One of the things that I really enjoy doing, now that I have the time to do it, is cooking. And baking. I like to find new recipes.
I made a turkey the other day. Of course there were left overs. We had turkey salads, which were very nice. We had turkey sandwiches. Likewise, very nice.
But we still had turkey.
What to do, what to do? It was cold outside, and I thought that a nice pot of soup might hit the spot. And so I looked around on line and found a recipe that sounded very nice,
I bustled around the kitchen and rustled up a very nice tasting soup. It looked pretty too. I served it up for supper and...to say it was not a hit was an understatement.
It's a little exasperating. Any new recipe is viewed with great suspicion in this house. Tonight, I made the great anouncement. "You know what? I'm tired of putting together meals that everyone turns their noses up at. From now on, I'm not fussing over meals. We're having the same old stuff that we always have."
And two sets of eyes, one pair brown, one pair hazel, looked at me with such hopeful expressions.
BAH!!!!!
And then you serve up the same old same old....and they complain!!
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, they don't complain about the same old, same old. I've got that in my corner at least!
DeleteBack in the days when we used to have dinner guests, a couple of times my partner decided to try new recipes and neither were great. Stick to what you do well is my thought. Another time we knew our two guests were very fond of salt and used to pour it on to their meals. Lasagne was made with lots of salt added. I couldn't eat it as I've never added salt. Now we don't even add salt to food as it is cooking. Same old stuff appeals to me.
ReplyDeleteWell, I like adventure, but I also don't like to waste effort or food. I'll have to do my adventuring when we go out to eat, I guess.
DeleteSimilar problems here. Lillie my grandfather has a very limited range of what she likes and I get so bored of making mashed potatoes. But then you feel guilty if they don't like what you have cooked.
ReplyDeleteTim and William will eat mashed potatoes with any sort of gravy. I boiled the meat from the bones. Tonight, we're having turkey gravy over mashed potatoes. They are smacking their lips in anticipation.
DeleteI used to say "I'm trying something new" and Colin would say " Are you? Oh dear"
ReplyDeleteNow that gave me a laugh! I made a new recipe once and asked Tim if he liked it. He said, very thoughtfully, "I do like it. Not a lot though."
DeleteNow, you tell me...what does that even mean?
Oh Sue, that made me smile! I have a fussy husband - it's quicker to list what he WILL eat rather than what he won't touch with a bargepole (rice and pasta included!) Sorry that the soup wasn't a success. Perhaps you could just freeze the leftover turkey meat for a meal in a few weeks' time?
ReplyDeleteOh, I could have. Perhaps next time, I will. But this time around, it's off the bone, in a stewpot of broth in the fridge. It will make a nice meaty gravy over mashed potatoes. William will have three helpings of it, and then heat himself up another bowl for a bedtime snack!
DeleteI do get bored making the same meals day in, day out. Occasionally I try something different but it is soul destroying when it is met with total indifference.
ReplyDelete'Total indifference' is a step up for me!
DeleteI look up pub menus for food ideas. Wetherspoon's often gives me inspiration.
ReplyDeleteOh, don't they just have the best curries! But you know who won't eat curries?
DeleteThat’s pretty funny really. Tastes are so variable that even our family dinners for 5 are a challenge.
ReplyDeleteJust three of us here, and I'm struggling.
DeleteThank goodness, my husband will try almost any food and likes most all of it, although some better than others.
ReplyDeleteTim generally eats without complaint. William? He's a complainer.
DeleteSome people are just not very adventurous eaters, which is very frustrating for the ones that are!
ReplyDeleteIndeed!
DeleteI love to try new recipes in the kitchen. Some become part of the rotation, some...meh. An honest effort, at least.
ReplyDeleteI did the turkey using a new technique. The stuffing was a new recipe as well. That was a hit. It went downhill after that.
DeleteThanks for the laugh Debby! Hah! I am amazed at "children" and what they decide to eat and won't try. Both of our kids turned up their noses many times at what was fixed. Yet due to their mixed heritage background, they often eat things that other pure Caucasian kids at school think is highly suspect. I think my oldest one finally realized the hypocrisy of the situation and has started branching out in the world of tasting.
ReplyDeleteI myself will try just about anything once and rarely have I found something that I wouldn't eat a second time.
The second day of soup, after the flavors had blended, I was even more happy with it. I urged Tim to try some. I said, "Doesn't it taste even better today?" He said, "I hate it more today than I did yesterday."
DeleteOkay then.
I'm lucky that my oldest son lives with me and he will eat anything! I do have a lot of standards that I often fall back on but it is fun to try new things sometimes.
ReplyDeleteTim used to quietly eat what was set in front of him. New recipes, I always ask, 'should I keep this recipe or lose it?' William is a complainer, and now that he's around, Tim has become a bit more vocal as well.
DeleteI am so sorry to hear that your turkey soup did not meet with approval. I often make soup, but I don't follow recipes. I just add stuff here and there. My main ingredients are water, bouillon cubes, a meat - usually chicken, or turkey (sometimes I start with meaty bones which I boil and then remove the bones before adding further ingredients), then a handful or two of regular rice, one or two peeled potatoes cubed, chopped celery and onion, a handful of pasta noodles, salt and pepper, garlic salt, crushed rosemary or thyme, sage and/or poultry seasoning if using turkey. A bay leaf goes well with potatoes. Let simmer for an hour or so. Taste and adjust flavorings. I always make a roux from butter and flour, 2 TBsp each if cooking a large amount of soup, 1 TBsp each if a small amount of soup. Combine well, then put some of the soupy water into the cup or bowl of butter and flour, and stir it together. Add more water and stir it up so it will pour easily. Stir it into the simmering soup pot. Let simmer for a few minutes and then taste once again. Sometimes you need more bouillon, sometimes if you have gravy left over you can add that, makes a big difference. Sniff the aroma rising from your soup - then open a spice jar and sniff it, see if the two might go well together. Just sprinkle some of the spice into the hot water and let simmer a moment, then taste and see if you like the flavor. Don't give up on soup yet!
ReplyDeleteSoups are an excellent way to use up the dibs and dabs, aren't they?
DeleteThis made me laugh Debby. I am not a lover of any soup made with meat of any kind. I like my soups full of veggies. so glad I didn't pop in to see you that evening!
ReplyDeleteI love vegetable soups as well. To be fair, I have a goodly collection of soup recipes. We eat a lot of it during the winter. But...this soup does not get added to my list.
DeleteI made a new recipe of cabbage rolls last night. Wonderful and so much easier than my old recipe. Took time, yes, but less mess in kitchen. I love new recipes but often get the same reaction!
ReplyDeleteTim always says that he doesn't like cabbage. Yet, every time I make something with cabbage, he likes. It gets difficult to keep sorted!
DeleteAt least you're not dealing with a vegan and a carnivore two meals a day. There aren't nearly as many cross-over meals as you might think.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Leave it to you to point out the bright side! Thanks!
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