Saturday, March 10, 2012

Fun is Cooking?.....I Disagree!

My new issue of O Magazine arrived yesterday....who knew Oprah cooks?  I sure didn't.  I had always imagined her having a full time chef.  If memory serves me....Rachel Ray was one of them.

The latest issue is about Oprah's favorite recipes.  It is so cute....they also interviewed Stedman....her boyfriend of 25 years....about her cooking.  She prepares something that they refer to as their "love sandwich" made with thin slices of tomato, avocado, melted cheese, sauteed scallions, lemon basil and smoked turkey...on a whole grain bread...yum sounds great....I think I will try that recipe....I do miss Eric's Deli in Santa Cruz...my favorite lunch place while I was attending college.  I loved their DelMonte sandwich made with sprouts, avocado, tomato, cheese, onions...and their clam chowder soup.  They had a deal for half a sandwich and a cup of soup....just right for me....of course the student discount they gave was a plus factor. 

Oprah also mentions rosemary rice....which is rice and fresh rosemary mixed together.  My recipe was buttered lima beans mixed with rice....or chopped parsley with rice.  The lima bean recipe was not a hit with my grandkids.

All well and good....Oprah cooks on weekends only....when you have to prepare meals 3 times a day, 7 days a week...believe me....it is "slam bam thank you ma'am" when it comes to me in the kitchen.  The least amount of time spent in the kitchen is my goal...first and foremost.

The next criteria is.....I do refrigerator diving for inspiration.  Of course this only works when you shop like I do....buy only multi-purpose ingredients.  Chili was my grandkids favorite....I had my own recipe using frozen okra, kidney beans, artichoke, ground beef, beef bullion, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce/paste, chopped jalapeno peppers...most of the ingredients were canned...it was definitely the way to go.  Rachel Ray would call it a stoup....because it was chunky.  Of course....don't forget the garlic and ginger.  For years I could not make stew like my mother made.  I was missing the key ingredient....ginger!

Nowadays....living in Las Vegas....I usually just have one meal at home and snacks....if I'm not out and about.  If I am on the go with friends....we will have a meal at a restaurant and that would be it for the day...as we tend to have huge meals....like all you can eat buffets!  Time goes by so quickly here....it just seems like I can't fit 3 squares in my schedule!  I'm sure my waistline appreciates that.

Oh....coupon eating is fun too....the local casinos or restaurants offer very inexpensive cuisine...and there are some fast food places that send coupons in the mail/email. 

Well hey....if the economy is on the fritz as the news reports state....the pocketbook has to be the third criteria.

Warning....don't try doing a buffet if you have less than an hour to get to the movies....believe me that is definitely a no-no!  I speak from personal experience!







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