Article about needlework etc

On 4/27/09 9:44 AM, in article
, "anne"
wrote:

says...

I totally agree Cheryl, you said exactly what I was thinking.

I liked the subjects ;-) My guess is that the artworld likes them too.


Subject was ok - it was the execution...

C

I have to agree with Lucille here - there are some things that it *is*
cheaper to buy - spaghetti sauce is a very good example. And, as she
points out, there isn't enough time to do it all - homemade potato
salad is a real treat in my house - I don't often have the time to
peel and boil potatos, then wait for them to cool, chop the onion,
pickle, etc. Even (conservatively) estimating the value of my time at
minimum wage, we're talking $10 of my time to make it. Versus 2 cents
of my time to pick it up when I'm at the store anyway.

I do actually cook sometimes, but far too often, just don't have the
time.

Linda

When my kids were little, for a while Mark stayed home with them.
There was NO ONE in the neighborhood for them to play with - everyone
else was either in daycare or at activities. . .

linda

Trish Brown wrote:
Bruce Fletcher (remove dentures to reply) wrote:

When we see young (and not-so-young) mothers with a couple of children
in tow who fill their supermarket trolley with ready-prepared food
(burgers etc) and tinned produce Maureen often comments that with what
they spent they could buy a couple of joints of meat and some fresh
vegetables and, for the cost of an hour or two in preparation, give
their family several decent, much healthier and tastier meals.

YES! My two favourite soapboxes are macaroni cheese and pikelets
('pikelets' is Oz for small, single-bite pancakes).

My nieces will pay $$$ for vile, disgusting frozen macaroni cheese
and/or preservative-laden boxed pikelet mix. They say 'I don't have the
time to cook like you do, Aunt!'

Pppppbbbblllffftttt!

It takes twenty five minutes to heat the frozen gloop they call macca
and cheese, while I can whip up a scrumptious batch from scratch in
exactly ten! (NB. I cook my pasta in the microwave while the cheese
sauce bubbles on the stovetop) Bit o' flour, butter, milk, cheese and
bob'syeruncle!

Rather than pay three or four dollars for packaged pikelet gloop, it's
just as simple to chuck a cup of flour, an egg, some sugar and some milk
in a jug and mix! What's so hard about that???

Well I'm firmly on the side of cooking and baking from scratch - but I
really enjoy it and consider myself a "foodie". Yes there are times I
don't and I have a few staples such as canned soups or corn or jars of
pasta sauce in the cupboard. I work full-time (and more with my job
lately) and it takes some time but it's worth it to me. I try to make
double quantities of things when I can and freeze one batch for later -
very helpful on a busy night. Let's not even discuss baking - my fave -
homemade cookies, breads, biscuits, scones - always available in my
house

I can buy pasta, some veggies and a bit of sausage and have enough for
several meals instead of paying double for something that's full of salt
and other things and don't taste as good. Not to sound like a snob but
I don't really like the taste of a lot of "pre-made" stuff - it seems
very artificial to my tastebuds. I do have some snack stuff like
crackers for my kids after school but we are not a big soda, chips,
frozen pizza kind of house. I'm lucky to have the room for a nice sized
veggie garden too so come summer I use even better ingredients!

Not everyone likes or has time to cook and that's fine - but there are
simple quick healthy meals that take the same or less time to prepare as
all the pre-packaged expensive glop. My sister takes some time every
weekend to prep ingredients - like chopping up carrots, onions, etc. and
stores them in the fridge so they're ready to go when she's trying to
get dinner going on a weeknight after work and that system is great for
her.

Anyway - rant done - Bon Appetit!!

MelissaD

On 4/27/09 12:11 PM, in article ,
" wrote:

On Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:49:26 -0400, anne wrote:


They're getting a bit old for play dates ... when did going outside to play
with kids in the neighborhood get replaced by 'if Joanie can play with Suzie
on
Tuesday, then Suzie can come over next Thursday.'

I am glad someone else has noticed - I recently drove through a
suburban area at a time when formerly one would have seen lots of kids
out playing and lots of family dogs running loose. Not a one!

Yep -
The dog is leashed - leash laws abound. Or is behind an invisible fence.

