From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Ay up KK - I think i referred to the 'recipe' of ranch house surprise as being little more than 'dirty rice' - which is a dish we have with relative frequency, perhaps once a month.  Calling it 'ranch house surprise', doesn't make it any less 'dirty rice' - I think that's what I was trying to convey with the 'one-trick pony' comment. I didn't want anyone to think I was lauding it as anything 'new' - although I haven't made Mindy's 'ranch house surprise' before, either on a stove-top or in the SC.  I'm just hoping it will convert to SC cooking - I think it should.

In terms of variety - mmmm, we're a little set in our ways, although we do have some variety, and we're unlikely to eat the same things 2 nights on the trot - I get bored far too easily.  But neither do we have the same meal on the same night each week - my mum cooked like that and you knew if it was Monday it was l/o Sunday lunch meats (with mash to pad out), Tuesday was Omlette, Wednesday was cottage pie or sometimes liver 🤢 oven baked 🤢, Thursday was sausages or bacon with mash and Friday was fish and home-cut chips or egg and chips if the money had run out..... I left home over 30 yrs ago, and can still recall the rota........🤣

I'm not 'sick' of salad, I just find it harder to craft meals on a 'warm weather' basis.  The extended dry spell has made it more of a challenge.  I'm happier cooking cooler weather food.  Although there are a gazillion chopped salads that are good, they just seem to require alot of ingredients, which tends to add up.  

DH cooking...... mmmmmmm.  Did I mention that we split the meals to me cooking and him doing the washing up.... 🤣 I'm not against the idea, as such.  But after work, DH would not have the energy nor patience to cook (he's a recipe follower), and at the weekends, he hasn't the 'interest' in cooking - not even an aspect of it, say like barbecuing.  To be fair to DH, he doesn't complain too much if things go wrong, and will try to eat everything I cook.  I think the baked gnocchi were the last disaster, and to be fair, he did try to eat some, it didn't get flung straight in the bin.  He's good like that.  He likes eating, but isn't overly interested in having cooked it 😂  Although to be fair, he has tried to embrace a bit of baking and cake/cookie decorating with LG.  

Greying X

rtandon27

Oh dear GP - perhaps I am the one who continues to emulate the last generation in my meal planning style.  Though to be fair, I think you were the one who influenced me on the idea of themed nights, way back when the mother of the tennis player inspired Curry Murry Saturdays!  Indeed, Pizza and wedges on a Friday is soley on your shoulders.  🤣  I'm now very wed to the broader idea of themes for each night, mostly because though the OH does 99% of the cooking, he leaves the meal planning and the grocery shopping to me!

Greying_Pilgrim

Dearest rt - I think that 'themes' can at least enable an element of flexibility. 'pasta' can be interpreted a multitude of ways - similarly minced beef, or chicken portions can be treated in a wide variety of ways.  

Whereas we had virtually the same thing, week in, week out.  And I can see that it enables simplicity - both of cooking, timing and methods and also shopping.  It's just not for me.  And I don't even think childhood meals have put me off as such, as I ate meat in childhood and don't now.  Mum's repertoire wasn't great, but then she didn't have access to much choice in her shopping either - supermarkets then weren't the aladdin's cave of choice that they are now.  Living rurally was OK for things like butchers and some veg purchases, but the local-ish corner shops where able to charge what they liked, as there was little (nearby) competition.  Agricultural labour rates didn't give much scope for anything other than thrift and making do.  We didn't have any other cuisine styles influencing us growing up either.  Mum had learnt 'meat & 2 veg' type cooking at home/school, dad wasn't into anything 'fancy' or 'mucked about with', and there was the perennial chestnut of 'we couldn't afford to lose money on ingredients/dishes that we might not like'.  Not alot has changed with that regard 🤔

Greying X

VintageHistorian

I'm with you on the colder weather cooking from Greying. So much easier to just chuck things in the slow cooker and come back later to dish up. Give me a nice warming stew, not staring out the window going "It's going to be 28 degrees today, that's not mashed potato weather".

Greying_Pilgrim

VintageHistorian said:

I'm with you on the colder weather cooking from Greying. So much easier to just chuck things in the slow cooker and come back later to dish up. Give me a nice warming stew, not staring out the window going "It's going to be 28 degrees today, that's not mashed potato weather".

Oh VH you did make me larf 😁  That's exactly it! 

