Celebrate the House Meal
October 2, 2020 3:17 AM Subscribe
The go-to dish for when there’s no one to satisfy but yourself, too simple or too weird to try out on guests, the house meal is a messy signature dish, and the epitome of experimental home cooking. [via]
I have so many "house meals" and no shame in any of them, although I probably wouldn't serve them for anyone.
- Chickpeas, frozen spinach, and curry powder (with extra spices to taste) cooked in tomato sauce or, even better, cooked in the canned pumpkin normally meant for pumpkin pies.
- Baked potatoes, but with everything-bagel seasoning sprinkled on them.
- Lasagna rolls: individual lasagna noodles topped with cheese and sauce (and whatever vegetables/protein are available), rolled up then you stick a toothpick in them and bake them. They never come out right but they're still delicious.
posted by LSK at 6:51 AM on October 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
- Chickpeas, frozen spinach, and curry powder (with extra spices to taste) cooked in tomato sauce or, even better, cooked in the canned pumpkin normally meant for pumpkin pies.
- Baked potatoes, but with everything-bagel seasoning sprinkled on them.
- Lasagna rolls: individual lasagna noodles topped with cheese and sauce (and whatever vegetables/protein are available), rolled up then you stick a toothpick in them and bake them. They never come out right but they're still delicious.
posted by LSK at 6:51 AM on October 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
alchemist, I do something similar - I get my tuna in water but I add a bit of mayo, salt, and lemon pepper, then serve over rice. Though really I mix it all up together.
In a similar vein, I like to do Velveeta mac and cheese with tuna and broccoli florets mixed in. I'm the only person in the house right now who likes canned tuna and broccoli so they don't happen too often.
posted by brilliantine at 7:00 AM on October 2, 2020
In a similar vein, I like to do Velveeta mac and cheese with tuna and broccoli florets mixed in. I'm the only person in the house right now who likes canned tuna and broccoli so they don't happen too often.
posted by brilliantine at 7:00 AM on October 2, 2020
My house meal is probably "stuff". Stuff crosses incredibly broad boundaries, but it follows this simple recipe:
1. Some kind of starch. Usually pasta. Sometimes rice. Very rarely anything else.
2. Some kind of meat. Usually ground beef or pork or both, sometimes other ground meat or sausage or chicken.
3. Some kind of sauce which comes pre-made from a store. Usually tomato sauce. Sometimes a canned cream of something (usually mushroom) soup. Occasionally one of those sauce packets that you have to add milk or water to to make your sauce, in which case, you will just add the packet and the required liquids in the 'mix all ingredients' phase.
4. Some kind of vegetable. Usually corn or peas. Comes from the freezer. Maybe also canned mushrooms if you have them.
5. Some kind of cheese. Mozza on top if I'm baking the stuff. Or cottage cheese mixed in? Or feta mixed in? Or cheddar mixed in? What kind of cheese do I own right now is the primary concern.
6. A lot of garlic powder.
Fry your meat with some of the garlic powder, while you boil your starch.
Drain starch, add all ingredients including meat to pot (except mozza if baking later). Don't forget extra garlic powder.
Realize you should have used a bigger pot, transfer some of mixture back to frying pan. Trying as hard as possible to keep a reasonable ration of ingredients in both. Realize that you've probably put all the garlic powder in one of the dishes. Add extra garlic powder to the other. Add extra garlic powder to the first one just in case.
Mix both dishes thoroughly.
If you're eating it out of the pot, give it a few minutes to cook together a bit before dishing up. If you're baking it, put in as many 9 x 13 cake pans as you can find and bake at 375 until the cheese looks good. Eat the leftover bits that you couldn't fit in the pans for dinner.
Leftovers go in ziploc containers for many future lunches.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:17 AM on October 2, 2020 [7 favorites]
1. Some kind of starch. Usually pasta. Sometimes rice. Very rarely anything else.
2. Some kind of meat. Usually ground beef or pork or both, sometimes other ground meat or sausage or chicken.
3. Some kind of sauce which comes pre-made from a store. Usually tomato sauce. Sometimes a canned cream of something (usually mushroom) soup. Occasionally one of those sauce packets that you have to add milk or water to to make your sauce, in which case, you will just add the packet and the required liquids in the 'mix all ingredients' phase.
4. Some kind of vegetable. Usually corn or peas. Comes from the freezer. Maybe also canned mushrooms if you have them.
5. Some kind of cheese. Mozza on top if I'm baking the stuff. Or cottage cheese mixed in? Or feta mixed in? Or cheddar mixed in? What kind of cheese do I own right now is the primary concern.
6. A lot of garlic powder.
Fry your meat with some of the garlic powder, while you boil your starch.
Drain starch, add all ingredients including meat to pot (except mozza if baking later). Don't forget extra garlic powder.
Realize you should have used a bigger pot, transfer some of mixture back to frying pan. Trying as hard as possible to keep a reasonable ration of ingredients in both. Realize that you've probably put all the garlic powder in one of the dishes. Add extra garlic powder to the other. Add extra garlic powder to the first one just in case.
Mix both dishes thoroughly.
If you're eating it out of the pot, give it a few minutes to cook together a bit before dishing up. If you're baking it, put in as many 9 x 13 cake pans as you can find and bake at 375 until the cheese looks good. Eat the leftover bits that you couldn't fit in the pans for dinner.
Leftovers go in ziploc containers for many future lunches.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:17 AM on October 2, 2020 [7 favorites]
For me it's my breakfast: two ounces of thin sliced ham, diced. Ham goes into a pan with butter. Once that's sizzling a bit, a dash of salt and a bit of Parmesan (pecorino is better, if you've got it), and about a half a cup of cottage cheese. Cook until the cottage cheese is liquified, then add eggs: two whole eggs and four whites. Cook to your taste: if you like scrambled eggs wet, pull them early. If not, let them cook until dry to your satisfaction.
The hard part is the cottage cheese. Many brands won't liquify, and if it doesn't turn to liquid, the dish is spoiled. I've found a particular house brand at a particular store in my town that does this, as most of the name brands won't turn to liquid. (I'm sure there's an appropriately "sciency" reason for this, but I couldn't tell you what it is.)
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 7:35 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
The hard part is the cottage cheese. Many brands won't liquify, and if it doesn't turn to liquid, the dish is spoiled. I've found a particular house brand at a particular store in my town that does this, as most of the name brands won't turn to liquid. (I'm sure there's an appropriately "sciency" reason for this, but I couldn't tell you what it is.)
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 7:35 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
My house meal is "aww, I really want some Singapore noodles, it's too bad I'm not eating carbs and the only relevant ingredient I have on hand is tons of curry powder! But can I make something SPICY and YELLOW?"
AKA "the beef thing," "that curry thing," or "THE SLAW." It was one of the first things I cooked haphazardly without a recipe for my partner when they moved in after a celiac diagnosis and a pretty horrible health collapse and all kinds of food issues, and it was so accidentally good that it's become a staple - still without a real name.
Brown a brick of ground beef, sautee garlic and onions, throw in mushrooms if you're a hobbit in spirit who is always buying mushrooms .
Bloom a bunch of yellow curry powder in the fat, more than you think you should reasonably need, hopefully good, fresh stuff. An extra knob of butter if the ground beef was a leaner percentage. Salt to taste, maybe some more cayenne for extra heat.
Dump a bag of preshredded slaw in the pan (hopefully it's a nice big pan). Broccoli slaw is good, cabbage/carrots is okay, those POWER SUPERFOOD blends with stuff like kale and bok choi in the mix are great because some of the veggies get meltier and silkier than others.
Burn haphazardly until the veggies are kinda steamed, kinda sauteed, depending on what was sticking to the bottom. I err on the side of too cooked, because brown bits, but the slaw veggies are perfectly happy being on the crunchy side.
An enduring favorite. Why we can't seem to give it a name, who knows?
posted by fountainofdoubt at 7:46 AM on October 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
AKA "the beef thing," "that curry thing," or "THE SLAW." It was one of the first things I cooked haphazardly without a recipe for my partner when they moved in after a celiac diagnosis and a pretty horrible health collapse and all kinds of food issues, and it was so accidentally good that it's become a staple - still without a real name.
Brown a brick of ground beef, sautee garlic and onions, throw in mushrooms if you're a hobbit in spirit who is always buying mushrooms .
Bloom a bunch of yellow curry powder in the fat, more than you think you should reasonably need, hopefully good, fresh stuff. An extra knob of butter if the ground beef was a leaner percentage. Salt to taste, maybe some more cayenne for extra heat.
Dump a bag of preshredded slaw in the pan (hopefully it's a nice big pan). Broccoli slaw is good, cabbage/carrots is okay, those POWER SUPERFOOD blends with stuff like kale and bok choi in the mix are great because some of the veggies get meltier and silkier than others.
Burn haphazardly until the veggies are kinda steamed, kinda sauteed, depending on what was sticking to the bottom. I err on the side of too cooked, because brown bits, but the slaw veggies are perfectly happy being on the crunchy side.
An enduring favorite. Why we can't seem to give it a name, who knows?
posted by fountainofdoubt at 7:46 AM on October 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
take one of the rice sides from the leftover chinese food, crack 2 eggs and stir them in, add some olive oil and sriracha, microwave for 3 minutes to cook the egg. pair with sugar-free red bull.
posted by vogon_poet at 7:52 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by vogon_poet at 7:52 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
I have a more limited subset: my wife and son are picky eaters with very sensitive palates / noses, me not so much, so I stick with tried and true dishes I know they'll like.
