Food & Housework

[azurelunatic]

Sis declared that she was eating ramen. This prompted a run to the store, where I procured ingredients for mythic foodstuffs such as meatloaf, chili, and lasagna, as well as the odd pot pie or two, and some major items of Bachelor Food for Sis to not have to cook for herself.

As I left, I set the menfolk to putting away the clean dishes. Hee. They were all put away when I got back. I was delighted, and now the dishwasher's full with dirty dishes again. I really need to start the thing before I go to bed.

Lasagna is going to be a new skill for me to acquire. I just made the meatloaf; it's going to need more ketchup.

Recipe for meatloaf, Lunatic-style:

Beef, ground. As lean as you want it.
Oatmeal. A couple handfuls in proportion to the meat.
Frozen mixed veggies.
Onion soup mix.
Egg(s).

Mix. Bake. The meat and egg should hold the oatmeal and veggies in so it loafs rather than falling apart.

I don't tend to use conventional measurements when I'm making one of my toss-together recipies.

Lasagna's up next, in the big blue pan. I got noodles and ricotta cheese and spinach and all that. I remember watching Mama make it -- that surely makes me fit to make it myself, yes?

My big problem with lasagna when I was a kid was mostly the acidity of the tomato sauce mix. I did not eat spaghetti happily the first day, because the sauce was too acidic. I had it left-over, and I loved it, because it wasn't bad that way, and it didn't make my mouth and all rebel.

When there's room in the freezer, I'll make pie dough and cook up some random things to put in pies, then make little pies to freeze. The pseudo-pizza ones went over very well last time, and I got enough ground meat and mixed vegetables to make other random pie type things.

Comments

[nalidoll.livejournal.com]

slow cooked sauce, or sauce cooked and then left to sit so as to allow the spices to fully mature, tends to "mellow".

mostly because of time constraints with my need-to-make-from-scratch, the sauce was made up before hand and the baked dishes (like lasagna) done the next day. it makes for more of the nummy that way.

a bay leaf cooked in the sauce, or some crumbled bay-leaf if you have to go the spice-rack-happens-to-have-some way, also does much to mellow the sauce.

when cooking the sauce, it is also quite acceptable to add a pinch of baking soda to the mix and blend it in well. it doesn't take much, and i can attest, as someone who has suffered an ulcerated stomach and esophagus, that it works well.

[azurelunatic]

My problems with Mama's sauce was even with the slow cooked and bay leaf. (And I always use bay leaves whenever possible, because they're my name.)

[nalidoll.livejournal.com]

the first suggestions work for people have trouble with the acidic *taste*, not so much the *content*.

the baking soda thing works on a more science-based, actual chemical balance thing, and doesn't disturb the taste. letting it sit a while does help, because it gives it a chance to balance out once you've blended it in.

[azurelunatic]

I'll have to definitely try that next time. (I seem to remember trying that a few times, but I didn't let it sit long enough or stir it in well enough, because I always got too much of the sizz effect.)

[nalidoll.livejournal.com]

it does only take a pinch, and then some time.

when you have a wee bit of something you need to make sure is blended with a larger bit of something, it often helps to either dissolve it before and and mix that in, or blend it thoroughly with a small amount of the lager bit, then blend that in to the rest.

[technocracygirl.livejournal.com]

A pinch or two of sugar and a dash of lemon juice (amazing but true!) will cut the acidity. Adding shredded cheese to the simmering sauce also seems to mellow it nicely.

[azurelunatic]

I'll have to remember that.