Grocery List: an Acrostic Poem

Deadlines for Writers poem #10 for 2025 is due today. Acrostic Poems don't seem like a legitimate poetry form to me, but that was the assignment, so this is what I submitted to the group.  

Gotta

Remember milk;

Oh, and

Can’t forget

Eggs,

Rice, and

Yummy yogurt!

 

Let’s see now…

I think I’m armed.

So…..into the

Trenches I go!

The Job of Cooking #9 - Quick and Easy Meals

Tips for when you just need to get a meal on the table...

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Remember that a nutritious meal need only have a small amount of protein along with some fruits and/or veggies. The protein can be a small amount of meat, or it can be a combination of dairy and grain such as a cheese sandwich, or it can be dried beans. A starch such as bread, potatoes, or rice can add filler if your family needs (or wants ) a heavier meal.

One quick and easy one-dish meal would be to add any leftover meat to bagged salad. If you don't have any left-over meat from the day before, open a can of chicken breast or tuna.

A grilled cheese sandwich served with tomato soup makes a complete meal.

A peanut butter sandwich with apple slices (or fresh grapes or celery sticks) on the side makes a complete meal.

A scrambled-egg sandwich served with fruit would be a quick choice.

Another quick and easy one-dish complete meal: Cut up a couple of chicken breasts (half-thawed meat is easiest to slice), cook the bite-size pieces in a skillet with a little olive oil and add whatever fresh or frozen veggies you have on hand, season as desired, and stir-fry until done. You could serve this "as is" or with rice or some other starchy vegetable.

The Job of Cooking #8 - Quote

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This eighth edition of The Job of Cooking brings you this anonymous comment found in the daily vent of the Atlanta Journal Constitution last week:

"I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and think, "Well, THAT'S not gonna happen!"

I wish I had written that one! Maybe I should claim it.

The Job of Cooking #7 - Substitutions

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Here are three general substitution suggestions:

1. If a recipe calls for wine and you don't have it on hand or prefer not to use it, you can substitute an equal amount of apple juice or water.

2. Usually you can substitute a different veggie in a casserole recipe. Experiment and use what you have - fresh, frozen, and canned are pretty much interchangeable as well.

3. Use non-fat dry milk when possible in recipes. It is low in cholesterol and is cheaper than fresh milk. It good for economy and for health!

Extra Hint: The first thing I always do when I start to prepare a meal is to fill one sink with hot soapy water. As I use utensils and pans I put them in and wash as I go along. Even with a dishwasher it helps to have the cooking mess cleaned up before the meal is served. It really is no trouble at all to do this -- just wash a pan while you wait for the oven to preheat, or between periods of stirring a veggie, or anytime there is 30 seconds free. Any available children (or other adults) can dry and put them up, and there is little to do after the meal. This is a good way to involve the children and establish in their minds that getting the meal ready is one of their responsibilities as a member of the family.

The Job of Cooking #6 - Easy Mac 'n Cheese

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Any kind of pasta can be cooked simply. Just bring a pot full of water to a boil, dump in the pasta, give it a quick stir, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Do whatever else you need to do to prepare the meal. When the pasta has set for 15-20 minutes, drain the water off and add salt and pepper and other ingredients, such a steamed veggies and/or cheese. A good creamy mac 'n cheese can be made simply this way. After draining the elbows, add salt and pepper, a little canned milk, a little margarine or butter and grated cheese and stir.

The Job of Cooking #5 - Work Smart

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Work Smart.
The work will take no longer (or very little longer) if you double the end product of your work.

If you have to cut up onions, cut up several and freeze the excess in small bags for use in later recipes. (I usually fill snack bags and put several snack bags into a larger bag to minimize the smell in the freezer. One snack bag is about one whole onion.) Most dishes taste better when you use fresh onion than if you use dried minced onion. Do the same thing with garlic -- both are good heart protectors.

If you are making meatloaf (or spaghetti sauce, or a cassarole), make two and freeze one for a later meal.

If you are browning ground beef with onions and/or garlic, double or triple the amount needed and freeze the excess for use in a later recipe. Making spaghetti sauce will be a snap when the beef and onion are already cooked.

The Job of Cooking #4

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Tip #4: Remember that you need at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, and they are best for you uncooked. That's easy!!! Just add a plate of tomato slices, broccoli florets, baby carrots, apple slices, a can of fruit, etc. to improve the health value (and appearance) of any meal.

The Job of Cooking #3

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Tip #3: Post a favorite meal plan near the stove. Just having it visible helps you get started. Make it often, and soon anyone in the family will feel comfortable putting that meal together. A good example would be grilled chicken breasts with a couple of frozen, canned or fresh veggies -- anybody over age 8 or 9 could prepare this meal. Of course this depends on your having the ingredients always available.

The Job of Cooking - #2

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Tip #2 - Remember that the primary requirement of a family meal is that it provide nutrition -- not that it taste good. Repeat this mantra to yourself until you really believe it, and meal-planning should lose much of its pressure. Good taste would be a nice plus factor, but the purpose of eating is to strengthen the body. A nutritious meal should have some protein and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Usually that is a meat (or meat substitute) and some fruits or vegetables. In the course of a day, each person should eat of all the colors. We eat to live - not live to eat!

The Job of Cooking - #1

A new once-in-a-while feature of Daddy's Roses - The Job of Cooking - debuts today.

I never could relate to a book titled The Joy of Cooking! The only way the words "joy" and "cooking" could be in the same sentence, in my world, would be something like this: "The joy of my life is my mama's cooking!" However, as the Checkers ad says, "Ya gotta eat"; so, like it or not, somebody's gotta cook. So I covered up that ol' lyin' y with a nice honest b, and this feature on Daddy's Roses is more properly titled The Job of Cooking.

Most family cooks want to provide nutritious meals for the family without spending unwarrented time in the kitchen, and most of us are tired of eating out, driving through, taking out, and ordering in. In The Job of Cooking I plan to offer tips from an experienced housewife/cook/chauffer/teacher/cleaning lady/dishwasher/general flunkie (in other words, a MOM) whose philosophy includes the belief that food is intended to provide nutrition and health, not necessarily enjoyment, delight, or entertainment. So without further ado (drum roll followed by an imperative call from the trumpet) -- ta da........ Here is the first edition of The Job of Cooking:

Cooking Tip #1: Assume that every family member helps with the meal. Children as young as 3 (and husbands) can take some responsibility. Even if this is not helpful at first, it establishes a healthy attitude about family responsibilities, and will eventually simplify the process and make it more enjoyable.