cooked in the oven....weird like his mother. I do not grill...either my husband or son is in charge of that! I am an excellent salad maker and I do make breakfast, lunches and snacks for everyone to make up for my lack of dinner provision. Also, I always clean up for the cook. For me, an apple with some cheese or a salad is the perfect dinner. REALLY dislike food holidays...way too much pressure! And the grocery store or take out food for pot lucks...don't get me started...my husband's family are big on this too so I no longer bother myself to make something nice unless I want it to eat for myself....they could not care less.
We live in a small city with a multitude of excellent, award winning independent restaurants and as we strolled through town on Saturday we decided to move to a condo downtown and never cook again....but we'd have to win the lottery first!
Judy

Oh, I wanted to add, I buy almost all my flours online, but I can find them at Kroger and we have Meijer around here, and Big Lots carries GF flours now too, it's been in the ads for a long time. Aldi carries more GF stuff permanently. There are lots and lots of pre-made GF treats, crackers, cookies, mixes, etc, so it would be easy to pick up a mix and throw in eggs and butter. I have found you HAVE to refrigerate all cookie doughs before baking!!! Otherwise they burn, so just 15 or until cold, then roll it into a ball and USE PARCHMENT PAPER!!!!! I got tired of scrubbing pans forever after soaking them . . . GF cookies require parchment paper. And it really does just take a crumb.
And you could do simple foods, like mashed or cheesy scalloped potatoes (I never used a roux before, don't need it), a nicely seasoned meat, and a creative veggie dish or just a nice tossed salad. My husband prefers the GF noodles, they taste better! Quinoa is no harder to cook than rice, and better for you, and millet is cooked the same way.
I have hardly adjusted my recipes and cooking at all since I was diagnosed. Taco night is exactly the same, as is Pasta night, I just use GF burritos and noodles and check every single label. I once brought home a can of tomato paste - it had WHEAT in it!!!! You don't need wheat in tomato paste, I'm glad my husband caught that blunder for me! So I read every label. I used to take an excessively very long time at the grocery store, but I've learned how to navigate this diet better, though it still takes a while to look over every label. Recipes and ingredients in products can change without warning, I know!
One thing that is hard to replace is cream of XXX soup. There is a GF version, but it is yucky, and I don't have time to do it from scratch, so I think that's why I don't do so many casseroles and crock-pot dishes; they ALL call for it! I found a recipe for "Cream of Something Soup," but haven't tried it yet.
If you make a GF pie crust, use a sheet of wax paper under and on top when you roll it out. I don't need the one on top anymore because I've had so much practice, we eat a lot of apple pie around here. The GF crust is better in my opinion because it doesn't get mushy in a day or even after two days!!!
I need to get off this computer and focus on tonight's dinner, but this subject caught my attention!!! Thanks for letting me share!

I'm having Cheerios for dinner honey. What are you having?

Tina, I put whatever I happened to have in the sweet potato hash. Sometimes it's as simple as sweet potatoes and onions. But you could add peppers, garlic (even whole), kale, apples, sausage, bacon, etc. Season with salt & pepper, fresh herbs, paprika, cumin - whatever floats your boat.

Cube the sweet potatoes and whatever else to the same size, toss everything in olive oil, bake at 425 for 30 min.

I love it for breakfast with a fried egg on top.

We are big "foodies" and have been part of a gourmet food and wine group for many, many years. In fact, we had a group dinner last night....oh, so good!

I cooked all the time when the kids were at home and did plenty of baking too. A hot meal was on the table most nights (it did get complicated in MS and HS with all the sports). Lunches were made the night before and breakfast was made in the morning-simple stuff, but emphasis on healthy.

Now I work full-time and DH does consulting work from home (15-30 hours/week). He shops-he's out now -and does all the nightly meal preparation. He's a great cook and really enjoys it. Good timing I think!

Now I don't cook much, but still love to entertain and to try new recipes. The carmalized apple cake I made for gourmet group last night was NOT worth the work, but we had lots of laughs over making it....way too many steps!

My best tips are:
Plan ahead and have a list when you shop
Make double and freeze half
It's easier to buy a roasted chicken at Whole Foods than to roast one myself
Fresh veggies are easily steamed or roasted
Grill year-round
Crock Pot is great for stews and chili in Fall and Winter

We also love to dine out and do so frequently, mostly on weekends. I feel like a beached whale today!

I thought you all would get a kick out of this interview with a woman who blogs about mid-century cooking.

Here is a link that might be useful: 1950s jello-soaked recipes and other anomalies

Magdalena - that sounds delish and I will try the hash. We love roasted sweet potatoes so I think we would really like the hash. Thanks for the info!