When I don't have to cook for them as well as myself, I make complicated, experimental, over-spiced whatevers. Half of the time it sucks, the others it's pretty good.
Lately I've been making Chilean Chile, using lots of Merken ( a Mapuche mix of smoked chili peppers and coriander seeds) instead of Mexican chili powders.
posted by signal at 8:03 AM on October 2, 2020
When I don't have to cook for them as well as myself, I make complicated, experimental, over-spiced whatevers. Half of the time it sucks, the others it's pretty good.
Lately I've been making Chilean Chile, using lots of Merken ( a Mapuche mix of smoked chili peppers and coriander seeds) instead of Mexican chili powders.
posted by signal at 8:03 AM on October 2, 2020
fountainofdoubt: "throw in mushrooms if you're a hobbit in spirit who is always buying mushrooms ."
Yes.
posted by signal at 8:05 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Yes.
posted by signal at 8:05 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
My go-to is ersatz quasi-curry(ish): dumping varying proportions and some and/or ingredients joining or not of dried beans, lentils, chickpeas, brown rice, potatoes into the pressure cooker with eyeballed about-right water (varies by amount of sticky solidity-to-soup spectrum being aimed at) and a bunch of various spices/curry pastes/etc. Sometimes meat, sometimes fried/scrambled eggs after the fact for more protein. The "keep warm" setting on my pressure cooker is definitely hot enough for steaming purposes over sufficient stretch of time, so various veggies, frozen or otherwise, get dumped in after the pressure comes down to steam up and join the mix.
posted by Drastic at 8:07 AM on October 2, 2020
posted by Drastic at 8:07 AM on October 2, 2020
I've changed my house meal since I started getting a grocery delivery box, because for some reason I always buy grape/cherry tomatoes even though I don't like salads or raw veg. So what to do?
set a pot of water to boil
cut a half a pint of cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters if you're feeling fancy
throw them in a skillet with a little olive oil & salt and let them sizzle/fall apart
feed the dog (not tomatoes, it's just a convenient time to do it)
dump a handful of farfalle in the water
scoop a clump of frozen red wine wine out of your frozen wine bag and throw it in the skillet with the tomatoes
put in a sploot of tomato paste
put in an anchovy or a sploot of anchovy paste
queue up something on the tv to watch with dinner
turn the heat down and put in some cream
the pasta is a minute from done now, throw it into the skillet too
remove from heat when sufficiently goopy
I make this every week.
posted by phunniemee at 8:14 AM on October 2, 2020 [18 favorites]
set a pot of water to boil
cut a half a pint of cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters if you're feeling fancy
throw them in a skillet with a little olive oil & salt and let them sizzle/fall apart
feed the dog (not tomatoes, it's just a convenient time to do it)
dump a handful of farfalle in the water
scoop a clump of frozen red wine wine out of your frozen wine bag and throw it in the skillet with the tomatoes
put in a sploot of tomato paste
put in an anchovy or a sploot of anchovy paste
queue up something on the tv to watch with dinner
turn the heat down and put in some cream
the pasta is a minute from done now, throw it into the skillet too
remove from heat when sufficiently goopy
I make this every week.
posted by phunniemee at 8:14 AM on October 2, 2020 [18 favorites]
My moms American version of chicken adobo: equal parts White vinegar and soy sauce. Put that and chicken legs in pot,sauce should cover. Simmer until chicken falling off bone. Serve over rice .
It's fundamentally not chicken adobo but that's the closest thing to it. It uses far more vinegar and soy, is never thickened, chicken is not marinated and omits all the spices.
posted by AlexiaSky at 8:14 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
It's fundamentally not chicken adobo but that's the closest thing to it. It uses far more vinegar and soy, is never thickened, chicken is not marinated and omits all the spices.
posted by AlexiaSky at 8:14 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
I'm reminded of Laurie Colwin's wonderful essay "Alone In The Kitchen With An Eggplant". It's about this kind of cooking, only she speculated that it's not just a "house meal", it's the kind of thing that you make when you're only cooking for yourself and you have only yourself to please. Oftentimes it's also born of early-20s frugality, when you're struggling to make ends meet in your first job and you don't have that much cooking experience so you're kind of winging it with the few ingredients you managed to scrounge, and one of the things you try actually ends up working and becomes a favorite.
I had a roommate who finagled dinner using only two potatoes, some shredded cheese, and a half a box of falafel mix - he cooked the potatoes, mashed them with some falafel mix, and then made cheese-filled patties out of them and then fried them.
My roommates from my first post-college apartment also invented a delicious soup by accident, as a byproduct of a juicer experiment gone awry - they wanted to make an all-green-vegetable juice, but it didn't work that well, so they threw it into a soup pot, added a can of chick peas and "then we just kept on throwing in spices until it tasted good." Unfortunately, though, they didn't keep track of just what spices, so we could never recreate it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:31 AM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
I had a roommate who finagled dinner using only two potatoes, some shredded cheese, and a half a box of falafel mix - he cooked the potatoes, mashed them with some falafel mix, and then made cheese-filled patties out of them and then fried them.
My roommates from my first post-college apartment also invented a delicious soup by accident, as a byproduct of a juicer experiment gone awry - they wanted to make an all-green-vegetable juice, but it didn't work that well, so they threw it into a soup pot, added a can of chick peas and "then we just kept on throwing in spices until it tasted good." Unfortunately, though, they didn't keep track of just what spices, so we could never recreate it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:31 AM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
Mine, before marriage, was just a kitchen sink stir-fry with whatever protein and veg I had laying around, appropriately sliced, cooked and bound together with a generic "brown gravy" with ginger, garlic, soy, sesame oil and either black vinegar and/or shaoxing wine.
If I was feeling "stretchy" I'd add rice (or these days cauliflower rice) for service and I'd always top with way too much cilantro and scallions.
posted by drewbage1847 at 8:38 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
If I was feeling "stretchy" I'd add rice (or these days cauliflower rice) for service and I'd always top with way too much cilantro and scallions.
posted by drewbage1847 at 8:38 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
"Just keep throwing in spices till it tastes good" is a key point of cooking that far too many formal recipes completely fail at presenting!
posted by Drastic at 8:46 AM on October 2, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Drastic at 8:46 AM on October 2, 2020 [4 favorites]
We had 'dad surprise' as a kid, which was basically a really thick chili but with added ingredients like hominy and more spices than we normally added to chili or that my mom ever cooked.
As a parent, we don't have any thing like this so far.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:47 AM on October 2, 2020
As a parent, we don't have any thing like this so far.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:47 AM on October 2, 2020
Tuna on crackers. A little mayo, not too much, lots of onion. Just keep scooping the tuna out with onion crackers.
Rice, made with a lot of boullion. Peas. Or corn. Or both. Hopefully, canned. Some butter, and some Penzeys Justice spice. Before I discovered that, it was just garlic powder.
My BF's fideo. SO EASY.
Someone I know introduced me to making this bake with a can of CoM soup, a little cream or milk to thin, chopped up chicken, mushrooms, and then covering the whole thing with instant stuffing. Bake 350 until crisp. It was good.
posted by oflinkey at 8:50 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Rice, made with a lot of boullion. Peas. Or corn. Or both. Hopefully, canned. Some butter, and some Penzeys Justice spice. Before I discovered that, it was just garlic powder.
My BF's fideo. SO EASY.
Someone I know introduced me to making this bake with a can of CoM soup, a little cream or milk to thin, chopped up chicken, mushrooms, and then covering the whole thing with instant stuffing. Bake 350 until crisp. It was good.
posted by oflinkey at 8:50 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
AKA "the beef thing," "that curry thing," or "THE SLAW."
This reminds me of Australian chop suey/chow mein, a weird agglomeration that's been through so many generations of ingredient substitution and westernization that it only bears a vestigial resemblance to zá suì. It's basically your
posted by zamboni at 8:53 AM on October 2, 2020
This reminds me of Australian chop suey/chow mein, a weird agglomeration that's been through so many generations of ingredient substitution and westernization that it only bears a vestigial resemblance to zá suì. It's basically your
beef thingwith added rice and chicken noodle soup mix.
posted by zamboni at 8:53 AM on October 2, 2020
@phunniemee put those grape tomatoes to the best use possible with this recipe (that is equally easy, possibly even easier than the one you've mentioned) and one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten.
https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/07/one-pan-farro-with-tomatoes/
posted by raccoon409 at 9:13 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/07/one-pan-farro-with-tomatoes/
posted by raccoon409 at 9:13 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Colcannon-ish. Potatoes and kale, potatoes and leaks, potatoes and beet greens, potatoes and whatever green(s) is in the crisper. Unlike recipes on line, doesn't need a lot of butter (though some is nice). Cook the greens tender (though not to soup) , chop and stir into the potatoes. The spuds work better the smoother the mash, one of the few times we break out the ricer.
Eat just on its own in a big bowl. Although it does go well with some old roast or stew if you have any lying around.
Neaps and tatties we do sometimes too, especially with white turnups. Neither of us like the swede/rutabaga too much. After a few experiments, not a big fan of kohlrabi as an alternative. Beans have nothing on kholrabi.
posted by bonehead at 9:23 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Eat just on its own in a big bowl. Although it does go well with some old roast or stew if you have any lying around.
