Do you frequently try new recipes?

[alisoncooks]

Just thinking. My mom made the same foods, week after week, year after year. Very simple, country fare (pork chops, shrimp, roast, spaghetti, lasagna, sausage, beans, etc). The few times she strayed into new territory (I remember a shrimp creole once), we (especially my dad) did not like it.

I make some of those things, but I'm always looking for new recipes. I try a lot of new-to-me recipes, anywhere from 1-3 a week. I currently have 6 tabs open on my phone of soups I want to try. 

Because of this constant experimenting, I have had a fair number of failures (i.e. "Let's not make this again.") So I tend to think of myself as a mediocre (at best) cook; I consider my mom a great cook. But...I'd be a great cook, too, if I'd spent the last two decades making just a handful of recipes. Hmm.....

Anyway, just thinking. The question:  Do you like to try new recipes? How often? Or do you stick with a few tried-and-true?

[Emba]

I do have tried and true recipes, but I try new recipes often because variety is the spice of life and it keeps me excited about cooking three times a day, day in and day out. I’ll have periods where I’m not feeling it and I stick with what is familiar and easy, and periods where I try three or four new things in a week. On average, I’d say I try one new recipe every week or so.

[Emba]

Once in awhile I get a bug to find “the best _______ recipe” and I’ll try different variations on a recipe until I get the one I like best in terms of both taste and ease of preparation. So after the one Christmas where I made at least five fudge recipes, I now have one I use and don’t bother with others.

 Over the years I’ve gotten good enough at modifying recipes and predicting what we will like/what will work when I’m reading recipes that I have very few actual failures. I don’t go in for overly elaborate stuff as a rule, though. If I did I might have more.

i do remember one soup that was heavy on the fish sauce that I ended up throwing out because we couldn’t bear the thought of eating the leftovers. In general though I consider myself a pretty good cook. 
 

[Pawz4me]

I have tried and true recipes that I rely on, but I'm always on the lookout for new things to try. That could vary from two new recipes a week to once a month or so. It just depends on my mood, and sometimes on how many interesting recipes I've stumbled across.

[sweet2ndchance]

I experimented more when I was younger (in my twenties and early thirties). Now (mid-forties), I know what we like and what we don't and can mostly tell by looking at a recipe whether or not we will actually eat it or whether I have the energy to actually make it. For example, I've learned that our family doesn't care for recipes with lots of herbs, only 2 - 3 max or it gets overwhelming for us. And I no longer have the energy for meals that require lots of prep or standing at the stove.

When I was younger, I would try a few new recipes every month. Now I know what my tried and true recipes are so I only try new recipes if one that looks really good comes along.

Dh thinks I'm a good cook but I don't think it is from cooking the same things all the time. Trying new things or new methods of cooking tired and true recipes is what gave me the chance to learn new things and master them or at least be ok at them.

Edited December 14, 2020 by sweet2ndchance

[Jean in Newcastle]

I do a mix. I do try quite a few new recipes but often it’s food that we have eaten before in a restaurant so we know that we like the basic combination of ingredients. 

[Chris in VA]

I can't get some premade items here so I have to try new recipes if I want them. Just tonight I made cream of mushroom soup because I found the Russian butcher who sells pork chops and I thought I would try an old favorite. I had to make Thanksgiving dinner from scratch--no Pillsbury crescent rolls or Stovetop...😊

But I also learned new things for two other reasons. I started keto last year for a while and made a lot of recipes from keto sites, and I am in East Jerusalem so I wanted to learn some Palestinian recipes. I can make a mean lamb and freekah now...

Cooking is a fun way to explore and create; here, I don't have to worry about kids and their tastes, or being dairy-free, or spending too much time on it. There were lots of constraints previously.  

[Katy]

I do try a new recipe 1-3 times a week. I used to try new ones more often before I had kids, but they dislike new and use up all my mental bandwidth for things like that. 

