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Thursday epiphany - seriously!

January 6th, 2012 at 12:30 am

I had an epiphany today - not in the religious sense but in the "a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience." sense. (Thank you, dictionary.com!)

I was looking in my refrigerator for the cheese I needed for the King Ranch Chicken written about at homesicktexan.com (Thank you, CCraw!) and as I looked at the five containers of leftovers that need to be eaten it hit me - I love to cook but I don't necessarily love to eat what I've cooked! Let me repeat that. I love to cook but I don't necessarily love to eat what I've cooked. Slowly now. I-love-to-cook-but-I-don't-necessarily-love-to-eat-what-I've-cooked. The light bulb went off as I looked at the stacks of food that were soon going to have to make room for the leftover King Ranch Chicken and I almost fell over. How could I not have seen this before?

I love to cook but the eating of what I cook is often simply a chore to me. I eat enough to judge the recipe, rip it up, spit it out, etc. but I don't actually dig in and enjoy it. I don't savor it. I don't linger over the scents and flavors like I do food that I don't cook. I basically eat it without paying much attention to it because by the time it's ready, I'm bored!

It explains so much;the almost constant overflow of food languishing in the fridge, the overspending on the grocery budget, the leisurely pace at which I grocery shop when all other shopping means I run in, grab what I need and get the hell out, perhaps even the lack of interest I have in plating and presentation of the food. Of course, the latter can also be explained by the fact that I feed just me. But still. Do you see where I'm going with this?

It might not seem to be much of an issue but it is when one is opposed to waste and on a limited budget. Today I made King Ranch Chicken when I have two containers of chicken and dumplings, a large container of mexican stew, and two containers of beef and barley soup. I didn't need to prepare another dish! But I did. And now I have six containers of leftovers in the fridge.

I dislike how most food tastes when it's cooked, frozen, then reheated though I don't mind it with soups and things with very little to no meat. So freezing everything isn't the answer. The answer is apparently to make smaller amounts, make myself eat what's in the fridge before preparing more, etc.

If you have ideas on this, please share them with me as I absolutely have to get this under control.

Now that I'm aware of this I might find it easier to control it but I need some input and suggestions. I'm trying to figure out what to do with the food that's in the fridge now. The mexican stew will be fine in the freezer but not the other stuff. Oh wow, how could I not have seen this??

7 Responses to “Thursday epiphany - seriously!”

  1. CB in the City Says:
    1325811705

    I live alone and struggle with this, too. I do like to eat what I cook, but after years of cooking for a family I can't seem to learn to make less. I do freeze a lot, but I have problems with freezer burn, etc.

    I'm on a $20 per week challenge for groceries, so that is forcing me to eat what I have. It's a whole new perspective, really!

  2. creditcardfree Says:
    1325815020

    Glad you have come to this ephiphany!! However, I don't have a suggestion, other than cooking what you do love to eat and in smaller quantities.

  3. DeniseNTexas Says:
    1325817585

    CB, I'm getting much better at preparing small amounts of food but still lack in that skill at times. Obviously! There's no way I'll eat all the food that's in the fridge but a friend of mine told me tonight he'll take the chicken and dumplings. Fine, they're his!

    CCFree, that's just it. I *do* cook what I love to eat but by the time I get to eat it, I'm not interested. I'm going to have to ponder this awhile and come up with some solutions. This just isn't acceptable!

  4. frugaltexan75 Says:
    1325827546

    Well ... do you have any friends or acquaintances that also love to cook? Perhaps you could exchange recipes and have them cook two or three things you'd like, and you cook two or three things they'd like.. Then you'd still get the enjoyment of cooking, but the food you'd actually be eating would have been made by someone else. Smile
    Or perhaps .. you and a friend could take turns cooking. Or if you don't have any friends that enjoy cooking, you could invite them over several times a week to enjoy a home cooked meal (and maybe they'd give you a small amount of compensation??) That way you'd get to cook, and you wouldn't have too much in the way of leftovers.

    These ideas may be out in left field since I am holding my eyelids open with toothpicks Smile

  5. DeniseNTexas Says:
    1325850429

    Frugaltexan, most of the people I know don't cook and go out of their way to avoid it but I do know one or two who cook from necessity so I'll talk to them about your idea.

    Today I'm taking the King Ranch Chicken and Mexican Stew to work with me and hope most of it will be eaten by the time I get off work!

  6. CCraw Says:
    1325891914

    How did you like the King Ranch Chicken off her site? When I made it I had a huge pan. I gave half to my parents, ate some that night some for lunch and froze a portion. If I don't freeze too much of something I don't mind, it's like having a TV dinner but if I freeze too much I end up throwing it away.

    If you ever make the tortillas on her site I guarantee you'll never buy another store bought flour tortilla again. Luckily I already knew how to roll tortillas but my son makes them and they come out all sorts of shapes but they taste awesome!

    I'm alot like you, I make too large of portions because there were five in my family before I was divorced and my kiddos left home....it's hard to adjust when you are used to cooking like that.

  7. DeniseNTexas Says:
    1325896348

    CCraw, I loved the casserole! I'll probably never make it another way again. Smile And I even substituted a few things!! It really was delicious. I learned how to make homemade tortillas a few months ago from Lee Allison on Google+. I joined a cooking hangout where he taught how to make flat breads and I made the best flour tortillas I've ever eaten. Unfortunately, tortillas are a rare treat for me (too high in carbs) and when I eat them, they're low carb. I'd love to know how to make *those*! Wink
    Perhaps we can work on our overcooking issues together. lol

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