Neaps and tatties we do sometimes too, especially with white turnups. Neither of us like the swede/rutabaga too much. After a few experiments, not a big fan of kohlrabi as an alternative. Beans have nothing on kholrabi.
posted by bonehead at 9:23 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Refried bean casserole with sushi rice:
Cook rice. I just follow the package directions for 1 cup rice: 2 cups water.
I do not like the taste of regular short grain par-boiled white rice. Nishiki sushi rice or nothing.
Mix cooked rice with one of those tiny cans of la costena salsa. Spread your rice mixture into a cast iron pan so it’s nice and flat and even. You could also add some canned corn at this point. Spread a layer of refried beans (homemade? Canned? This does not matter) onto the rice. Top with cheese - I usually use “pizza” mozzarella but whatever? Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 (really it just needs to heat through) and then turn on the broiler to brown the cheese. Eat immediately.
posted by janepanic at 9:26 AM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
Cook rice. I just follow the package directions for 1 cup rice: 2 cups water.
I do not like the taste of regular short grain par-boiled white rice. Nishiki sushi rice or nothing.
Mix cooked rice with one of those tiny cans of la costena salsa. Spread your rice mixture into a cast iron pan so it’s nice and flat and even. You could also add some canned corn at this point. Spread a layer of refried beans (homemade? Canned? This does not matter) onto the rice. Top with cheese - I usually use “pizza” mozzarella but whatever? Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 (really it just needs to heat through) and then turn on the broiler to brown the cheese. Eat immediately.
posted by janepanic at 9:26 AM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
About a third of a medium-sized cauliflower or cabbage, grated. Possibly some grated onion. For the cabbage, saute in butter and olive oil, finish with salt and pepper and more butter or a little sour cream. For the cauliflower, saute in butter or olive oil or peanut oil and finish with salt and pepper and butter OR sour cream OR a little diluted grocery store Indian curry paste and some cashews. Eat until you can eat no more.
posted by Frowner at 9:54 AM on October 2, 2020
posted by Frowner at 9:54 AM on October 2, 2020
I do "Broccoli Noodle" which is... soba noodles cooked, drained (but not rinsed) and topped with lightly steamed broccoli and a cooked "vaguely-stir-fry flavored" sauce (garlic, ginger, soy, sesame oil -- ingredients to taste). Served hot.
It's not a real thing and I am pretty sure it's not what one is supposed to do with soba noodles but... well... it's pretty tasty and has made it into the rotation at my house. You can, if you are feeling posh, add mushrooms and/or water chestnuts (hotted up in the sauce) to the veggie content.
posted by which_chick at 10:04 AM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
It's not a real thing and I am pretty sure it's not what one is supposed to do with soba noodles but... well... it's pretty tasty and has made it into the rotation at my house. You can, if you are feeling posh, add mushrooms and/or water chestnuts (hotted up in the sauce) to the veggie content.
posted by which_chick at 10:04 AM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
If I'm feeling seriously lazy, sharp cheddar cheese on Triscuit crackers, broiled for 4-5 minutes until the cheese is barely melty/bubbly, then a little squiggle of Sriracha on top. Not sure if that technically qualifies as a "meal", but it is as far as I'm concerned.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:49 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:49 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
"bowls" in my houes: usually quinoa or couscous or brown rice, sauteed garlic/onions/carrots/kale/broccoli, and a fried or poached egg.
aww hell yeah it's lunchtime, gotta go
posted by dismas at 10:49 AM on October 2, 2020
aww hell yeah it's lunchtime, gotta go
posted by dismas at 10:49 AM on October 2, 2020
A heap of balachaung over white rice with some kind of cold vegetable. Usually whole carrots because I'm lazy, but if I'm fancy I'll do a quick thai cucumber salad. And a side of canned smoked herring or trout if I need more protein.
posted by tavella at 10:57 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by tavella at 10:57 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Fistful of sliced deli turkey, prepared by eating it directly from the bag while standing in front of an open fridge at night. Serve with kitchen lights off.
posted by FatherDagon at 10:58 AM on October 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by FatherDagon at 10:58 AM on October 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
Tuna fish on spaghetti. Looking over other entries here, tuna seems to be the starting point. That tuna on popcorn will happen at my house soon.
In a pinch it's a big bowl of pasta with lots of parm.
posted by datawrangler at 10:59 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
In a pinch it's a big bowl of pasta with lots of parm.
posted by datawrangler at 10:59 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Grilled cheese with a fried egg on top and whatever preserved veggie/sauce/fermentation experiment either drizzled on top or on the side. During the Corona Era this has served as lunch at least three days a week.
posted by St. Oops at 11:01 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by St. Oops at 11:01 AM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
My brother and his friends had cottage cheese mixed with elbow macaroni, topped with tomato sauce. I hope it tasted better than it looked, because it looked like a dog's dinner.
posted by datawrangler at 11:02 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by datawrangler at 11:02 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Leftover brown rice, heated in the microwave, and then shredded cheddar cheese stirred in so it gets all melty and gooey. And then top it with soy sauce.
For my family, I pretty often make chicken breasts in a glass baking dish that I dump a container of salsa on top of, and then just bake for 35 minutes at 350 or whatever. I would actually make that for guests though; it's just easy, not rot gut.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:06 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
For my family, I pretty often make chicken breasts in a glass baking dish that I dump a container of salsa on top of, and then just bake for 35 minutes at 350 or whatever. I would actually make that for guests though; it's just easy, not rot gut.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:06 AM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
I'll make a colorful pasta salad for potlucks, but that involves dicing a lot of veggies, steaming some others.
When it's just me and I'm lazy pasta + store bought Italian dressing. Or sometimes I'll use vinegar and oil and dash on a bunch of stuff from my spice cupboard. Sometimes leftover rice gets this treatment too. I always put on more vinegar and salt than I think most other people would like.
posted by ghost phoneme at 11:10 AM on October 2, 2020
When it's just me and I'm lazy pasta + store bought Italian dressing. Or sometimes I'll use vinegar and oil and dash on a bunch of stuff from my spice cupboard. Sometimes leftover rice gets this treatment too. I always put on more vinegar and salt than I think most other people would like.
posted by ghost phoneme at 11:10 AM on October 2, 2020
I'm going to be eating a lot more "house meals" in the weeks to come - I broke my knee on Monday and won't be able to stand for a while. Fortunately my roommate is a prince among men and he has risen to Home Health Care duties with an abundance of grace.
However, I am much more of a chef than he is. He usually subsists on pasta and sausage, or some variety of homemade Korean stuff, or takeout. I am the one who belongs to the CSA and has all kinds of produce and fruits and creative whatsits in the fridge. But if I can't stand to cook....this is all falling into his hands.
We have managed a couple of dinners so far with me directing him towards various ingredients I knew we had ("so there should be a couple of Italian sausages in there - take one, and then take a piece of that weird white thing that I showed you - that's fennel. And you'll also need one carrot and a quarter pound of pasta. And here's what you do...."). But today for lunch, I couldn't think what to do, and he said he was already thinking of just hardboiling a mess of eggs, so I thought of a free-form salad. He had a dive into the produce drawer and threw whatever we had into it and served it to me in one of my mixing bowls; there's two eggs, a carrot, an entire tomato, a shishito pepper and a couple of different kinds of lettuce. I had rice leftover from a Chinese order last night and may try walking him through fried rice tonight. But I think after a couple weeks the dinners may start turning into him sort of winging it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:13 AM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
However, I am much more of a chef than he is. He usually subsists on pasta and sausage, or some variety of homemade Korean stuff, or takeout. I am the one who belongs to the CSA and has all kinds of produce and fruits and creative whatsits in the fridge. But if I can't stand to cook....this is all falling into his hands.
We have managed a couple of dinners so far with me directing him towards various ingredients I knew we had ("so there should be a couple of Italian sausages in there - take one, and then take a piece of that weird white thing that I showed you - that's fennel. And you'll also need one carrot and a quarter pound of pasta. And here's what you do...."). But today for lunch, I couldn't think what to do, and he said he was already thinking of just hardboiling a mess of eggs, so I thought of a free-form salad. He had a dive into the produce drawer and threw whatever we had into it and served it to me in one of my mixing bowls; there's two eggs, a carrot, an entire tomato, a shishito pepper and a couple of different kinds of lettuce. I had rice leftover from a Chinese order last night and may try walking him through fried rice tonight. But I think after a couple weeks the dinners may start turning into him sort of winging it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:13 AM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
I don't understand how you can have someone in your house capable of making "some variety of homemade Korean stuff" and have not said "please just bring me every possible variety of homemade Korean stuff" because that'd be amazing. Unless you meant only a single form of homemade Korean stuff, in which case, I'd probably still want to eat that for several days but might eventually get tired of it.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:18 AM on October 2, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 11:18 AM on October 2, 2020 [9 favorites]
Take a package of 10¢ ramen, discard the flavor packet. Cook in boiling water with miso and whatever spices seem appropriate. Add whatever Trader Joe's frozen veggies are in the freezer, (broccoli, mushrooms, corn, peas etc). Stir in an egg or two when the veggies are nearly done.