It's not too bad today, so I don't think our tea will be too warming.  I've been calling it the wrong thing for a start - it is apparently 'Ranch house surprise'.  But as I'm going off-piste (as per), then I don't suppose it matters much.  I've made a puree of onion, celery and carrot.  Added garlic and some meat-free mince.  Then I've put in a tin of chopped tomatoes, a tin of black-eyed beans (hadn't got any pinto beans), a stock cube, some basmati and filled the empty tomato tin with hot water and popped that in, with a scant teaspoon of korean pepper paste.  I popped in some spices - paprika, smoked paprika, cumin and some herbs; thyme, oregano and I will add in some coriander.  I will add in a bay leaf too, and may possibly add in a bit more water later - I'll see how it goes.  The dish is topped with grated cheese which is supposed to melt into the rice mix.  I will (hopefully) serve with the last of the gifted runner beans.  

It's a bit of an experiment, but hopefully it will yield something edible.

Greying X

rtandon27

@Greying_Pilgrim - OH has just piped up 'give me meat & two veg anyday' - he's now longing for a 'proper' pork chop and some overcooked carrots & broc - with a side of boiled potatoes.  I think he's rueing the day he decided to fancy 'her from across the pond' with her wicked foreign fancy ways. 🤣🤣🤣

Personally ranch house surprise sounds just up my alley - a bit of a melting pot in more ways than one!

Greying_Pilgrim

If anyone else is interested in having the "proper" recipe for 'Ranch House Surprise' then you will find it here.  It is the first recipe she makes and she sets out the ingredients at the start of the clip, and then shows how to make the dish.  She makes it on the stove-top.  I'm using totally different ingredients and making it in the SC 😂 Apologies for the ads at the start, but it's a YT channel.

rt - your OH is lucky to have ya! 😁 Having said that, we're all lucky to have ready access to food, so whilst I really appreciate variety and a plethora of ingredients and cuisine styles available to me now (and relatively easy accessible, at that), there is always room for meat & 2 veg too.  My mum's version of liver could have been used to re-sole boots, but I'm sure your OH is a much more finessed cook! 😁

Greying X

Watty1

I'm smiling at you all being creative, we lived all week on cold fish and salad and lentils.  The salad had more "bits" added but the principal was the same at each meal.  I felt too exhausted to do much and the meal worked   this week will be more creative.

Greying_Pilgrim

Watty1 said:

I'm smiling at you all being creative, we lived all week on cold fish and salad and lentils.  The salad had more "bits" added but the principal was the same at each meal.  I felt too exhausted to do much and the meal worked   this week will be more creative.

But you enjoyed the 'weather appropriate' food Watty 😁  I broke into a sweat when we had curry - and there wasn't even any chilli in it 🫤😂

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

So tea went down well 😁I was a bit worried at one point that the rice wouldn't cook - but it did. I did have to add a bit more water, but that was OK.  

The cheese melted as per - so I was pleased about that.  I used cheddar and Grana padano.  i also topped the cheese with a sprinkle of parsley and some of the bagel topping.  I did remember to stir in a bit of chopped coriander too before I put the cheese on.  I had underestimated how many runner beans there were left, so I still have enough for another meal portion on another day.   I chopped up the beans and steamed them in the microwave to serve with.  Clean plates all round and the troops have said they would have it again - YAY!  I think it's infinitely adaptable to what you have, no two versions need be the same.  But the principle (based on dirty rice) is good and works perfectly well in the SC.  If I was making it again, I would probably not bother with the meat-free mince, in this instance, it didn't add anything - I would have been better using some sort of lentil (not red), or adding an extra tin of beans instead.  

There is a portion left, so that can go in the freezer for a lunch or a tea portion if one of us is out the house or something.  

I enjoyed watching the rugger.  It was a shame that the home nations were pitted against each other, but Scotland were worthy winners, they outplayed Wales.  I wish Wales had scored a few more points, but kudos to Scotland for playing so well and scoring BP on win.  I don't expect Canada to throw away their substantial lead, but well done to Fiji for still playing the game.  

NSD.  Meals out of stores and some more gifted produce used.  I have one gifted courgette and a handful of beans left.  LG had a little pootle out with their beloved papa in the car.  DH got the spare part he needed.  

A better start to the holiday than I anticipated.  

Greying X