Average Jane Settles In

I don't know if it's my more open schedule, the fact that fall is setting in, or some other factor, but lately I've started cooking meals at home again. This week I've made two dinners and a breakfast, which probably surpasses the number of meals I'd cooked in the previous two months.

When I was growing up, my mother knew a couple who never cooked. She'd say with obvious disapproval, "They eat out at every meal." It made me feel a little smug that we almost never ate out.

Fast forward 20 years or so and here I am racing from place to place every evening, trying to think of the least evil fast food available in the 10 minutes I have before I'm due at my next appointment. We eat so much Subway that I can smell the rolls baking in my sleep.

There's nothing I can do about band practice nights, but I'm really making an effort to stay in and feed us at home on the other evenings. It's relatively inexpensive, potentially healthier and usually tastier than eating out. If only my husband would do the after-meal cleanup, the scenario would be ideal.

Tonight, well, we're buying tamales from our favorite little Mexican restaurant because there's a band meeting at our house and that's what everyone requested. However, I'm thinking that a beef stew made in the Crockpot would be ideal for Friday night. If we don't have to fight the rest of the metro area for a restaurant table that evening, maybe we can actually manage to make it to a movie. I guess we'll see what happens.

Comments

[Jack]

A.J.
Spagetti is real fast and easy to make. So is baked ziti. Even lagsana is a snap. Look the oven does most of the work. Lots of great recipies on-line if you look. Go see Sky Captain already so we can discuss it, don't want to ruin it for you so I'll keep quiet. As for as hubby cleaning up after dinner, dream on girl.

Jack the blogger

[Rozanne]

I hear you about cooking. Fall weather is pretty much the only thing that can convince me to cook, too. I don't think our oven was on once this summer. Stew is a good idea; you can make a giant vat of it and eat it for a couple of days.

Re: getting your husband to clean up. Have you asked him? I martyred myself for 10 years doing 95% of the housework until it finally occurred to me that I could just ask B to help me out. He readily agreed. I know it makes me seem like an idiot to not have asked years before, but I'd been waiting for him to "realize" on his own that I needed help. I guess that was pretty idiotic. Anyway, try asking if you haven't.

[Stacie]

I love my crock pot. I can throw whatever into it in the morning and come home to a house full of good smells and food ready to eat. Lots of online recipes and cookbooks just for crockpots.

Roasts are easy; meat, seasonings, some onion, potatoes, carrots and voila! a home cooked meal.

I'd highly recommend splurging on the removeable crock version though. The others are a pain to clean.

Stacie