That kept me fed for most of my single life, but I've never served it to anyone else.
posted by monotreme at 11:36 AM on October 2, 2020 [11 favorites]
That kept me fed for most of my single life, but I've never served it to anyone else.
posted by monotreme at 11:36 AM on October 2, 2020 [11 favorites]
is a bottle of vodka a house meal asking for a friend
posted by lalochezia at 11:40 AM on October 2, 2020 [11 favorites]
posted by lalochezia at 11:40 AM on October 2, 2020 [11 favorites]
Take a can of tuna in olive oil. Add capers, chopped shallots. Serve on cracker.
posted by slateyness at 12:04 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by slateyness at 12:04 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
I have had the Armenian cucumber summer, crackers, squares of cheese to match, cucumber slices; crackers squares of cheese to match pickles made from my cucumbers: cucumbers sliced in lemon juice with Spike seasoned salt, olive oil, served on the side of any meat. I keep organic marinara always I buy it on sale, to go on heated tamales, or noodles with what I have. I have learned to toast one slice of Daves zillion grain bread, then chop it up so it dries out completely warm, then blend it to crumbs, and I have bread crumbs to make meatballs. I make meatballs in muffin tins, with muffin cups. Freeze them to have with said marinara, cucumbers yellow squash and all. Costco sells a white, line caught tuna, in water, that goes great with home made pickles, mayo, crackers, repeat, repeat, repeat. Trader Joes sells a 12 oz can of cooked salmon in water, to make the same thing. La Sirena makes a 15 oz can of sardines, in spicy tomato sauce, or even sweet tomato sauce, if you catch it right, they can be 79 cents per can before lent, but only if you buy twelve, so I do just that, and keep a stack around for mackrel sardines, homemade pickles, and dry toast for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
posted by Oyéah at 12:28 PM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 12:28 PM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
One cake ramen; one quarter teaspoon curry powder; 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt; one half of ramen's soy-sauce-flavor packet. Boil the noodles, drain the water, mix ingredients with noodles. It's a mess and it's so good, especially if you double it.
posted by Countess Elena at 12:39 PM on October 2, 2020
posted by Countess Elena at 12:39 PM on October 2, 2020
I don't understand how you can have someone in your house capable of making "some variety of homemade Korean stuff" and have not said "please just bring me every possible variety of homemade Korean stuff" because that'd be amazing.
Kimchi is made with one of the vegetables that gives me howlingly bad indigestion, and he goes heavy on the kimchi.
Although if he does ever try a bowl of ram-don again I may ask him to share - leaving out the kimchi.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:41 PM on October 2, 2020
Kimchi is made with one of the vegetables that gives me howlingly bad indigestion, and he goes heavy on the kimchi.
Although if he does ever try a bowl of ram-don again I may ask him to share - leaving out the kimchi.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:41 PM on October 2, 2020
monotreme> Take a package of 10¢ ramen, discard the flavor packet.
I have a ramen subscription through Amazon which I do similar things with. Also a gallon bag of saved unused flavor packets I collected before I decided I was never going to use them faster than I get them in.
-----
My house meal, though, is a fried egg tortilla thing: Fry random veggies (and sometimes bacon or ham) in butter and/or bacon fat until browning nicely. Add 2 to 3 eggs and scramble together, and immediately top with a flour tortilla. Flop it over (I can't flip it, it's too big, but I can usually flop it with minimal trauma) when the eggs have firmed up and brown the tortilla. Dump onto a plate when the tortilla smells delicious and fold it in half. Devour.
I had no idea until I tried it, but the tortilla browns into an incredibly light, fluffy, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth thing and it's just great. But also it's too big and fragile to eat without falling to pieces.
posted by Wilbefort at 12:45 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
I have a ramen subscription through Amazon which I do similar things with. Also a gallon bag of saved unused flavor packets I collected before I decided I was never going to use them faster than I get them in.
-----
My house meal, though, is a fried egg tortilla thing: Fry random veggies (and sometimes bacon or ham) in butter and/or bacon fat until browning nicely. Add 2 to 3 eggs and scramble together, and immediately top with a flour tortilla. Flop it over (I can't flip it, it's too big, but I can usually flop it with minimal trauma) when the eggs have firmed up and brown the tortilla. Dump onto a plate when the tortilla smells delicious and fold it in half. Devour.
I had no idea until I tried it, but the tortilla browns into an incredibly light, fluffy, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth thing and it's just great. But also it's too big and fragile to eat without falling to pieces.
posted by Wilbefort at 12:45 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Not cacio e pepe: Boil linguini or fettuccini. Drain it by holding the noodles back with a fork and tilting the pot so you don't have to wash a strainer. This will inherently retain some of the pasta water. Plop the pasta in a bowl. If it's been a truly awful day, keep it in the pot, which is now your bowl. Stir in butter, Locatelli Romano, pepper, capers, and salt to taste. Sit down on the couch or kitchen floor and eat using the fork you used to drain the pasta.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 12:51 PM on October 2, 2020 [14 favorites]
posted by evidenceofabsence at 12:51 PM on October 2, 2020 [14 favorites]
Oh! I discovered the potato chip omelets and that's become a bit of a house meal - I spring for small bags of the weird flavor chips and play around accordingly. Maybe if cheese would work, I add cheese.
That and some lettuce plopped onto the plate next to the omelet and you're sorted.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:53 PM on October 2, 2020
That and some lettuce plopped onto the plate next to the omelet and you're sorted.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:53 PM on October 2, 2020
Beans and rice! Either a can of pinto/black, or dry beans if I thought ahead. 1 can, or 2/3 cup dry, and 1/2 cup of brown rice or quinoa. Sautee onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, spice the shit out of it. Add the beans in when they're done, cook for a bit, add the rice/quinoa at the end. It ends up super-veggie heavy, and I could eat it every day for every meal. Throw some greek yogurt on top if it's around.
posted by Vhanudux at 12:54 PM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Vhanudux at 12:54 PM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Dressed up Kraft mac'n'cheese, with the addition of a can of tuna or some diced Spanish chorizo, along with maybe some capers or chopped kimchi.
posted by me3dia at 12:57 PM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by me3dia at 12:57 PM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
some of these are far too fancy to be things you wouldn't serve to other people. I'm calling you all out with your fancy sautes and suchlike.
Mine is: if you put an egg on it, it's breakfast. It works with almost everything I have tried so far. Leftover pizza. Leftover mac & cheese. Leftover stew. Leftover mashed potatoes.
Find leftovers, put some in a microwave safe bowl. Make it hot.
Fry (or baste) two eggs over-medium
put on the leftovers, season to taste with salt, pepper, and whatever strikes your fancy.
My favorite is totally pizza.
I am proud of this philosophy, but would not ever make it for someone. My family considers it universally gross, and are never sure if I am just playing a long practical joke or actually like it.
When I have guests, I do some kind of fancy saute omelette thing.
posted by pol at 1:02 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Mine is: if you put an egg on it, it's breakfast. It works with almost everything I have tried so far. Leftover pizza. Leftover mac & cheese. Leftover stew. Leftover mashed potatoes.
Find leftovers, put some in a microwave safe bowl. Make it hot.
Fry (or baste) two eggs over-medium
put on the leftovers, season to taste with salt, pepper, and whatever strikes your fancy.
My favorite is totally pizza.
I am proud of this philosophy, but would not ever make it for someone. My family considers it universally gross, and are never sure if I am just playing a long practical joke or actually like it.
When I have guests, I do some kind of fancy saute omelette thing.
posted by pol at 1:02 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Not cacio e pepe
Pasta Picceasar. I make this too. (with lemon.)
I also just eat capers out of the jar while I'm waiting for the water to boil.
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:15 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Pasta Picceasar. I make this too. (with lemon.)
I also just eat capers out of the jar while I'm waiting for the water to boil.
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:15 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
I either cook proper food or I don't cook at all. So my house meal is crackers with cheese on them. Like today. I had planned to make a shepherds pie, because I thought I had the meat part ready to go, and then it turned out that the roomies had eaten all the mince. It's OK, I said they could. But I had no energy for cooking anything else out of our lovely full pantry. I guess I'll just go to bed now and then have a full breakfast tomorrow.
posted by mumimor at 1:25 PM on October 2, 2020
posted by mumimor at 1:25 PM on October 2, 2020
is a bottle of vodka a house meal asking for a friend
No, because there has to be some sort of recipe involved. Add orange juice, now you have a cozy brunch.
posted by betweenthebars at 1:25 PM on October 2, 2020 [9 favorites]
No, because there has to be some sort of recipe involved. Add orange juice, now you have a cozy brunch.
posted by betweenthebars at 1:25 PM on October 2, 2020 [9 favorites]
Thick potato chips covered with grated NZ cheddar, cooked in a countertop convection oven until the cheese is as crisp, bubbly and dry as it can get without significantly browning the chips, eaten with a dip of a 3.5 oz. can of Coho salmon mashed with 2 tbs. of Barbara's Dijon mustard. Sometimes with finely chopped cherry tomatoes added on top of the cheese and chips while the cheese is still liquid enough for the tomatoes to meld into the cheese layer.
posted by jamjam at 2:10 PM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by jamjam at 2:10 PM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
I guess my comfort/desperation meal is canned chili on spaghetti.
Lately, my house meal is fritters. There's sourdough, which means there's always extra (discard) sourdough, plus eggs, pinch of baking powder, plus scallion and potato, or squash, cabbage, sweet potato, leftover veg of some sort. Fry in hot oil, top with salsa.
