topic Re: Do you go through cooking phases? in Kitchen

Do you go through cooking phases?

sabatini — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 20:39:17 GMT

@Annabellethecat66's thread over on the Among Friends forum made me think to ask.

She was talking about 'eating jags' (like Tootsie Roll Pops!), but I'm wondering about cooking stuff, because that's what I do.

For example, I've had a wonton/potsticker phase & will make them over and over again, trying out different wrappers and cooking methods; steaming, pan frying, or deep frying to see what I like best.

I've also had a fresh pasta phase, & had fun making my own dough & rolling it out onto the table & trying different shapes.

We won't talk about the pizza phase.....

Right now, I'm in a corn tortilla phase, and have been making my own, though I think that after tonight, that's IT for now.

The thing is, I just get a thought, like 'I wonder how you...' and run w/ it, even though I've no idea what I'm doing, but it's fun to try!

How about you?

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

eddyandme — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 20:49:37 GMT

You must be a wonderful cook. I'm just pleased when something tastes good and kinda stick with it. Guess I have no imagination when it comes to preparing meals.

Just got my Nutrisystem this afternoon so I'll be in a minimal cooking phase, which I shall enjoy!

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

blackhole99 — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 21:03:25 GMT

I used to bake bread as a side line or should I say as a value added product for my farm stand. I started baking bread again for my husband and I, so maybe I'll do it this spring when I have greens for sale. It's a lot of work, but people don't seem to mind paying 5 dollars for a 2 lb. loaf of homemade bread.

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

sabatini — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 21:26:38 GMT

@eddyandme, I don't think I'm a "wonderful" cook, but I just love to do it!

Good luck w/ your new toy!

@blackhole99, I'm not a baker, and bread making intimidates me. It's too exacting, w/ too many variables, & requires a skill level that I don't posses.

Your bread must be amazing since you're able to sell it. 2 thumbs up!

My mom always made her own bread, and just dumped 5#s of flour into a big pan, and added this 'n that. It was wonderful!

I'd think I'd be afraid to go through a bread making phase. The pizza phase was bad enough - weight wise!

Maybe one day I'll give it a whirl. I don't like it when I don't know how to do something.

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

on the bay — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 22:29:53 GMT

I used to but I don't think its the same kind of cooking you are talking about.

I think it was mostly because I couldn't think of other things!

I would make stir frys. This was made with those frozen steak-ums and frozen vegetables and some worcester sauce and pepper.

Then when the kids would say in their little polite trying not to hurt my feelings voices, Mom, can we have something besides sitr fry?

Then I would make chicken-burnt chicken legs baked extremely well.

My brother in law worked at Popeyes and used to bring us chicken and biscuits every single night which we really appreciated but when they got older they didn't want to see a popeyes chicken again lol!

I also made turkey legs in the crockpot a lot! And everyone did like those.

I like going to Trader Joes when I do because they have such interesting things!

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

sabatini — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 00:15:26 GMT

@on the bay, LOL about your BIL bringing over the Popeye's suppers!

When my sons were young teens, they had friends who worked at the mall, at Auntie Ann's Pretzels & at Cinnabon. We always had a ton of them both. Dangerous times. LOL!

I smiled when you said that your kids would politely ask you not to make that stir-fry anymore.

When my kids were little, and would walk in the door from school, they'd say 'Oh, no! She set the table with chopsticks again."

Haha!

That reaction came after my disaster of making 'Ants Climbing Up A Tree', which I still haven't lived down to this day. Even the dogs wouldn't eat it.

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

on the bay — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 00:23:58 GMT

@sabatini-

Lol! What a team we'd make in the kitchen!

I wasn't going to mention this story but well, now that I'm in the confessing mood with some other gentle souls (I hope)

the first dinner I ever went to at my inlaws was we were all to bring something.

My husbands family came from mostly New England and they eat meat potatoes and ok a vegetable, no leftovers or casseroles.