[PeterPan]

I do try new stuff, but I've gotten really *picky* about what recipes I try. I defer to manufacturer websites because they tend to test their recipes or develop them with professionals. My bombs are usually from blogs. So I'm picking out a raspberry thumbprint shortbread recipe, and I'll go with the LandOLakes, not Sally'sBakingAddiction (even though Sally's might be fine as a well known, popular blog). I certainly won't use recipes from other random blogs. And since Sally's adds more flour, I'll assume she was trying to riff on the LandOLakes and go with theirs. When you look at the number of reviews, you see the same thing, that LOL has 400+ reviews for their version. 

I also trust Cook's Illustrated. Now sometimes they have the stupid most complex way of doing something, mercy. But yeah, if I need a winner for a new recipe, that's a place I look, definitely. If you're willing to pay, the NYTimes Food is also good. You can sometimes find cached versions of their recipes. 

[ScoutTN]

37 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I have tried and true recipes that I rely on, but I'm always on the lookout for new things to try. That could vary from two new recipes a week to once a month or so. It just depends on my mood, and sometimes on how many interesting recipes I've stumbled across.

This. 

Also depends on busyness and energy level. If our calendar is packed, I am much more likely to stick with predictable basics.  Same with stress. Stressful times = easy, predictable meals.

[MooCow]

I rarely get to the actual cooking of a new recipe, however I have quite the collection under my bookmarks. With just dh and youngest son home full time, I just don’t have the energy to try something new and hear the complaints lol. Plus I’m really lazy.

[J-rap]

I try new recipes more often than using old recipes, even good ones.  

I think it was very common in my parents' generation to use standard recipes all the time.  So, we'd always have Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes one night a week, roast beef every Sunday, some kind of hamburger hot dish on another night, and so forth.  Maybe once/month my mother would try a new recipe?  She was a good cook though!

For me, it often just depends on what I happen to have on hand.  I don't always plan ahead, so if I'm left with chicken and asparagus and tomato sauce, I'll look online for recipes that call for that.  

Edited December 14, 2020 by J-rap

[HS Mom in NC]

All the time.  At least once or twice a month.  We still rotate tried and true favorites (these would number a couple dozen)  throughout the week, but it's typical in our family to try new things and encourage and respect an honest assessment of them.  I ask what people think of it, I don't argue with them or make it about me as the cook-I never take it personally if they say straight out they don't like it.  They either have a positive, neutral, or negative reaction to it and they're encouraged to say so explicitly. I make things the majority of the people in the household like or have a neutral opinion of and try to remember to have a couple of sides that the minority do like. It's easier now with just 3 of us still at home.

I do think there is a learned mindest of not trying new things as a policy.  We conscientiously chose to introduce all kinds of variety to our kids from the time they were very small because my husband didn't like being raised with that mindset.  (Obviously people with unusual limitations are not in this category, but since it's internet I have to say that even though it should be understood in a general discussion.)  Basically, if his parents weren't familiar with something before they became adults, they flat out refuse to try a new thing.  If they're invited to a type of restaurant they've never been to before they refuse, saying they don't eat weird foods. They eat only Chinese food, Italian food and typical American foods. Nothing else. Ever.

After we got married I dragged my husband along to try new ethnic restaurants for the sake of variety.   He was hesitant, but went along and ended up becoming quite the foodie.  He has a super pallet (sp?) and a whole new world opened up to him. He can identify the ingredients in a complex recipe and reproduce them at home without a recipe.  Now he looks forward to trying something new, knowing he might not like it, but it's worth giving it a go.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I tend to go in phases.  For the next few weeks with school on vacation, I'll make a lot of new recipes.  But when I'm actively homeschooling all day, I just rely on the old stand-by and sometimes do a new one on the weekends.  

My cooking is also, slowly, evolving from formulaic recipe-following to trusting my instincts.  But "instincts" is the the wrong word, because they've come about from LOTS of recipe following to know what things can go together well, what cooking method will work best, etc.  