I stress-cooked today and made the chick peas that are weird and delicious;. I add lemon juice. And a soup I make a lot - chicken, sausage, onion, carrot, potato is the standard, and I had bok choy and cabbage, as well as some 'Artisanal Sauerkraut with Sriracha' that was too spicy, so now it's in the soup and is really good. I'm also stress eating, but whatev.
posted by theora55 at 2:25 PM on October 2, 2020
Lately, my house meal is fritters. There's sourdough, which means there's always extra (discard) sourdough, plus eggs, pinch of baking powder, plus scallion and potato, or squash, cabbage, sweet potato, leftover veg of some sort. Fry in hot oil, top with salsa.
I stress-cooked today and made the chick peas that are weird and delicious;. I add lemon juice. And a soup I make a lot - chicken, sausage, onion, carrot, potato is the standard, and I had bok choy and cabbage, as well as some 'Artisanal Sauerkraut with Sriracha' that was too spicy, so now it's in the soup and is really good. I'm also stress eating, but whatev.
posted by theora55 at 2:25 PM on October 2, 2020
Is this where I mention that one fateful day when I felt like something with melted cheese on it that I realised I could just melt cheese in a bowl in the microwave and eat it with a spoon?
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:39 PM on October 2, 2020 [20 favorites]
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:39 PM on October 2, 2020 [20 favorites]
Ramen with canned chicken, curry powder, and peanut butter. This is as close as I get to actually cooking.
posted by darksasami at 2:54 PM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by darksasami at 2:54 PM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
All through my early childhood I would only eat variations on the same lunch: a slice of bologna or a cold hotdog (it's just 3-D lunchmeat), a hardboiled egg, a pickle, and a slice of gummit cheese (my parents fed me on foodstamps and food banks in the 70s). The cheese is now goatcheese because I can't digest cow milk anymore, and I tend to fancier hotdogs and pickles, but this is still my basic quarantine lunch. I never brought it to work because it seemed weird, but now in WFH + heatwave it's all I want to eat.
Just about any leftover that's doesn't get all hard or seperated when cold, I'll eat straight from the fridge: fried rice, pasta with any kind of sauce, scrambled eggs or omelette, etc. This grosses out just about everyone who has seen me do it. Mmm, cold spaghetti bolognese is the best.
I've done 10 cent ramen with egg & optional frozen veggies for years, but recently started adding KFC gravy when I have some. We get a bucket o'chicken with sides occasionally, my roommate loves mashed potatoes but not gravy so there's always leftovers, and the KFC gravy just thickens up the beef flavored ramen nicely.
posted by buildmyworld at 3:06 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Just about any leftover that's doesn't get all hard or seperated when cold, I'll eat straight from the fridge: fried rice, pasta with any kind of sauce, scrambled eggs or omelette, etc. This grosses out just about everyone who has seen me do it. Mmm, cold spaghetti bolognese is the best.
I've done 10 cent ramen with egg & optional frozen veggies for years, but recently started adding KFC gravy when I have some. We get a bucket o'chicken with sides occasionally, my roommate loves mashed potatoes but not gravy so there's always leftovers, and the KFC gravy just thickens up the beef flavored ramen nicely.
posted by buildmyworld at 3:06 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
i_am_joe's_spleen I have done that and then dipped oatcakes in it.
posted by stillnocturnal at 3:15 PM on October 2, 2020
posted by stillnocturnal at 3:15 PM on October 2, 2020
Not being so much a red meat person these days, this doesn't get made in the house anymore, but I used to make this dish that so sounds so weird that I have to double-check my old notes to make sure I wasn't imagining things.
Basically it was a hamburger cabbage stew: Brown some hamburg, toss in chopped cabbage, and throw a few cloves in, (yes, cloves) and then pour in a bunch of spicy V-8 juice. Let it simmer for a good while until the liquid is absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste and then serve with grated cheddar cheese and hot sauce.
Remarkably comforting and somehow better the next day as leftovers.
posted by jeremias at 3:22 PM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
Basically it was a hamburger cabbage stew: Brown some hamburg, toss in chopped cabbage, and throw a few cloves in, (yes, cloves) and then pour in a bunch of spicy V-8 juice. Let it simmer for a good while until the liquid is absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste and then serve with grated cheddar cheese and hot sauce.
Remarkably comforting and somehow better the next day as leftovers.
posted by jeremias at 3:22 PM on October 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
Instant Pot risotto has become a house meal for me. If I don’t have white wine, I use vinegar or lemon juice. I like to stir in some frozen peas after it’s done (they cook with the residual heat), and put a poached egg or two on top. Sometimes I’ll stir in cooked chopped chicken, but usually not.
Grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich with Dijon mustard and a poached egg on top is another one. (The Dijon goes inside, spread on the bread where mustard normally goes on a sandwich; I couldn’t figure out how to rework the sentence structure to make that clear.) Like a croque-madame, but without the fussy sauce-making part.
Like pol, I believe that anything with a runny egg on top automatically counts as breakfast, and if you eat it for dinner, it’s just breakfast-for-dinner and thus comfort food. I do poached rather than fried eggs, just because I find poaching easier to manage.
posted by snowmentality at 4:32 PM on October 2, 2020
Grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich with Dijon mustard and a poached egg on top is another one. (The Dijon goes inside, spread on the bread where mustard normally goes on a sandwich; I couldn’t figure out how to rework the sentence structure to make that clear.) Like a croque-madame, but without the fussy sauce-making part.
Like pol, I believe that anything with a runny egg on top automatically counts as breakfast, and if you eat it for dinner, it’s just breakfast-for-dinner and thus comfort food. I do poached rather than fried eggs, just because I find poaching easier to manage.
posted by snowmentality at 4:32 PM on October 2, 2020
Lately it’s breakfast tacos. Fries eggs over medium, topped with a bit of melted cheese, on warmed tortillas with whatever is around. Definitely cilantro, maybe bell pepper, maybe avocado, maybe a bit of lime. Add a bit of salsa and enjoy the eggy cheesy heaven.
posted by mai at 5:05 PM on October 2, 2020
posted by mai at 5:05 PM on October 2, 2020
Is this where I mention that one fateful day when I felt like something with melted cheese on it that I realised I could just melt cheese in a bowl in the microwave and eat it with a spoon?
I was once housemates with a gal who would sometimes take cubed mozzarella cheese (the higher the milk fat the better) and heat it in a pan until molten and perfectly browned on the bottom. A gas stove and a cast iron pan are good but not essential. Scrape it onto a plate and try not to sear off the roof of your mouth.
posted by janepanic at 5:16 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
I was once housemates with a gal who would sometimes take cubed mozzarella cheese (the higher the milk fat the better) and heat it in a pan until molten and perfectly browned on the bottom. A gas stove and a cast iron pan are good but not essential. Scrape it onto a plate and try not to sear off the roof of your mouth.
posted by janepanic at 5:16 PM on October 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
If I don’t have white wine, I use vinegar or lemon juice
Vermouth is good substitute for white wine in cooking, if you have that lurking in your cabinets.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:22 PM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Vermouth is good substitute for white wine in cooking, if you have that lurking in your cabinets.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:22 PM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
One of my college friends often made a meal called "cheeseburger rice" exactly as it sounds: usually white rice, seasoned ground beef cooked in a skillet, and melt a little cheese into the whole thing. It was carby and savory and delicious. I realize it's basically homemade hamburger helper, but somehow it was even simpler than that-no sauce, I guess, just a little meat grease.
posted by nakedmolerats at 6:14 PM on October 2, 2020
posted by nakedmolerats at 6:14 PM on October 2, 2020
Any West Africans in the house? I realized a few years ago that I could use palm oil in non-Liberian cooking and it changed my House Meal life. Somehow settled on palm oil, julienned cabbage, and eggs, heavily salted with a heaping helping of Jamaican curry powder. Garlic if I feel like it, which I often but not always do. Finished with cilantro if there's a fresh bunch around. Nothing about this is traditional to any cuisine, but that's lazy diaspora meal-making for ya.
posted by youarenothere at 6:55 PM on October 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by youarenothere at 6:55 PM on October 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
I just want to say this thread makes me happy.
posted by hearthpig at 7:34 PM on October 2, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by hearthpig at 7:34 PM on October 2, 2020 [9 favorites]
Several of my house meals have already been mentioned! "Cheesy rice", as it's called; ramen with egg; ground beef and cabbage. I also like "shove cold meat into my mouth while standing in front of the fridge".
Another one I used to make a lot is bread stir fry... torn up pieces of the very last of the bread (any kind), fried in a couple tablespoons of oil until crispy. Add some grated cheese so it melts onto the bread. Add any veggies that need to be used up, any leftover protein, and at least one egg. Serve in a bowl and eat with a spoon.
posted by Red Desk at 9:41 PM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Another one I used to make a lot is bread stir fry... torn up pieces of the very last of the bread (any kind), fried in a couple tablespoons of oil until crispy. Add some grated cheese so it melts onto the bread. Add any veggies that need to be used up, any leftover protein, and at least one egg. Serve in a bowl and eat with a spoon.
posted by Red Desk at 9:41 PM on October 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
In grad school, my house meal was mac & cheese from the box, made with yogurt and canned peas, with some chipotle seasoning. I loved it then ... and would have trouble making it now.
