Side Dishes
Thursday, July 13th, 2006 @ 8:34pm. Category: General.I’m slowly transitioning off of eating only one dish for dinner. For years I have saved myself time and hassle by only cooking one thing for dinner (e.g., a box of Rice-a-Roni was good for two entirely Rice-a-Roni only meals). Lately, inspired by lurking in a cooking forum, I’ve started trying to make meals that have more than one component. I’m still in the everything-from-a-box/can/bag mindset, but one day I’ll start making meals from scratch.
I’m finding that the extra effort to make side dishes is small in comparison to the satisfaction I now gain from my meals. Now eating is much less a chore and much more a pleasure. Even just adding frozen veggies (steamed) as a side dish makes a difference. I’m starting small, but lots of small changes perpetuated can measure up as a big change later on.
By the way, you know how there are some things that you just don’t by the generic brand for? Mashed potatoes, mustard, jam, ketchup— these are all things gone horribly, horribly wrong under the Great Value name. I have another one to add: frozen vegetables. They tasted weird and chemical-ly; Jay described it as “synthetic”. This week I bought Bird’s Eye veggies instead, and the quality level was amazing in comparison to Great Value. The Bird’s Eye veggies had a crisp, fresh flavor to them and were great to eat by themselves as a snack. 100% of broccoli as florets for the win!
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cello | 13-Jul-06 at 10:23 pm | Permalink
You have taken the first step down the road to becoming a FATTY.
G | 14-Jul-06 at 4:08 am | Permalink
More like PHATTY, am I right?
Sunbeam | 14-Jul-06 at 4:36 am | Permalink
Yay! Good job! :)
Yeah, just throwing some frozen veggies in a dish and microwaving them does seem to make the meal that much more enjoyable. And it’s better for you, too.
Just wait till you graduate to pretty serving dishes! :D I’ve only done that a few times, but it made me feel like an accomplished cook. :)
Weiss | 14-Jul-06 at 4:46 am | Permalink
what about mixed up food like casserole, pizza, or quiche? those have everything in one. anway, glad you’re not eating rice-a-roni meals though. awful stuff.
effika | 14-Jul-06 at 12:44 pm | Permalink
Weiss: I make pizza (both crust and sauce) from scratch. It’s the only thing I make from scratch (besides banana bread and cookies) but it’s extremely simple and extremely tasty.
cello: Have you looked at a box of Rice-a-Roni lately? That stuff has like 2 tablespoons of butter per serving.
Sunbeam: Hehe, yeah, I think I’m finally getting tired of bachelorette living. Which I suppose is good, since I’ve graduated and have to do grown-up stuff now.
G: Totally.