Plus trying new recipes gives my kids plenty of opportunities to practice being polite.  😂

[rebcoola]

I try new recipes maybe monthly.  I do experiment with different types of cooking more than flavors.  I am a fairly picky eater.  

[Familia]

18 minutes ago, J-rap said:

I try new recipes more often than using old recipes, even good ones.  

I think it was very common in my parents' generation to use standard recipes all the time.  So, we'd always have Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes one night a week, roast beef every Sunday, some kind of hamburger hot dish on another night, and so forth.  Maybe once/month my mother would try a new recipe?  She was a good cook though!

For me, it often just depends on what I happen to have on hand.  I don't always plan ahead, so if I'm left with chicken and asparagus and tomato sauce, I'll look online for recipes that call for that.  

I sometimes wish I cooked like your mom!  I love food and cooking - rarely repeating the same item for a few months.  My repertoire is so wide, that I did not repeat the favorites of the more plain-palettes in the family as often as I now wish I had.  Of course, there were my go-to’s when out running everyone around and having to feed everyone fast - like salmon burgers or spaghetti Alfredo, but I wish I had cooked more on a rotation, leaving certain nights for surprises.  Now, we are eating more meat/veggie based meals - not trying to fill anyone up anymore, i.e. boys - and explore more techniques of cooking/grilling, rather than new recipes, per se.

[Katy]

IME it helps to check Allrecipes.com and read the top 10 most helpful comments before I try something new. I typically like things with double the herbs & spices (except salt) the comments recommend , but it’s a good starting place. 

[Arcadia]

My kids and I like to try new recipes. My DS16 is thinking of making cloud bread today. My husband doesn’t cook and he isn’t picky about food so he eats all the “experimental” dishes.

[Carol in Cal.]

Yes, about once or twice a month.  I almost always make them ‘as written’ the first try, and then note what I would modify the next time and try that.  I optimize almost all recipes compared to how they are written, and I write notes in the cookbook so I can duplicate that.

I’ve been cooking for so long and have eaten such a variety of things that I can usually figure how roughly how things will taste.  But vegan dishes are opaque to me—I can’t tell how they will turn out at all usually.

[Laura Corin]

All the time.  I look in the fridge and look for a recipe to use what I have.  Sometimes from the books I already have, sometimes online.  I work with what I have, and we receive a veg box from an organic farm, so I'm always experimenting.

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, alisoncooks said:

Just thinking. My mom made the same foods, week after week, year after year. Very simple, country fare (pork chops, shrimp, roast, spaghetti, lasagna, sausage, beans, etc). The few times she strayed into new territory (I remember a shrimp creole once), we (especially my dad) did not like it.

I make some of those things, but I'm always looking for new recipes. I try a lot of new-to-me recipes, anywhere from 1-3 a week. I currently have 6 tabs open on my phone of soups I want to try. 

Because of this constant experimenting, I have had a fair number of failures (i.e. "Let's not make this again.") So I tend to think of myself as a mediocre (at best) cook; I consider my mom a great cook. But...I'd be a great cook, too, if I'd spent the last two decades making just a handful of recipes. Hmm.....

Anyway, just thinking. The question:  Do you like to try new recipes? How often? Or do you stick with a few tried-and-true?

I do try new things.  Not 1-3 a week....but maybe 1-3 per month.  I have come up with some favorites that way.  I noticed when my parents were staying with us that many of our favorites were new recipes I have come up with that I knew they wouldn't like.  Especially my dad.....he is very meat and potatoes.

[Kassia]

48 minutes ago, MooCow said:

I rarely get to the actual cooking of a new recipe, however I have quite the collection under my bookmarks. With just dh and youngest son home full time, I just don’t have the energy to try something new and hear the complaints lol. Plus I’m really lazy.

Yes!  This is me!  I have hundreds, maybe more, new recipes pinned on Pinterest and am always adding more, but I never make them.  It's too much effort to make something that won't turn out and my family has such different preferences and diets that it's almost impossible to please everyone.  I know they like the tried and true meals.  