More recently, when I want satisfying comfort food I've been frying up some ground sausage (linguica is best), then mix in scrambled eggs and an embarrassing amount of grated cheese.
posted by Metasyntactic at 1:58 AM on October 3, 2020
More recently, when I want satisfying comfort food I've been frying up some ground sausage (linguica is best), then mix in scrambled eggs and an embarrassing amount of grated cheese.
posted by Metasyntactic at 1:58 AM on October 3, 2020
Pasta (optimally elbows, but anything short works). Tuna. Mayo. Stir. Eat straight from pot.
Also, I do pretty random quickbread-ish things often enough that I'd say it's a house meal. For example, this evening I took a big spoonful of mashed pumpkin, added a couple of eggs, some flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder & pinch salt & pinch baking soda, frozen blueberries, and chocolate chips, stirred it up, decided maybe it should be more batter-like so added a some yogurt, couldn't decide whether this was now a fritter or a drop biscuit or a muffin, came down on the side of drop biscuit because I didn't feel like frying or like fussing with the muffin tin, put it on a baking sheet in 6 blobs, cooked til golden brown and ate them all even though I thought I'd save some for morning.
Which might sound kinda complicated, but it's basically: veggie/binder/leavening/heat/eat.
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:03 AM on October 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also, I do pretty random quickbread-ish things often enough that I'd say it's a house meal. For example, this evening I took a big spoonful of mashed pumpkin, added a couple of eggs, some flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder & pinch salt & pinch baking soda, frozen blueberries, and chocolate chips, stirred it up, decided maybe it should be more batter-like so added a some yogurt, couldn't decide whether this was now a fritter or a drop biscuit or a muffin, came down on the side of drop biscuit because I didn't feel like frying or like fussing with the muffin tin, put it on a baking sheet in 6 blobs, cooked til golden brown and ate them all even though I thought I'd save some for morning.
Which might sound kinda complicated, but it's basically: veggie/binder/leavening/heat/eat.
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:03 AM on October 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
My current favourite scumbag-but-feels-fancy breakfast is a toasted bagel with butter, red onion chutney and sliced brie melted on in the microwave, served with a side of vegetarian sausage or vegetarian chicken nuggets, as the mood takes me. I would never serve it to another living creature but it's such a good breakfast for me as I seem to run best on fat and protein in the morning and it keeps me sated until a late lunch.
I've lost most of my former house meals since moving in with my partner nearly seven years ago (and, incidentally, moving to a house with a much better kitchen and fewer occupants, which makes me feel like cooking real food for myself for the meals I don't share with partner much more often). An old staple from university and my early house-sharing days was a pile of flavoured instant cous cous surrounded by "mezze"-style sides (in practice this could be anything including pre-sliced cheese, halloumi/feta if I actually had thematically-appropriate cheese in, houmous, relish, any kind of quick-to-prepare meat substitute, sometimes canned corn).
Instant ramen fancied up with marinated ready-to-eat tofu pieces and peas and/or corn was another favourite, sometimes with cheese melted on top. One time I wanted to eat that plus a garlic flatbread that was about to go bad so I dumped the noodle mix on top of the flatbread and melted cheese on the whole thing in the microwave, resulting in an unholy pizza that friends referred to as "Minas Noodûl".
"Take a food that people don't generally melt cheese on and melt cheese on it" was pretty much my MO in those days. Weekend breakfasts were usually leftover curry or Chinese takeout eaten at lunchtime (when I got up) with cheese melted over the leftovers. I was drinking pretty heavily at the time and I also had a bad habit of coming home drunk, melting cheese on some kind of bread (like pre-made naan) in the microwave, then taking it upstairs and falling asleep with it in bed with me somehow. The number of times I woke up hung over to find some kind of dried-out-at-the-edges bread product with congealed cheese stuck to it on the pillow next to me. Usually on a plate, but sometimes...not.
I'm a lot more coherent as a person these days and on the whole it's better.
posted by terretu at 2:17 AM on October 3, 2020 [8 favorites]
I've lost most of my former house meals since moving in with my partner nearly seven years ago (and, incidentally, moving to a house with a much better kitchen and fewer occupants, which makes me feel like cooking real food for myself for the meals I don't share with partner much more often). An old staple from university and my early house-sharing days was a pile of flavoured instant cous cous surrounded by "mezze"-style sides (in practice this could be anything including pre-sliced cheese, halloumi/feta if I actually had thematically-appropriate cheese in, houmous, relish, any kind of quick-to-prepare meat substitute, sometimes canned corn).
Instant ramen fancied up with marinated ready-to-eat tofu pieces and peas and/or corn was another favourite, sometimes with cheese melted on top. One time I wanted to eat that plus a garlic flatbread that was about to go bad so I dumped the noodle mix on top of the flatbread and melted cheese on the whole thing in the microwave, resulting in an unholy pizza that friends referred to as "Minas Noodûl".
"Take a food that people don't generally melt cheese on and melt cheese on it" was pretty much my MO in those days. Weekend breakfasts were usually leftover curry or Chinese takeout eaten at lunchtime (when I got up) with cheese melted over the leftovers. I was drinking pretty heavily at the time and I also had a bad habit of coming home drunk, melting cheese on some kind of bread (like pre-made naan) in the microwave, then taking it upstairs and falling asleep with it in bed with me somehow. The number of times I woke up hung over to find some kind of dried-out-at-the-edges bread product with congealed cheese stuck to it on the pillow next to me. Usually on a plate, but sometimes...not.
I'm a lot more coherent as a person these days and on the whole it's better.
posted by terretu at 2:17 AM on October 3, 2020 [8 favorites]
Ramen with canned chicken, curry powder, and peanut butter. This is as close as I get to actually cooking.
This actually sounds good but I’ve never heard of canned chicken.
posted by gt2 at 5:12 AM on October 3, 2020
This actually sounds good but I’ve never heard of canned chicken.
posted by gt2 at 5:12 AM on October 3, 2020
This actually sounds good but I’ve never heard of canned chicken.
Think of a can of tuna, but filled with chicken. They're in the same aisle in the supermarket. There's even a Bumble Bee brand.
My intro to canned chicken was backpacking. One of our lunches was crackers and a can of chicken to spread on them.
posted by mikelieman at 5:27 AM on October 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
Think of a can of tuna, but filled with chicken. They're in the same aisle in the supermarket. There's even a Bumble Bee brand.
My intro to canned chicken was backpacking. One of our lunches was crackers and a can of chicken to spread on them.
posted by mikelieman at 5:27 AM on October 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
My household's laziest pandemic snack has been what we call "white rice and various oils."
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:22 AM on October 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:22 AM on October 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
I should also add that I read through this entire thread, took notes and now I am *hungry*.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:50 AM on October 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:50 AM on October 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
My fairly regular WFH lunch is a ramen packet, dried seaweed, sesame seeds, bonito, whatever random chopped up ends of mushrooms/veg/cabbage happen to be laying around, sesame oil, a couple bird's eye chiles, and some preserved veg (I am rarely without kimchee and/or kkakdugi).
This can get more complex, especially for a true house meal, to e.g. include a protein or two, garlic, shallot, green onion etc. It can also be a "shit I forgot to eat and I have meetings for the rest of the day" and I just do the ramen and kimchee and call it a day.
Quarantine is probably saving me a bit of money. We'll see what it's doing to my cholesterol, blood pressure, and liver.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:33 AM on October 3, 2020
This can get more complex, especially for a true house meal, to e.g. include a protein or two, garlic, shallot, green onion etc. It can also be a "shit I forgot to eat and I have meetings for the rest of the day" and I just do the ramen and kimchee and call it a day.
Quarantine is probably saving me a bit of money. We'll see what it's doing to my cholesterol, blood pressure, and liver.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:33 AM on October 3, 2020
Microwave polenta (1/4 cup cornmeal + 2 cups stock) with baby spinach and parmesan stirred in, maybe other cheese. You need to make this in a seriously heat proof bowl — takes longer to microwave than you think it should.
Green naan (breakfast) pizza: Toast half of one of those grocery store naan (regular, garlic, whole wheat, all are fine). Meanwhile, chop and sauté some broccoli, adding a big handful of baby spinach at the end. Spread some pesto on the naan (which you buy premade mostly for this purpose), then top with the veggies. Can add shredded cheese if you like, and put it back in the toaster oven to melt. Or, if it’s for breakfast, top with a fried egg. The kids will devour this even though it’s green.
Tortellini with premade pesto, green beans, maybe cherry tomatoes if you have them. Recipes will suggest this with peas, but lightly cooked green beans, cut in half, are way better.
Leftover rice microwaved with shredded cheddar and a dash of Worcestershire. Baby spinach too, stirred into the hot rice to wilt, if you like.
My go-to in college was Minute rice cooked in chicken broth with a can of chicken and a can of mushrooms. Sounds gross, but canned chicken is not bad in a pinch. Would use real rice and fresh mushrooms now, though.
posted by libraryhead at 9:53 AM on October 3, 2020
Green naan (breakfast) pizza: Toast half of one of those grocery store naan (regular, garlic, whole wheat, all are fine). Meanwhile, chop and sauté some broccoli, adding a big handful of baby spinach at the end. Spread some pesto on the naan (which you buy premade mostly for this purpose), then top with the veggies. Can add shredded cheese if you like, and put it back in the toaster oven to melt. Or, if it’s for breakfast, top with a fried egg. The kids will devour this even though it’s green.
