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vilasman

Senior Cook
Joined
Sep 6, 2004
Messages
323
Is there anyone else here, that just likes the process of digging through cook books, shopping, whipping up food, feeding the hungery masses, sending them on there way heavy laden with left overs, spending days washing dishes pots and pans, taking notes on where you screwed up or can do better and then plotting your next culinary fiesta?

And I dont mean an interest that leads you opening a resturant, I mean purely doing it for the burp. And then the smile. And then they settle into your couch half asleep and you have to tell them to get out so you can finish clearing the table.
 
So do tell, GB, whats the secret? Whats the majic potion? The majic spell?
It's a little better now that we have a dishwasher. I think I am on my 7th or 8th load for the weekend and I am supposed to make waffles this am.

But when we lived on the farm.... My wife would cook for T-day or Xmas and I would literally wash dishes till I got tired or hungery for 2-3 days.

When we finally do get a house of our own, it will have at least 2 dishwashers in it
 
Goodness sake, Vilasman, you sure dirty a lot of dishes! If you clean up as you go along, washing your pots and cooking utensils, it will help a lot. Just keep a bowl of soapy water in your sink (that way you can still use the drain) and use it for keeping the larger items and cooking utensils washed up. Often, I end up using the same saucepot or saute pan several times when cooking a large meal.
Another little hint: When you're chopping ingredients, if you're not going to put them in the pan right away, put them on cheap paper plates. A paper plate also makes an excellent spoon rest, saving mess on your counter.

Motherly advice aside, I'm like you. I love the whole process, especially the smiles and satisfied looks on the faces of my friends and loved ones when they enjoy fruits of my labor.
 
Well... wife cooks like a hurricane and am learning to accept it.
I have 5 spoon rest. She is learning to ask for and use them. I have a lot of ramekins and small bowls all with lids so when we do prep stuff a head of time It gets a lid and goes in the ice box or where ever until needed.
We do have a two bottom sink, with GB so one side has generally has dish water and the other side is recieving whatever is getting dumped at that moment.
This weekend i tried a new trick, Everything that i thought i would use again I ran through the rinse cycle in the dish washer, so I rinsed the mixer bowl, spatulas, serving spoons,and bowls about 5 or 6 times, in 2 hrs, but that just freed up me and counter space for DW to give me more to cook.
 
I love the process. I have a group of friends who eat together very regularly (either childless like me, or have adult children who no longer eat at home much), and we love it all. Figuring out what to make (we have both a brunch group and freinds who are shut ins who miss more exotic fare so we throw theme parties choosing different ethnic foods, plus we do holiday dinners .... and whenever else we feel like eating). It is great fun.
 
Yes, it i more or less like a ceremony, lol. That is what I love doing. Cooking, surprising, cooking, surprising. New recipes make me smile ! I don't love washing dishes however, thats what the dish washer is for !
 
vilasman said:
Well... wife cooks like a hurricane and am learning to accept it.

Well, bless her heart. She's expressing her creativity and enjoying herself. I think the two of you make a great team.
 
Sure, count me in. I have serious issues with portion control when it comes to feeding people I love.
I've been known to pull brioche dough out of the fridge at 4am (mind you, I'd been happily asleep at 3:59am), shape it, go back to bed...only to get up again at 6am to put it into the oven. I love serving warm brioche with homemade jam on cold winter Saturday mornings!

I'm not too crazy about the cleaning up part of your equation, however. I've managed to get around that part of the cleaning more often than not, lately:brows:.

What got you started with cooking, anyway? Me..I was a kid, probably no more than 8 or 9 and just loved creating meals and such. It didn't work out too bad for my Mom, either, who returned to the work world when I was 10.
 
I do something like this each sunday. 3 of my four children and their children come here for dinner,plus we sometimes also have 3 extra couples. So there is always a house full to feed. It starts on saturday morning with a trip to the grocery and from there the fun begins. I have solved the clean up here, I do much of it as I go and then my two girls clear the tables and do the dishes and pots and pans, and bag up take homes for everyone and leftovers for their dad the next day. I get all the fun part, shopping, chopping,cutting, tasting and the smiles as they eat:) I try to make someting new each week, be it an appy, or salad, or main or dessert. I do ask one person each week to choose the main they would like and we go from there.
kadesma:)
 
I'm the same way vilasman. Cooking is loving. I have been so involved in looking at cookbooks and looking up recipes for just the perfect Sunday dinner I have overshot dinner!!!!!! :LOL:
 
kitchenelf said:
I'm the same way vilasman. Cooking is loving. I have been so involved in looking at cookbooks and looking up recipes for just the perfect Sunday dinner I have overshot dinner!!!!!! :LOL:

Do you ever find that you've shopped for just that particular meal, leaving you with little for the week?
 
ummmmmmmmmmmm - basically every time Vera! And I also find I have spent way too much money on just that one meal.

It really does pay to sit down with a menu and plan a grocery list. I'm one of those that go to the grocery store almost every day. I hate using frozen anything. Not that there's anything wrong with frozen chicken/meats - it's just not instantly available. :rolleyes:
 
Count me in too. I love everything about cooking and food. I love reading cookery books, I love planning menus, I love to do the cooking and I love to feed people. I just love it.

I don't mind the washing up half so much as trying to put it all away in cupboards that aren't really big enough.....
 
vilasman said:
Is there anyone else here, that just likes the process of digging through cook books, shopping, whipping up food, feeding the hungry masses, sending them on there way heavy laden with left overs, spending days washing dishes pots and pans, taking notes on where you screwed up or can do better and then plotting your next culinary fiesta?

And I don't mean an interest that leads you opening a restaurant, I mean purely doing it for the burp. And then the smile. And then they settle into your couch half asleep and you have to tell them to get out so you can finish clearing the table.

Love it all. I've been cooking since I was about 8-years-old and haven't tired of it yet. Except for a very few years, I've always cooked for lots of people. My 4 siblings and my parents when I lived at home and, then, for my children and stepchildren, at one time there were 6 of them at home. The hardest thing for me to do now is to cook just for the two of us here.

I love planning my menus and coordinating dishes. I so enjoy the sounds and smells of a good/great meal cooking. It's music to my ears. Even having the leftovers the next day or so is a pleasure causing me to relive the original dish or meal.

One of my favorite meals was a Thanksgiving meal with our youngest son and his then bride of a year. I served a sweet potato dish. Amy took some sweet potatoes to be polite. (I didn't know she wasn't a sweet potato fan.) She ended up eating three helpings and later asked for the recipe. Guess I did that dish well enough to earn a couple of "good" mother-in-law points.
 
lulu said:
Count me in too. I love everything about cooking and food. I love reading cookery books, I love planning menus, I love to do the cooking and I love to feed people. I just love it.

I don't mind the washing up half so much as trying to put it all away in cupboards that aren't really big enough.....

Ditto, Lulu! ...and no room in the frig for putting away food that is leftover for the people who are staying over.
 
With me, every special event and every event ends up revloving around food. We went up to seem my family this summer. We arrived about 11:00 pm, after an eight hour car ride--with three kids. By 1:00 am, my dad and I (he's the same way) had a menu planned for three days, cooking assignments and a shopping list. At the in-laws, it's even better because I can hide in the kitchen the whole time.
 
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