My family doesn't complain too much when I make a less than stellar meal, but if I go to the work to cook, I'd like folks to enjoy it. I'm regularly on the look out for ways to enhance an other wise bland meal, or upcycle leftovers that were left because the original dish didn't garner much enthusiasm. A few other reconstructed saves include:
- Over cooked/dry pork, which happens (often in my house) when left too long in the slow cooker, is perfect in refried rice because it breaks up really well, than it soaks up the flavors an d liquid while the rice is frying
- Bland or dry oven baked hotdishes (pasta or rice) have been salvaged with either a stir in of a blend of a can of tomatoes, a dash of olive oil, garlic powder and Italian seasoning, or for a creamier option, a stir in of a cup of yogurt or sour cream with garlic or other spices
- My daughter makes homemade granola bars. Sometimes, they don't set well so she just crumbles them up and has granola which she used with yogurt or even just a snack mix
- I love my universal muffin recipe. As I often don't measure and just check things in, occasionally they are dryer than I'd like, or not sweet enough. Split them open and cover with home made jam and they almost taste like intended them to be dry or unsweet.
These kinds of missteps happen frequently, so I'm always looking to figure out how not to scrap it all in the garbage. Who else has any general food save ideas?
I think this is one area where I must confess to wasting with wild abandon. If something I make turns out poorly, I want it out of the house! Fortunately it doesn't happen often. The usual culprits are my baked goods. If a make a pie crust which won't roll, I toss, and start fresh. Also, for some reason, one particular recipe of cookies has been hit or miss lately. It seems as if every other time I bake them, they come out thin and hard. Out they go. When something savory hasn't turned out, I have salvaged what ingredients I can--meat, potatoes, veggies--for a soup, stew or cottage pie, but usually, I just cut my losses and move on. I do this because I never believed eating should be a chore, but something to be enjoyed. You have to eat, so why not enjoy it? That said, complaining about food, in fact, any rudeness and ingratitude at the dining room table is treated harshly in this house, even if the meal was less than stellar. I welcome comments after clear up, like, "I prefer my beef a bit less rare," or,"Do you suppose we could try roasting the broccoli next time?" but not during. We have an "Eat what you want, leave what you don't, but you will sit until you are excused and mind your manners while doing so" policy. When they were younger, after dinner, if I had noticed a kid hadn't eaten much, I would offer to fix, or suggest they fix themselves a sandwich. HOWEVER, any kid who griped, complained, disparaged, for any reason was immediately removed from the table, and sent to bed for the night. As they grew older, this changed to being required to prepare the next night's meal. It was particularly effective when that meant missing something they wanted to do after school because they had to come home and prepare dinner!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting Meg-great discussion.I really struggle with throwing perfectly good food, just because it wasn't my favorite. I've done to much work in my life with people who are genuinely suffering from food insecurity to give myself this privilege. But if inedible/ruined, yes, I'll throw. I'm not that much of a martyr. While I agree food should be enjoyed, usually the misses can be salvaged enough to be good enough. I wouldn't like having negative comments during the dinner either and I regularly get suggestions or feedback, which I ask for, when I try something new.
DeleteI have always loved to cook and I'm not a bad cook but I do remember my oldest sitting at the table one day and saying "mommy, I love you very much, and I love that you take the time to try out different recipes for us, but please, please, please never make that again"! He was about 10 at the time and I just burst out laughing (because he was right)!
ReplyDeleteI will get a response like, "It wasn't my favorite,"
DeleteThese are good tips. If a cake doesn't turn out, its crumbles can be used as a topping for yogurt (or pudding). If a steak is overdone, it's sometimes still tasty sliced in thin strips for a leafy salad.
ReplyDeleteMore good tips. For cake, load with frosting or whipped cream!
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