Tortellini with premade pesto, green beans, maybe cherry tomatoes if you have them. Recipes will suggest this with peas, but lightly cooked green beans, cut in half, are way better.
Leftover rice microwaved with shredded cheddar and a dash of Worcestershire. Baby spinach too, stirred into the hot rice to wilt, if you like.
My go-to in college was Minute rice cooked in chicken broth with a can of chicken and a can of mushrooms. Sounds gross, but canned chicken is not bad in a pinch. Would use real rice and fresh mushrooms now, though.
posted by libraryhead at 9:53 AM on October 3, 2020
Bachelor chow: brown some hamburger, throw in a package of red beans & rice, taco seasoning, some veggies maybe (like red peppers, maybe corn), top with cheddar cheese and season with Tabasco. Maybe eat on a tortilla or with chips.
My family will politely eat this but it's not their jam. So I only make it for myself.
I also like Velveeta shells & cheese with a can of tuna mixed in. Maybe some peas.
Was also, when I lived alone, in the habit of just throwing some semi-random spices or a mix of soy sauce, mustard and hot sauce, in with pre-cooked chicken (Costco grilled chicken breast or rotisserie chicken), maybe some rice or noodles, maybe a piece of naan, some cheese or whatever might be appropriate with the spices.
posted by jzb at 10:16 AM on October 3, 2020
My family will politely eat this but it's not their jam. So I only make it for myself.
I also like Velveeta shells & cheese with a can of tuna mixed in. Maybe some peas.
Was also, when I lived alone, in the habit of just throwing some semi-random spices or a mix of soy sauce, mustard and hot sauce, in with pre-cooked chicken (Costco grilled chicken breast or rotisserie chicken), maybe some rice or noodles, maybe a piece of naan, some cheese or whatever might be appropriate with the spices.
posted by jzb at 10:16 AM on October 3, 2020
Along with pub grub, brunch is probably the restaurant meal I miss the most. My house-meal quarantined breakfast is a benedict-ish. In a skillet, heat one slice of deli smoked turkey or chicken to lightly browned, grill a piece of bread, and topwith an egg over easy. Accompany with "berry delight," a pint glass filled first with frozen blueberries and then enough grapefruit juice to fill the gaps. Spoon out as the berries thaw and enjoy the cereal-milk-like juice that remains.
posted by ipe at 11:24 AM on October 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by ipe at 11:24 AM on October 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
I throw chicken parts (bones in) into a pot with curry paste, canned tomatoes, lentils, any sturdy veggies on their last legs, any ginger and/or garlic on hand, and brown rice. Lots of salt and hot sauce. Sometimes I put some plain yogurt on top of my bowl of glop if I have it on hand. It looks disgusting, but tastes great.
If I made a roast dinner on the weekend I will fry up the leftovers and eat it with lots of ketchup and maybe a fried egg. We called it "hash" growing up.
posted by Stoof at 1:03 PM on October 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
If I made a roast dinner on the weekend I will fry up the leftovers and eat it with lots of ketchup and maybe a fried egg. We called it "hash" growing up.
posted by Stoof at 1:03 PM on October 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
evidenceofabsence: if you add a couple of egg yolks into that, you've got yourself a carbonera. Add it with the cheese first, mix it all around, then add the other bits.
i_am_joe's_spleen: Parchment paper on a microwave safe plate. Sprinkle a thin even layer of frozen shredded chedder in the middle, reheat in the microwave until the water burns off and you're left with a crispy cheese chip.
Also works with long-grated fresh parmesan.
posted by porpoise at 2:25 PM on October 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
i_am_joe's_spleen: Parchment paper on a microwave safe plate. Sprinkle a thin even layer of frozen shredded chedder in the middle, reheat in the microwave until the water burns off and you're left with a crispy cheese chip.
Also works with long-grated fresh parmesan.
posted by porpoise at 2:25 PM on October 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
Black Pepper Kraft Dinner Macaroni & Cheese. Just add cracked black pepper from the grinder, lots of it.
posted by rhizome at 2:57 PM on October 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 2:57 PM on October 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
Sauté a chopped onion in olive oil. Add a Costco package of ground turkey (so about 1.5 pounds I think)? When the turkey is cooked through add a can of Campbell’s condensed cream of mushroom soup and about half a can of water. Sprinkle in some of an herb blend we use that’s mostly Italian seasoning plus dehydrated garlic and onion. Stir to combine, heat through. Serve over white rice.
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:41 PM on October 3, 2020
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:41 PM on October 3, 2020
Take a skillet, put in some oil, and a veggie burger (my fave is the ones with chickpeas). Once you've got that frozen burger warmed up, chop it up with your spatula, so you've got lots of small pieces that can get brown and crispy all over. Oh, you can also throw in a hash brown patty from the Dollar Store (eight for a dollar!) at the same time and do the same.
Once you've chopped up your patties, add some chopped shallots and fresno peppers. And garlic. And whatever else.
Also, you shoulda started to boil some water, for the noodles (my fave are these asian scallop noodles that come in a big plastic container like what you usually see cheez balls in. They're those little puck-shaped conglomeration of noodles that cook in like 3 minutes. But you can use ramen or angel hair or whatever. I do).
Once your skillet stuff is getting golden brown delicious, push it all to one side of the skillet, and drop and egg in there to cook, over easy. Drop your three-minute noodles in the water at the same time.
You don't have to fully cook the egg; just one side. You drain the noodles, put in a bowl, and dump the skillet-stuff on top (actually, I put them in a bowl, and use kitchen shears to snip them up, and add the skillet stuff in layers).
Add a healthy squelch of mayo/siracha/whatever is your fave and a healthy dusting of parmesan/cheddar/Everything But The Bagel.
Stir that up and eat with red wine at 11:00 am when the temperature outside is -3 and there's three feet of snow on the driveway. While watching The Sopranos for like the nth fucking time.
Oh, and tomorrow, try it with cubed Spam.
posted by valkane at 6:38 PM on October 3, 2020 [3 favorites]
Once you've chopped up your patties, add some chopped shallots and fresno peppers. And garlic. And whatever else.
Also, you shoulda started to boil some water, for the noodles (my fave are these asian scallop noodles that come in a big plastic container like what you usually see cheez balls in. They're those little puck-shaped conglomeration of noodles that cook in like 3 minutes. But you can use ramen or angel hair or whatever. I do).
Once your skillet stuff is getting golden brown delicious, push it all to one side of the skillet, and drop and egg in there to cook, over easy. Drop your three-minute noodles in the water at the same time.
You don't have to fully cook the egg; just one side. You drain the noodles, put in a bowl, and dump the skillet-stuff on top (actually, I put them in a bowl, and use kitchen shears to snip them up, and add the skillet stuff in layers).
Add a healthy squelch of mayo/siracha/whatever is your fave and a healthy dusting of parmesan/cheddar/Everything But The Bagel.
Stir that up and eat with red wine at 11:00 am when the temperature outside is -3 and there's three feet of snow on the driveway. While watching The Sopranos for like the nth fucking time.
Oh, and tomorrow, try it with cubed Spam.
posted by valkane at 6:38 PM on October 3, 2020 [3 favorites]
rhizome - Kraft Dinner (I guess it's called "KD" now); I had never had it until I was 9 or 10 and the 13yo babysitter made it, with ketchup, and lots of freshly ground course black pepper.
Tried that once in college with cheap knockoff box mac'n'cheese. Last time I had ever had boxed m'n'c.
I grew up with "good" ramen ("guong jai mein"/ "doll noodles" - Nissin brand sesame flavoured instant ramen). When I cared, I'd discard the boiling water that the noodles were cooked in, and use fresh boiling water to dissolve the soup base (3/4 of the packet, or more water than recommended). It gets rid of the wax/ cheap oils/ binders/ shelf-stabilizers in the dried noodle blocks.
Top with seasoned seaweed (from a packet), pork fluff, scissor in some chunks of beef jerky sometimes. Or more often, poach an egg in the boiling liquid.
Or break up the raw noodle block in a paper bag, dump soup base into it, shake, eat raw/ cold/ crunchy.
--
Rock Bottom eating has historically for me been steamed rice and either/ combination of:
- fermented bean curd (from a jar)
- furikake ("Japanese rice sprinkles")
- butter (or leftover bacon grease)+black pepper+soy sauce
--
Canned/ tinned chicken - it's a thing. I like tinned turkey. They tend to be less processed (or have more "solid meat" included) than pork-based spam/ luncheon meat. Either straight from the can with a fork, or spreading it on a saltine/ triscuit.
It's a shelf-stable easy protein to add to omelettes. Mixed with chopped carrots, celery, mayo, sugar, white pepper - it's a super easy and decent "chicken salad" filling for sandwiches. There's a small cost premium there, though.
--
But yeah; pasta, pan browned veggies/ protein, and something from a jar or a can.
Cheap/ food-desert ground beef can be pretty horrible; I ended up keeping an eye out on beef roasts (round cuts, later sirloin cuts with right right characteristics) on sale and would cut them up into blocks with the grain running the long axis. Individually wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.
Defrost in the fridge in the morning, it's easy to work with by the time I get home from work. I'd shave them with a really sharp chef's knife cross grain and end up with something that tastes better and has a better mouthfeel and far lower "bad feedlot fat" flavour than ground beef at about the same price (especially discounting the rendered ground beef tallow that I normally discard).
