blueskiesoc

joined 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It really helps to always have tortillas, pasta and rice in the house.

This is something I relate to. It's a workable system. A good base and throw whatever you have on top.

I'd add a bread to that list. Something over rice one day seems totally different on toasted sourdough (or whatever flavor of bread you like) and when you have part of a loaf that is going stale, you can put it in the freezer for that.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

quote - who knew that the hardest part of being an adult is figuring out what to cook for dinner every single night for the rest of your life

I am not great at this, but I find these things helpful:

Cook before you're hungry. That's kind of a Captain Obvious line, but sometimes a meal can take more than 1/2 hour to cook and that's a long time when you're starving.

Have a limited menu. Find a few things you can stand eating on the regular. Example, I could probably eat meatloaf once every couple of weeks till I die. I keep a list of things like this so if I'm drawing a blank, I can look at it. It's funny how you forget.

Figure out how to make leftovers not be awful. Example, make meatloaf on a day you don't work so there's no time crunch to get dinner on the table. The next day a slice of meatloaf (microwaved or not) with toasted bread and mayo or whatever sauce you like makes a good sandwich with a salad. The salad doesn't have to be fancy. It can be lettuce and dressing. No time crunch if you rinse the lettuce while the bread is toasting. The next day you could make spaghetti. It's easy and cheap and you can throw cubed meatloaf into the sauce to be "meatballs". If you have two days off in a row, make two different meals those nights and rotate the leftovers to last a week without getting bored.

Make a Taco Bell system. By this I mean think about the Taco Bell menu. Most of their menu items are made from the same ingredients, but are prepared differently.

I make something called burrito soup which is browned ground beef, undrained canned green chilis, taco bell sauce (you can buy it bottled at the store), undrained ranch style beans, undrained black beans, undrained canned corn, and whatever else is in the fridge that would work. Seems like it's all cans, bottles, and beef, but it's really good. Sometimes I'll throw in fresh bell peppers or other veg. Anyway, a batch of this is great for burrito filling, served in a bowl with tortilla chips for scooping, in a bowl with extra milk to make a soup, on top of rice, on top of a salad to make a "bowl". All of these are heated up, btw. One thing is used in a bunch of different ways. Sour cream and guac make this extra special.

Find a "burrito soup" that fits your tastebuds and run with it.

Keep "fast food" in your freezer. It's no big deal to keep a pizza in the freezer (or something else you know everyone will eat) for when you're too sick to cook or just aren't feeling it. It beats eating just chips for dinner or calling for food. I also try to keep the fruit bowl full for snacking. Being hungry will make you quit before you start. Go ahead and eat an orange while you're making dinner.

Bonus tip If you're cooking something that can be frozen, double it and stash some for another meal when you aren't in the mood to cook.

I doubt most people are good at this. Anyway, good luck.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I already replied, but I wanted to say that if you're allergic to dust mites and don't dust frequently, wear your covid mask and you will avoid most headaches. ~Learn~ ~from~ ~my~ ~pain.~

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Most dust is skin cells and some people are flaky.

~Not~ ~me.~

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Swiffer dusters. I'm one of the many "allergic to dust" folks. I know it's dust mites, whatevs. I'm not normally into disposable things, but it works. Once a week in the main areas of the house, but if I focus on a room that I don't hit once a week, I'll dust then. Swiffer dusters grab the dirt fast so one swipe is all it takes. It doesn't just push the dust around or stir it up into the air. I find it takes me about 2 minutes to dust the main areas of the house (flat surfaces only). It's weirdly fun so I dust more than I did before.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Blue skies are an image of good times and I have chronic depression. I like making people smile, though, so I keep it upbeat.

I'm in California. Blue skies over California.

I shortened the last bit because I'm into the whole brevity thing, dude.

Never put the "original content"/OC thing together, but that works too.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cookers cost about $200. I picked one up at a thrift store for...drum roll please...$8. I love it too. Nothing else to add, I just love telling that story.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Try it with spam and broccoli :)

Sear the spam in a skillet, cube it, and steam the broccoli before adding.