I on the other hand came from more inventive🤣 type meals.

So I made a green noodle casserole. There were actually either blank or shocked looks.

The next time and everytime after, I was asked to bring the sodas!! lol!!

Oh and there was a whole lot left. I kept saying, there's plenty more where that came from

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

sabatini — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 00:52:34 GMT

@on the bay, "There's plenty more where that came from." LOL!!

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

homedecor1 — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 01:21:51 GMT

right now yes (cooler temps) I'm in a real cooking mood! I vowed to use what's been in the freezer for 3 months. I did a lot of traveling since November & I'm really cooking a lot.

This week I've made:

Pot Roast, stuffed peppers, meatballs & sausage with homemade sauce (with homemade raviolis), chicken & dumplings, roasted chicken w roasted veg, and tonight I made fish.

I'm shocked spouse is eating leftovers which he never likes! I think certain things taste better after a few days!

I am baking tomorrow a lemon poppy seed cake and chocolate chip pie for a meeting.

Once the weather heats up its going to be back to salads!

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

Daysdee — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 01:37:12 GMT

I made homemade soup which I haven't made for a while. A few weeks ago I made chow mein and broccoli beef in the same week. I haven't made pasta sauce for zoodles in a while and I was making that often.

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

house_cat — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 02:05:06 GMT

@sabatini wrote:

The thing is, I just get a thought, like 'I wonder how you...' and run w/ it, even though I've no idea what I'm doing, but it's fun to try!

How about you?

@sabatini

Yes! This happens to me all the time! One of my most memorable phases was the homemade potato knish phase - it turns out some things are soooooo much easier to buy than to make.

I go through bread baking phases regularly - DH loves those phases, but they only occur when I'm on summer break and have the time.

I have my grandmother's pasta machine, the kind you clamp onto the table. I'm looking forward to having the time to go through a homemade pasta phase, but so far that hasn't happened.

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

sabatini — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 02:38:29 GMT

Wow, @homedecor1, you've been on a cooking SPREE! That's awesome!

@Daysdee, you made an Asian dish twice in one week. I'd call that the beginning of a phase!

Funny, @house_cat, but I was actually counting on you to weigh in, because I know how you get with all your cooking too.

I could definitely relate to your homemade potato knish phase! They're something I didn't get around to making back when I went through the 'something stuffed with something' phase.

That's when I made the wontons, potstickers, raviolis and empanadas. LOL!

When I was in that mode, I looked up various stuffed things, and came across a tiny Turkish stuffed dumpling/ravioli called "Manti".

It was said that a betrothed girl had to serve her own homemade manti to her future MIL, and they had to be perfect, as well as tiny; the tinier the manti, the more special she was.

We're talking - you should be able to fit 40 on a spoon!

Good Lord.

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

house_cat — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 02:49:51 GMT

@sabatini

OMGosh! That's such a painstaking task! I don't have the patience for that, but it's intriguing.

Speaking of painstaking - I forgot to mention the petit fours phase I went through this past summer. The results were excellent, but I simply cannot resist them and decided I would stay away from them until my next tea party this coming summer.

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

Sweetbay magnolia — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 03:19:01 GMT

I was dangerously close to a Japanese rice noodle phase, but I could tell that DH didn't want a steady diet of them as part of his supper - we're back to potatoes/rice/pasta with the rice noodles mixed in, intermittently.

I like how easy the rice noodles are to cook in a soup or sauce, and I enjoy the texture. In moderation, I guess!

Re: Do you go through cooking phases?

sabatini — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 03:56:21 GMT

@house_cat, petit fours?! Wow, hats off! I can't imagine...

As I said before, I'm just not a baker, and prefer other things because I'm more laissez faire. I actually remember the pic you posted of your petit four experiment!

@Sweetbay magnolia, rice noodles are definitely prime for a phase! I love them too.

The one noodle my kids loathed when I made 'em, were cellophane noodles which I adore!

They called them rubber bands.