My MIL now 78 is now less active in cooking than a few years ago, due to some long term sickness. But I see the decline only about 2-3 years ago. Daily, she cooks simple food among themselves, but whenever we are visiting, she still tries to whip up a feast even now. Yeah, the pleasure to feed people and organising occasional big meal keeps the flame.
@Lambchop
Take some time off kitchen, rest well, visit some nice restaurants. For sure, sooner or later the itch will cut back because the passion canât be extinguished just like that. Once somebody said each day, the number of meals left in our lifetime is getting less each day. Donât take it for granted that one is in good shape to cook tomorrow. Enjoy while you can still eat most of the aliments. Several of the elders I know, they canât eat salt any more.
YES! Several years ago I started a binder book of our sonâs favorite recipes. He, actually, has an interest in cooking and shoulders a lot of weekly meals. Every Christmas I give them a "gift " of recipes that have made the new cut Each recipe is in a plastic skeeve and does include color photo of the finished dish
This is such inexpensive gesture and something that canât be replicated when itâs âtoo lateâ.
What a treasure that is for the right recipient. And that was me.
My aunt did that several years ago. She recreated the recipes of my grandmother (her mother-in-law), who did not write hers down, and also recorded her own recipes that became family favorites. She even managed to find the one recipe that my grandmother did write out.
Itâs of the most touching, memorable things anyone has ever done for me.
Ok, this is very funny I think, with regards to making a book for family recipes. I made many books through the Epicurious web site called Tastebook. Excellent products, beautiful graphics, etc. I made the first series for the 1st niece on DHâs side to marry. I also made copies for my 3 SILâs, which they loved. 100 of my best recipes as well as family recipes from the Greek side of the family.Took a lot of time actually. Turns out the niece doesnât cook at all because her book wasnât assembled even after a few years.
Another niece got married on the Alaskan side of the family, so I did a different version of the book. I ordered and gave copies to the bride, mom, my SIL & a few other nieces. I skipped the relatives I know that donât cook at all - they will maybe inherit from my SIL or make copies. Though I doubt theyâll ever be interested, but things change with time. Oh and my mother never put her book together either, so I claimed her copy when she passed. So done and done. I will send the interested ones some new recipes however - thatâs a good idea.
Still very happy that I invested the time & $$$ for the project. Too many people are sorry later & treasured family recipes are being lost.
Meant to add I sent one to my brother as well, cause heâs a cooking guy.
We usually have a small breakfast, our big meal around 1PM (mostly eating out), and then either a small dinner or âgrazingâ in the evening. I find that often all I want in the evening is fruit and maybe a bit of cheese.
Eating out at lunchtime also means smaller portions (and cheaper prices) which is more in keeping with our wants. For years we didnât go to Big Edâs (only a mile or so away) because everything was all you can eat and it just didnât make sense for us. They now seem to have actual portions on the menu as well.
While not slowing down the majority of our meals are very simple. Dinner- protein, usually fish, salad and maybe an added vegetable. Lunch a small amount of leftovers or my favorite, Texas caviar which I make often. Breakfast 1/4 cup of uncooked rolled oats with 1/4 cup almond milk, blueberries and a walnut broken up
I live by myself and Iâll be 67 this year.
The fantasy of eating out only keeps tugging at me, wondering if I would enjoy it after a month or so.
Might end up saving $$, as much food as I throw out. Just really hard to buy, portion and cook meals.
Has anyone here ever tried this tack?
I just brought this up with my husband. I have lost a great deal of enthusiasm and hope it is temporary. I cook all our meals but now tend to just cook the same old things. I used to experiment more. Some of this might be due to him not being as an enthusiastic eater or cook he once was. He is significantly older than me and I can see a change in how he eats. All the sudden too much garlic bother him , for example. He just does not enjoy the flavor. He still likes spicy but I have toned things down a bit.
We also do not entertain like we once did. We had one particular friend I really enjoyed cooking for but he died a few years ago. Very selfish of him. Everybody else is on one fad diet or other which is not something I am interested in keeping up with (gluten free one day, eating pasta the next, sugar is the devil, eat like a caveman etc). Vegetarians are easier to cook for than diet trend folks.
But really I canât put the blame on others. Iâm just jaded. Maybe my taste buds are jaded. Too much of the good things perhaps? Nothing really sounds good to me. Restaurant menus donât hold much appeal either. I can afford anything I want I just canât figure out what I want. I am fortunate to have such problems I know so donât give me the first world problem comment please. I have already done it for you. I am hoping it is just a phase. Maybe I will take the advise of someone here and spend some time looking at my cookbooks for inspiration or watch the many PBS cooking shows I have on my DVR. I wish the food network still cared about cooking. I used to get inspiration there but that ended around 2006.
I canât say that I am physically any slower in the kitchen now, just mentally.
meatn3
(equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)
31
I think it is hard to do if you wish to have a nutritious, varied diet. So much restaurant food is quite high in sodium and fats. Much will depend on the restaurants available in your area.
A woman whose blog (non-cooking related) Iâve been following did this to save money for an RV purchase. From her posts, it seems as though fast food was her solution, with Subway being number one.
I used to be on the road for work a lot. Restaurant meals lost their appeal fairly fast. The vegetable options were limited. My body just felt sluggish from the diet. Nowadays with more interest in local/heirloom/etc. there seems to be more variety on many menus. But the price tag is higher - keeping my cooking expenses well below what it would cost for frequent meals of this caliber.
It is hard to
The only way I halfway manage is by using the freezer and keeping an inventory list. But often apathy or fatigue creeps in. For those times there are eggs, cereal, sandwiches and cheese/crackers.
When on the road I have to consider meals out carefully. Sometimes the portions are large enough for 2-3 meals but salad bars, buffets by the lb and diners if I cant cook are the answer for me.
Look at this from the flip side. We read daily about burn-out in various professions. How many of these people have had the same job for 20, 30, 40, 50 years? Thank about it and realize how really, really well you and we have maintained energy, enthusiasm and attitude!
So we open a new magazine, or forum thread and weâŚCOOK ON!
I had one of those âughâ moments early this morning standing in front of one of the meat cases at a local Kroger. Nothing was calling out to me. Knew we had a 24 oz package of Wrightâs Bacon and a dozen fresh eggs at home. Bacon & Eggs for dinnerâŚ
Decided I didnât want to heat up the house doing bacon in the oven, so settled on buying a decent sized package of stew beef. Itâll turn into a hearty & tasty meal (or three), but I feel totally âBlahâ about putting it on the table.
Maybe a simple garnish could help add interest to the beef stew? Sometimes I add a bit of balsamic vinegar at the table. Or if not adding balsamic, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt/sour cream/similar dairy. Maybe a dash of smoked paprika or chipotle powder?
Weâve been dining on soup or stew a few nights a week to help us shed unwanted pounds. Last night, it was chicken tom yum bought from a local farmstand-type place. Nourishing but the flavor was somewhat dull. I remembered a jar of sambal (chile paste) tucked in the fridge. My husband remembered the chives are in bloom. Far better doctored up with a blob of sambal and chive blossom crumbled on top!
Edited to add: This is the stuff I somehow forget to do when my cooking mojo goes into hiding.
!