[Garga]

I try new recipes from time to time, but we almost always don’t much like them.  Or one of us likes it, but the other 3 are meh.  I’m only going to add a new recipe to the roster if at least 3 of us like it, but usually, I’d want all 4 to like it.  

Two of us are very picky, one of us is semi-picky, and 1 will eat just about anything, so that makes it tricky to find new recipes. 

Last night we tried a new creamy taco soup. The taste was fine, but 3 of us just couldn’t get past the way it looked.  We ate it, but no one can bear to eat the leftovers. We think it looks like cat food or vomit. I just can’t bring myself to eat it.

Edited December 14, 2020 by Garga

[mathnerd]

My father probably ate about 5 dishes total and my mom made those 5 dishes day in and day out. There was a period of time when I was 7-9 years old when she strayed into cooking for the kids territory, but, then reverted to cooking the same 5 dishes for the rest of her life. My father was a picky man and was OCD about his food. That should say it all. I hated it, I had no say in it and the moment I got my own kitchen, I was off to cooking with the best of the best ingredients and I rotate dishes, I make stuff that I had never heard about, the internet is my friend and youtube is an even greater friend. About 15 years ago, FoodNetwork was my friend, so was chowhound and many other online places where I got recipes and education from. I took cooking classes whenever I could before I had kids. I have tons of browser tabs open all the time - I am currently making a Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll which I have never tried before just because I can and it looked interesting 🙂

 

[MoyaPechal]

I love trying new recipes. My mom always made steak, chicken, or pork with a potato and steamed veggies. Or pasta with steamed veggies. Every night. It's still hard to find some things in the stores here due to the pandemic but I often try new recipes if I can find all the ingredients. And I also have to since covid somehow triggered gluten sensitivity (it can caused by illness apparently!) and baking is a major hobby of mine. I've been on a big Greek food kick this year, but I've also been making Thai curry, stir fry, Russian food, and Texan food (my mom and FIL are Texan).

[prairiewindmomma]

I try a few a month. Maybe 8-10 a year make it into my digital recipe app as "keepers". 

Right now, we have a pretty standardized menu because I have no extra bandwidth right now. My online grocery shopping experience isn't stellar (there are lots of things that just don't go through in my order), and I can't handle shifting everything if I don't have a certain ingredient.

Speaking of which, if anyone knows how to grow cilantro indoors in a cold low light home, I am all ears.

[Loowit]

I don't very often because I live in a house with very picky particular eaters.  They are usually willing to try new things, but often don't care for them.  I think I try something new a couple times a month.  Looking at my menu for this month, we are trying two new things this week, but they are based on ingredients my family likes.  Next week will only be tried recipes that people like.  Last month we tried three new recipes, all of them were a hit with DH and me, but not with the kids.

I am always looking at new recipes online and have a couple shelves full of cookbooks.  I like trying new things, I just wish my family were more adventurous when it came to food.

[Familia]

3 hours ago, Garga said:

I try new recipes from time to time, but we almost always don’t much like them.  Or one of us likes it, but the other 3 are meh.  I’m only going to add a new recipe to the roster if at least 3 of us like it, but usually, I’d want all 4 to like it.  

Two of us are very picky, one of us is semi-picky, and 1 will eat just about anything, so that makes it tricky to find new recipes. 

Last night we tried a new creamy taco soup. The taste was fine, but 3 of us just couldn’t get past the way it looked.  We ate it, but no one can bear to eat the leftovers. We think it looks like cat food or vomit. I just can’t bring myself to eat it.

Although that does look rather gruesome, I would eat it...it's right up my alley.  To improve its looks, perhaps place it on a bed of rice and top with shredded cheese.

Edited December 14, 2020 by Familia

[73349]

We are not at all adventurous, but have been trying a lot of things the last few years to comply with dietary restrictions.

So, what's just like pizza, but without wheat? Okay, what if we don't eat meat on it, but want something else interesting? Okay, now how can we do it also without dairy?