The kids are in front of the TV or other screen.


C

MelissaD wrote:
Trish Brown wrote:

Bruce Fletcher (remove dentures to reply) wrote:

When we see young (and not-so-young) mothers with a couple of
children in tow who fill their supermarket trolley with
ready-prepared food (burgers etc) and tinned produce Maureen often
comments that with what they spent they could buy a couple of joints
of meat and some fresh vegetables and, for the cost of an hour or two
in preparation, give their family several decent, much healthier and
tastier meals.


YES! My two favourite soapboxes are macaroni cheese and pikelets
('pikelets' is Oz for small, single-bite pancakes).

My nieces will pay $$$ for vile, disgusting frozen macaroni cheese
and/or preservative-laden boxed pikelet mix. They say 'I don't have
the time to cook like you do, Aunt!'

Pppppbbbblllffftttt!

It takes twenty five minutes to heat the frozen gloop they call macca
and cheese, while I can whip up a scrumptious batch from scratch in
exactly ten! (NB. I cook my pasta in the microwave while the cheese
sauce bubbles on the stovetop) Bit o' flour, butter, milk, cheese and
bob'syeruncle!

Rather than pay three or four dollars for packaged pikelet gloop, it's
just as simple to chuck a cup of flour, an egg, some sugar and some
milk in a jug and mix! What's so hard about that???

Well I'm firmly on the side of cooking and baking from scratch - but I
really enjoy it and consider myself a "foodie". Yes there are times I
don't and I have a few staples such as canned soups or corn or jars of
pasta sauce in the cupboard. I work full-time (and more with my job
lately) and it takes some time but it's worth it to me. I try to make
double quantities of things when I can and freeze one batch for later -
very helpful on a busy night. Let's not even discuss baking - my fave -
homemade cookies, breads, biscuits, scones - always available in my
house

I can buy pasta, some veggies and a bit of sausage and have enough for
several meals instead of paying double for something that's full of salt
and other things and don't taste as good. Not to sound like a snob but
I don't really like the taste of a lot of "pre-made" stuff - it seems
very artificial to my tastebuds. I do have some snack stuff like
crackers for my kids after school but we are not a big soda, chips,
frozen pizza kind of house. I'm lucky to have the room for a nice sized
veggie garden too so come summer I use even better ingredients!

Not everyone likes or has time to cook and that's fine - but there are
simple quick healthy meals that take the same or less time to prepare as
all the pre-packaged expensive glop. My sister takes some time every
weekend to prep ingredients - like chopping up carrots, onions, etc. and
stores them in the fridge so they're ready to go when she's trying to
get dinner going on a weeknight after work and that system is great for
her.

Anyway - rant done - Bon Appetit!!

MelissaD

In the bookstores, there are at least two books on "how to cook for a
day and eat for a month". I bought two of them to send to ds when he
and his wife were both working - before kids, that is.

The basic idea is that you spend a Saturday cooking all day; chicken,
beef etc. etc. in various ways then freeze it all in specific size
portions in freezer bags to save room. Then, on weeknights, you stop
off for fresh veggies a couple of times a week, and assemble healthy,
tasty meals from your own pre-prepared meats plus nice fresh fruits and veg.

Myself, I am more likely to spend a day cooking just two or three meals
- at least four servings of each, and putting goodly amounts in my chest
freezer.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

But - as Cheryl can attest - weekends with kids means no time to
cook. How often have you seen me or Cheryl posting about spending our
weekend sitting on bleachers someplace? I leave on Friday, get home
late Sunday. So there's no time even then to prep etc.

When I *am* home, we do it - grill a bunch of stuff, precook, marinate
(then the kids can throw it on the George Foreman), chop, make mashed
potatoes, etc. It's just not always possible.

Even when I was growing up (okay, that WAS 30 years ago now), there
was a lot less competition for parents' time - kids didn't participate
in as many club sports that took up every weekend.

linda

"MelissaD" wrote in message
...
Trish Brown wrote:
Bruce Fletcher (remove dentures to reply) wrote:

When we see young (and not-so-young) mothers with a couple of children
in tow who fill their supermarket trolley with ready-prepared food
(burgers etc) and tinned produce Maureen often comments that with what
they spent they could buy a couple of joints of meat and some fresh
vegetables and, for the cost of an hour or two in preparation, give
their family several decent, much healthier and tastier meals.