Adding a little sugar into the instant (5 minute) marinade (soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder) causes the shaved beef to "sweat" when heated and it makes a great gravy. Pour off as it accumulates so the beef can get a good brown/ maillard at the edges and take on a little colour.
1-minute-before-al-dente pasta soaks up that "gravy" really well and enters al dente when the aside gravy is reintroduced along well drained almost-cooked pasta.
posted by porpoise at 8:47 PM on October 3, 2020 [3 favorites]
Tried that once in college with cheap knockoff box mac'n'cheese. Last time I had ever had boxed m'n'c.
I grew up with "good" ramen ("guong jai mein"/ "doll noodles" - Nissin brand sesame flavoured instant ramen). When I cared, I'd discard the boiling water that the noodles were cooked in, and use fresh boiling water to dissolve the soup base (3/4 of the packet, or more water than recommended). It gets rid of the wax/ cheap oils/ binders/ shelf-stabilizers in the dried noodle blocks.
Top with seasoned seaweed (from a packet), pork fluff, scissor in some chunks of beef jerky sometimes. Or more often, poach an egg in the boiling liquid.
Or break up the raw noodle block in a paper bag, dump soup base into it, shake, eat raw/ cold/ crunchy.
--
Rock Bottom eating has historically for me been steamed rice and either/ combination of:
- fermented bean curd (from a jar)
- furikake ("Japanese rice sprinkles")
- butter (or leftover bacon grease)+black pepper+soy sauce
--
Canned/ tinned chicken - it's a thing. I like tinned turkey. They tend to be less processed (or have more "solid meat" included) than pork-based spam/ luncheon meat. Either straight from the can with a fork, or spreading it on a saltine/ triscuit.
It's a shelf-stable easy protein to add to omelettes. Mixed with chopped carrots, celery, mayo, sugar, white pepper - it's a super easy and decent "chicken salad" filling for sandwiches. There's a small cost premium there, though.
--
But yeah; pasta, pan browned veggies/ protein, and something from a jar or a can.
Cheap/ food-desert ground beef can be pretty horrible; I ended up keeping an eye out on beef roasts (round cuts, later sirloin cuts with right right characteristics) on sale and would cut them up into blocks with the grain running the long axis. Individually wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.
Defrost in the fridge in the morning, it's easy to work with by the time I get home from work. I'd shave them with a really sharp chef's knife cross grain and end up with something that tastes better and has a better mouthfeel and far lower "bad feedlot fat" flavour than ground beef at about the same price (especially discounting the rendered ground beef tallow that I normally discard).
Adding a little sugar into the instant (5 minute) marinade (soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder) causes the shaved beef to "sweat" when heated and it makes a great gravy. Pour off as it accumulates so the beef can get a good brown/ maillard at the edges and take on a little colour.
1-minute-before-al-dente pasta soaks up that "gravy" really well and enters al dente when the aside gravy is reintroduced along well drained almost-cooked pasta.
posted by porpoise at 8:47 PM on October 3, 2020 [3 favorites]
I keep pumpkin seeds around, and pasta, garlic, dried or fresh basil. I try to keep Parmesan around, sometimes a bottle of cheap white wine to make sauce. I fry pumpkin seeds, (enough for protein with the cheese later,) with sliced garlic, basil, and olive or grapeseed oil. When the seeds get toasty I put in the cooked pasta I have saved cold or put in the newly cooked pasta, and sautee, then add the Parmesan Romano cheese. I often have this as a late, light meal, maybe cucumbers on the side.
posted by Oyéah at 9:09 PM on October 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 9:09 PM on October 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
Mac and cheese and cheese. Take a box of mac and cheese, except make the pasta part as if making home made mac and cheese (like the simplest recipe here), add the cheese powder in on top of the grated cheese, and mix it all in at the same time.
All the hyper-real flavor of box mac and cheese. All the rich creaminess of homemade mac and cheese. And it only requires slightly more effort and hovering over the pan compared to just boxed mac and cheese.
And definitely add lots of black pepper.
And sometimes a can of sardines, but that's more a me thing.
posted by Zalzidrax at 10:22 PM on October 3, 2020 [3 favorites]
All the hyper-real flavor of box mac and cheese. All the rich creaminess of homemade mac and cheese. And it only requires slightly more effort and hovering over the pan compared to just boxed mac and cheese.
And definitely add lots of black pepper.
And sometimes a can of sardines, but that's more a me thing.
posted by Zalzidrax at 10:22 PM on October 3, 2020 [3 favorites]
I try to do low carb as much as possible but it’s been getting harder. It used to be really easy but after menopause I’ve had 5% interest in exercise, sexy times and eating low carb. A precipitous drop over the past two years. Anyway, later night eating is still a time when I really try to avoid carbs, still. My go to is Greek yogurt with a handful of crushed pecans topped with a sprinkling of sea salt. Soft boiled eggs wrapped in salami or ham. Sardines with a Wasa cracker. I love chicken (frozen, bone-in,with skin) thrown into an Instapot with any fresh or frozen vegetables (whole—no chopping here!), bay leaf, whole garlic clove , whole onion, whole tomato, lots of thyme.Pressure cook for 1 hour, salt as needed. What you get is a gelatinous, fragrant soup that can you easily pull apart the chicken and veg as you eat it. Plus I love chewing on the soften bones (tons of calcium and iron). I’m pretty sure this soup can prevent all illnesses.
posted by waving at 3:18 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by waving at 3:18 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
just wanted to third throwing an egg on leftovers (or anything).
also re: canned chicken, i didn’t know it was a thing either until recently when my roommate moved out and left one, i thought it would be gross but it was better than a lot of the overdone chicken i’ve had in restaurants lol.
my thing is chickpea mash. wash the chickpeas with hot water, mash em up with a fork with mayo and dijon or bbq sauce, add whatever random spices, sriracha on top. or even just mayo can be fine, with salt and pepper, so it’s kind of mashed potatoey as long as you mash them well and eat them hot. my favourite $1 meal
posted by LeviQayin at 4:56 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
also re: canned chicken, i didn’t know it was a thing either until recently when my roommate moved out and left one, i thought it would be gross but it was better than a lot of the overdone chicken i’ve had in restaurants lol.
my thing is chickpea mash. wash the chickpeas with hot water, mash em up with a fork with mayo and dijon or bbq sauce, add whatever random spices, sriracha on top. or even just mayo can be fine, with salt and pepper, so it’s kind of mashed potatoey as long as you mash them well and eat them hot. my favourite $1 meal
posted by LeviQayin at 4:56 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
A can of black beans and a small jar/bucket of mild salsa heated in a pot. When it's hot lots of shredded cheddar and sour cream. Guacamole if I have it.
posted by bendy at 10:14 AM on October 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by bendy at 10:14 AM on October 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
Oooh I like this topic. As someone who was blessed with the "I can eat the same thing every single day" gene, I have house foods (english muffin, peanut butter, flax seeds, glass of milk; or tuna salad and cheddar on an english muffin, lemonade, side of fritos) but also house meals which are more dinnery.
- one of those "chicken puck" type freezer food things with ham and cheese "inside" them diced and served over quinoa made with turmeric, chili powder, onion flakes and paprika. Side dish of steamed green beans and corn served with butter, garlic powder and a ton of parmesan
- a few supermarket burritos sliced and served over brown rice (made with tomato paste and cumin and whatever else I have handy) with a lot of salsa and sour cream dumped on top of it.
Also many variants on rice and beans and cheese. I don't have a microwave, so stuff tyhat can reheat in a toaster oven are really key to my quarandining.
posted by jessamyn at 10:47 AM on October 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
- one of those "chicken puck" type freezer food things with ham and cheese "inside" them diced and served over quinoa made with turmeric, chili powder, onion flakes and paprika. Side dish of steamed green beans and corn served with butter, garlic powder and a ton of parmesan
- a few supermarket burritos sliced and served over brown rice (made with tomato paste and cumin and whatever else I have handy) with a lot of salsa and sour cream dumped on top of it.
Also many variants on rice and beans and cheese. I don't have a microwave, so stuff tyhat can reheat in a toaster oven are really key to my quarandining.
posted by jessamyn at 10:47 AM on October 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
When eating at home, I put either Italian dressing or vinegar on many many more things than salad.
posted by JennyJupiter at 3:07 PM on October 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by JennyJupiter at 3:07 PM on October 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
On my, yes. Chunk up some root vegetables, a few glugs of Italian dressing, mix it all up and tinfoil it. Throw it in a corner of the grill while grilling the protein.
posted by porpoise at 4:19 PM on October 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by porpoise at 4:19 PM on October 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
Fellow ramen-and-peanutbutter eaters! I have found my people! Mine is ramen, the built-in soup packet, a glob of peanut butter, a tiny splash of hot water, and if I'm feeling fancy some sesame oil.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:55 AM on October 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:55 AM on October 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
Box of Kraft Mac & Cheese with a can of hormel chili stirred in.
Strain with the spoon, natch, to keep this a one-pot meal. Eat right from the saucepan, at night, after work, when everyone sensible is already in bed.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:18 AM on October 8, 2020
Strain with the spoon, natch, to keep this a one-pot meal. Eat right from the saucepan, at night, after work, when everyone sensible is already in bed.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:18 AM on October 8, 2020
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Neither of these have ever been served for either friends or guests....
posted by alchemist at 6:23 AM on October 2, 2020 [11 favorites]