Awm03, that article was too, too funny! My mother was really into jello in the sixties, and even now she makes this awful concoction called "cold duck salad," which in the sixties and seventies was part of the movement to pair gelatin and alcohol with as many foodstuffs as possible. She likes to bring it to holiday dinners and doesn't seem to notice that she is the ONLY one who eats it. My SIL and I always had a secret laugh over it, we'd die as martyrs before either of us would say anything about it, but when mother announces "I'll bring the cold duck salad" (raspberry jello made with cold duck-- whatever the heck that is----celery, canned mandarin oranges, grapes and nuts, with a topping of cool whip combined with mayo, and it is as disgusting as it sounds) SIL and I have to repress the giggles.

omg, kswl, my mother loved jello salads: orange, lemon, or lime jello with grated carrots and mandarin oranges. Reminds me of...I believe it's the introduction to Jane & Michael Stern's "Square Meals" writtten by M.F.K. Fisher where she says her wake up call to how America cooks was when she organized a PTA pot luck luncheon. She brought something gourmet and the other women all brought jello salads.

And here's my sister's famous Cool Whip story:

"My in-laws are hosting Thanksgiving. I volunteer to make pies [she is an excellent pie maker]. Now, my in-laws are hardscrabble, salt-of-the-earth types, and my husband is the first in his family with a college degree, so there are a few differences in outlook, but food we all can agree on, usually. After the Thanksgiving dinner, I slip into the kitchen to warm up the pies, and I get out my hand mixer and start whipping cream.

My sister-in-law walks into the kitchen, sees me whipping cream, and says with concern, "What's that?"

"It's whipped cream, Susan," I say. "I thought we'd treat ourselves to real whipped cream for the pies."

"You didn't bring no Cool Whip?"

So then Susan walks back into the dining room and says dejectedly to the others, "She didn't bring no Cool Whip."

"She didn't bring no Cool Whip?!" they gasp.

"She didn't bring no Cool Whip." "

Speaking of M.F.K. Fisher, this book looks like a good read:
Provence, 1970: MFK Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste

Ha, ha! I just wrote about this on my blog. I always plan meals. It helps, but it's just endless-- the whole process.

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Fight

anele, love your blog post. You haven't heard of soylent then? No need to cook if you can get into that...not sure how well it would go over with the family though....

Here is a link that might be useful: Soylent

Lol, Awm!!! No Cool Whip! I once pointed out to my mother that they call it that because it probably has no real dairy products in it (like McDonald's has or used to have "thick" shakes instead of milk shakes) and she was supremely unconcerned. She didn't learn to cook growing up and did not teach me or my brother, either, so we come from a long line of people for whom food magically appeared on plates at dinner time. It was a shock akin to being waterboarded with ice water when I found out what a chore it was! But also, in our family no one was supposed to be too interested in food anyway.....if you ate more than enough to keep a sparrow alive, eyebrows were raised......maybe the food tasted awful to keep us from eating it :-)

Annie!!!!! You just made my dreams come true. I had no idea!!!! I really think I am going to try this.

Kswl, my mom has the same mentality about eating like a sparrow.

Annie, Soylent almost makes me shudder thinking back to the old 70's movie 'Soylent Green'. That movie gave me the creeps back then!

Anele, I did enjoy your blog though. Thanks for the reminder of it!

Kswl, I'm curious-you wrote:

"She didn't learn to cook growing up and did not teach me or my brother, either, so we come from a long line of people for whom food magically appeared on plates at dinner time."

So did your mother and then you have a cook? I've long thought that of all the domestic help, if I had to pick one and only one luxury to hire it might just be a cook! Recall reading about Oprah's personal chef and thinking how absolutely divine it sounded to have somebody not only doing the preparation but the menus, the analysis of healthy ingredients, the logistical arrangement of the daily/weekly/whatever eating...wow.

Anele, loved your blog post! And I will add that one of the things that first delighted my future husband and I was our shared dream that, yes, someday someone would invent a magic pill that would eliminate the need for food :). That's when I knew I'd met my dream mate for sure.

Ann

Yes, outside playing....I remember the movie well, but this Soylent contains no people. But they do recommend that you break in slowly to it as it can lead to excess flatulence until you get used to it.

Me, I like eating too much to want to just drink all my meals. Though I have to admit that I am a regular with my breakfast smoothie...it is yummy and satisfying...and I feel less guilty if I eat poorly the rest of the day, knowing that I've at least had a sound breakfast....

While sometimes I enjoy baking, I rarely enjoy cooking, but I do enjoy eating a tasty home-cooked meal. That's why I cook. Same reason I make the bed every day....not that I enjoy making the bed, but I like having my bed made and my room nice and neat....