YES! My two favourite soapboxes are macaroni cheese and pikelets
('pikelets' is Oz for small, single-bite pancakes).

My nieces will pay $$$ for vile, disgusting frozen macaroni cheese and/or
preservative-laden boxed pikelet mix. They say 'I don't have the time to
cook like you do, Aunt!'

Pppppbbbblllffftttt!

It takes twenty five minutes to heat the frozen gloop they call macca and
cheese, while I can whip up a scrumptious batch from scratch in exactly
ten! (NB. I cook my pasta in the microwave while the cheese sauce bubbles
on the stovetop) Bit o' flour, butter, milk, cheese and bob'syeruncle!

Rather than pay three or four dollars for packaged pikelet gloop, it's
just as simple to chuck a cup of flour, an egg, some sugar and some milk
in a jug and mix! What's so hard about that???

Well I'm firmly on the side of cooking and baking from scratch - but I
really enjoy it and consider myself a "foodie". Yes there are times I
don't and I have a few staples such as canned soups or corn or jars of
pasta sauce in the cupboard. I work full-time (and more with my job
lately) and it takes some time but it's worth it to me. I try to make
double quantities of things when I can and freeze one batch for later -
very helpful on a busy night. Let's not even discuss baking - my fave -
homemade cookies, breads, biscuits, scones - always available in my house


I can buy pasta, some veggies and a bit of sausage and have enough for
several meals instead of paying double for something that's full of salt
and other things and don't taste as good. Not to sound like a snob but I
don't really like the taste of a lot of "pre-made" stuff - it seems very
artificial to my tastebuds. I do have some snack stuff like crackers for
my kids after school but we are not a big soda, chips, frozen pizza kind
of house. I'm lucky to have the room for a nice sized veggie garden too
so come summer I use even better ingredients!

Not everyone likes or has time to cook and that's fine - but there are
simple quick healthy meals that take the same or less time to prepare as
all the pre-packaged expensive glop. My sister takes some time every
weekend to prep ingredients - like chopping up carrots, onions, etc. and
stores them in the fridge so they're ready to go when she's trying to get
dinner going on a weeknight after work and that system is great for her.

Anyway - rant done - Bon Appetit!!

MelissaD



I used to cook a lot for my family, but not very much for myself. For one
person, making things from scratch might taste better and I'll even give you
the fact that it takes about the same amount of time, but tell me? Do you
happen to have a self cleaning kitchen.

Do all those mixing utensils, pots and pans and chopping boards clean
themselves? If they do, please let me in on your secret.

"Olwyn Mary" wrote in message
...
MelissaD wrote:
Trish Brown wrote:

Bruce Fletcher (remove dentures to reply) wrote:

When we see young (and not-so-young) mothers with a couple of children
in tow who fill their supermarket trolley with ready-prepared food
(burgers etc) and tinned produce Maureen often comments that with what
they spent they could buy a couple of joints of meat and some fresh
vegetables and, for the cost of an hour or two in preparation, give
their family several decent, much healthier and tastier meals.


YES! My two favourite soapboxes are macaroni cheese and pikelets
('pikelets' is Oz for small, single-bite pancakes).

My nieces will pay $$$ for vile, disgusting frozen macaroni cheese
and/or preservative-laden boxed pikelet mix. They say 'I don't have the
time to cook like you do, Aunt!'

Pppppbbbblllffftttt!

It takes twenty five minutes to heat the frozen gloop they call macca
and cheese, while I can whip up a scrumptious batch from scratch in
exactly ten! (NB. I cook my pasta in the microwave while the cheese
sauce bubbles on the stovetop) Bit o' flour, butter, milk, cheese and
bob'syeruncle!

Rather than pay three or four dollars for packaged pikelet gloop, it's
just as simple to chuck a cup of flour, an egg, some sugar and some milk
in a jug and mix! What's so hard about that???