Ann---my mom's family did not have a cook as a child growing up, although she did later in life. She just wasn't taught to cook by her own mother, and so she did not teach me. I had no clue how meals ended up on the table. My mother loathes going to the grocery store and passed that along to me, too. When we lived in NYC seven years early in our married life I had groceries delivered from D'Agostino's. Regular grocery shopping was the worst part of moving to the suburbs for me! I got used to it but never enjoyed it, and still do not. So when we had the opportunity five years ago to "outsource" our marketing and most of the cooking, I was in heaven.

Since we don't have many places for good takeaway I am now forced to cook much more often than I would like, as housekeeper /cook is down to ONE day now. She tried to retire completely but that didn't work for me, lol!

I cook at least once every day. This is usually dinner, but in the summer I like a bigger lunch and light dinner. My youngest, who just turned 7, is totally against this! He has definite opinions about what is proper lunch or dinner food (rolling eyes!) We'll eat out or order something about once a month. Usually when I've had enough!

Breakfast during the week is cereal, but I will cook something on the weekends during the school year. Usually scrambled eggs with biscuits, toast or bagels. Sometimes biscuits and gravy when I need them to stay filled up that day.
I don't eat breakfast, just not ready to eat until around noon. Summertime is nice because I'll do the "breakfast" for lunch if we're all at home.

I make the kids' lunches for school and DH will help with that since he has week days off from work. Sandwiches, fruit, snack food but occasionally I'll make calzones or send leftovers that are easy to pack. I cook something quick for myself or heat up leftovers.

Dinner is the production. I admit, I get tired of it. Lately I've enjoyed myself because I've indulged in some new equipment, new cookbooks, or found something at the library for inspiration. I've been using Ina Garten's recipes here and there and have found them to be fairly simple yet so delicious! I'm reading one by Marcella Hazan and we've enjoyed some simple sauces. The Gorgonzola Sauce is to die for!

I've found that kitchen equipment that helps me, rather than having to work around the negatives, which really ups my enjoyment factor. I'm an appliance junkie, though! My oven is fantastic and I have a new induction cooktop that keeps my kitchen MUCH cooler and is incredibly responsive. My Breville toaster oven is used constantly for smaller portions and it also helps keep things cooler. I'm experimenting with my pressure cooker and am thrilled with it's economy as well as the food it produces. Finally, my mixer is a godsend.

Food I've prepared this week.
Bake sandwich bread for kids' lunches. They like Japanese milk bread and I do two loaves for the week. I'm hoping to lead them to more whole grains, but it's slow going!
Short ribs and mashed potatoes using pressure cooker.
Peanutty Noodles for DH's birthday dinner. Cheesecake was his dessert choice, made in pressure cooker. A quick blueberry topping for it.
Youngest's birthday was easy! Hot dogs and french fries. DH took care of the hot dogs on the grill while he made himself a steak. The child did require me to make cookies for his class, so the day before I made chocolate chip and peanut butter for his birthday dessert.
Roasted chicken with root veggies cooked along with it.
One day we ordered pizza, which was lunch the next day.
We had left overs of chicken/veg and peanutty noodles last night, yay!

I frequent the cooking forum, too. Looking for ideas, inspiration when I feel negative about cooking, and they are so nice.

I'm looking forward to the day when cooking is a choice, instead of a duty. It makes all the difference for me!
I love good food, so I cook. I like knowing what's in there, so I prepare a lot of homemade items. It's also more economical with 3 growing kids! Luckily, they eat a wide variety of foods.

KSWL, I also do NOT enjoy grocery shopping.

I usually cook something everyday. Some nights we'll have leftovers. I've recently decided I kind of like cooking, but it can take a lot of time. So most times I keep it simple and it's usually something like roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli. Some version of meat, starch, and veggie. Throw on some spices. (Yes, I know veggies are carbs with some being more starchy.) Every now and then I'll make something more involved.

I pretty much make everything from scratch and stay away from cans and boxes. Something about making a homemade version of cream of chicken soup makes me feel good. I do spend a good amount of time making pancakes and muffins, mainly for DS, and freeze them.

Apologies for not scrolling back, but i think it was this thread and HHireno that gave the Lentil salad recipe?

Just had it for lunch. Yum! Thank you, this will become a regular.

Oldest DD lives with me and works, I don 't. In spite of being home, I still don't cook everyday since after cooking for a family of 7 for years, I 'm over it! lol We each cook maybe once a week. I don't use prepared meals, except Amy's burritos, which I can make a 3 corse meal of! A sweet potato can suffice for dinner, sautéed veggies, eggs with spinach , tuna salad(with hard boiled egg), salad w/leftover salmon, brown rice w/ leftover salmon in terriaki sauce, Wednesday can be dinner out w/ DD and Fri/Sat/Sun are at least one if not two nights out. We eat mostly organic, and are lucky to have plenty of organic restaurants in the area. We spend a lot eating out but I consider it' my splurge. I love good food with a good glass of wine....or 2!