Well I'm firmly on the side of cooking and baking from scratch - but I
really enjoy it and consider myself a "foodie". Yes there are times I
don't and I have a few staples such as canned soups or corn or jars of
pasta sauce in the cupboard. I work full-time (and more with my job
lately) and it takes some time but it's worth it to me. I try to make
double quantities of things when I can and freeze one batch for later -
very helpful on a busy night. Let's not even discuss baking - my fave -
homemade cookies, breads, biscuits, scones - always available in my house


I can buy pasta, some veggies and a bit of sausage and have enough for
several meals instead of paying double for something that's full of salt
and other things and don't taste as good. Not to sound like a snob but I
don't really like the taste of a lot of "pre-made" stuff - it seems very
artificial to my tastebuds. I do have some snack stuff like crackers for
my kids after school but we are not a big soda, chips, frozen pizza kind
of house. I'm lucky to have the room for a nice sized veggie garden too
so come summer I use even better ingredients!

Not everyone likes or has time to cook and that's fine - but there are
simple quick healthy meals that take the same or less time to prepare as
all the pre-packaged expensive glop. My sister takes some time every
weekend to prep ingredients - like chopping up carrots, onions, etc. and
stores them in the fridge so they're ready to go when she's trying to get
dinner going on a weeknight after work and that system is great for her.

Anyway - rant done - Bon Appetit!!

MelissaD

In the bookstores, there are at least two books on "how to cook for a day
and eat for a month". I bought two of them to send to ds when he and his
wife were both working - before kids, that is.

The basic idea is that you spend a Saturday cooking all day; chicken, beef
etc. etc. in various ways then freeze it all in specific size portions in
freezer bags to save room. Then, on weeknights, you stop off for fresh
veggies a couple of times a week, and assemble healthy, tasty meals from
your own pre-prepared meats plus nice fresh fruits and veg.

Myself, I am more likely to spend a day cooking just two or three meals -
at least four servings of each, and putting goodly amounts in my chest
freezer.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.



I understand cooking and I did my share of it over the years. I don't enjoy
cooking for one, but I do it on occasion. Would you be willing to rent
some freezer space. I have a very limited amount of space in my very
small, very inadequate side by side and zero space for a chest freezer.

"Trish Brown" wrote.
Dawne Peterson wrote:
I think there are people in every generation who are raised to be
self-sufficient, and those who aren't. I couldn't cook when I married
the first time--but I could read, and if you can read, you can cook. 3
of my Dad's 4 sisters had no domestic skills either--never learned,
because they were training to be teachers and nurses.

Dawne

I reckon it skips generations. My grandmother was a sickly person who
seemed to have the vapours most of the time. Hence, my Mum was brought up
to do *everything* around the house. Then she, in her turn, brought us up
to 'get out of my way' and give her space to do all the things that wanted
doing. We never lifted a finger as kids! I remember Ugly and me begging to
be allowed to wash the dishes because all our school friends did and we
simply didn't know how! We asked to be given chores, but were told it was
just quicker if Mum did the stuff and we kept out of the way. Sigh.

Sounds like my mum too--well, the cooking part. She was quite prepared to
allow me the unskilled labour of washing dishes, putting clothes through the
wringer, and scrubbing the floor!! Otherwise she wanted no one underfoot.
Hers was an interesting mix of the Scots frugality she grew up with on a
farm (I liked the oxtail and managed the beef liver--but not the stuffed
beef heart--gag) and 50s canned soup cooking.

I think cooks have always looked for ways, at least on some days, to make
things quick and convenient. I imagine canned soup, pudding mix and custard
powder, canned salmon and jello were all gratefully received by busy mothers
when they hit the shelves, no matter how some might turn our noses up at
them now.

I sometimes thing nostalgically of my grannie's woodstove though. After it
was lighted in the morning, it was on all day, and so she always had
something going on, whether it was bread rising in a drawer, frying
leftovers and potatoes for the dogs, or just the perennial coffee
tar-ifying itself on the back burner. No gadgets to hunt out. She would
make a batch of her very thin Swedish pancakes (pretty much like crepes,
only never so regular in shape) at the least hint of a hungry grandchild.
However, I would not want to have the cleaning of that thing on a regular
basis. I did put in my share of mornings when I visited splitting wood and
lighting the stove though.

Dawne