Suppose I really miss food from McDonald's, but that's not an option--what's a good veggie burger? and a good gf bun recipe? and what can replace fries?

I really liked that lemon-thyme-garlic-mushroom thing, but mushrooms appear to not be an option any more, so what's good with the same flavors?

And now the same menu, except with some items not available from the store?

 

TBH, it's tiresome to do all the time. I do like to try something new occasionally. For one thing, it's how I've learned what we don't like.

[HS Mom in NC]

16 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Speaking of which, if anyone knows how to grow cilantro indoors in a cold low light home, I am all ears.

When you buy or cut a bunch of cilantro, immediately put them in a glass of water (like flowers and a vase) and put them in your fridge.  It will last longer.

And for growing it indoors: plant growing lights: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=plant+grow+lights+indoor&crid=18COR8YCZWH6F&sprefix=plent+grow%2Caps%2C228&ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_1_10

[historically accurate]

I try about 1-5 new dinner recipes a month. Usually closer to 1 than 5 LOL. I do, however, when I go to my mom's house try all new recipes for the time I'm down there. My mom hates to cook, so she pays for all the groceries and I do all the cooking while I'm there. I have found some new favorites while doing that - amazing what 5-15 new recipes can yield. I also try quite a few special breakfast recipes as we have one big breakfast a week and flipping between cinnamon rolls, waffles, donuts, and muffins gets really old. 

[Arcadia]

34 minutes ago, Garga said:

 

Last night we tried a new creamy taco soup. The taste was fine, but 3 of us just couldn’t get past the way it looked.  We ate it, but no one can bear to eat the leftovers. We think it looks like cat food or vomit. I just can’t bring myself to eat it.

We would treat it like risotto and eat it. Or add pasta sauce and meat and make it into some kind of jambalaya. 

[Arcadia]

32 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

My father probably ate about 5 dishes total and my mom made those 5 dishes day in and day out. There was a period of time when I was 7-9 years old when she strayed into cooking for the kids territory, but, then reverted to cooking the same 5 dishes for the rest of her life. My father was a picky man and was OCD about his food. That should say it all.

My FIL wasn’t really a picky eater. He was just stereotypical chauvinistic Chinese because of the era he was born in. My husband was so sick of the same dishes that he is hyper tolerant of my cooking misadventures. 

[prairiewindmomma]

12 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

When you buy or cut a bunch of cilantro, immediately put them in a glass of water (like flowers and a vase) and put them in your fridge.  It will last longer.

And for growing it indoors: plant growing lights: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=plant+grow+lights+indoor&crid=18COR8YCZWH6F&sprefix=plent+grow%2Caps%2C228&ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_1_10

Thank you @Homeschool Mom in AZ

I do treat them like fresh flowers and can get it to last 2 weeks--especially if I keep trimming the ends.  I just am really struggling to get it with online grocery delivery right now and my palate just isn't adjusting to the dried stuff, even when I add fresh lime juice.  

I do have seedling grow lights and a seed warming mat....is that enough for cilantro? I haven't had much luck growing it when it's under 75F. I'm not sure if that's been due to heat or light levels. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

32 minutes ago, Carolina Wren said:

We are not at all adventurous, but have been trying a lot of things the last few years to comply with dietary restrictions.

So, what's just like pizza, but without wheat? Okay, what if we don't eat meat on it, but want something else interesting? Okay, now how can we do it also without dairy?

Suppose I really miss food from McDonald's, but that's not an option--what's a good veggie burger? and a good gf bun recipe? and what can replace fries?

I really liked that lemon-thyme-garlic-mushroom thing, but mushrooms appear to not be an option any more, so what's good with the same flavors?

And now the same menu, except with some items not available from the store?

 

TBH, it's tiresome to do all the time. I do like to try something new occasionally. For one thing, it's how I've learned what we don't like.

I am adventurous but also am dealing with dietary restrictions.  So some of my "new" recipes are when I look up things like "low carb pasta dishes" or "gluten free, dairy free lasagna" or "low carb Mexican" recipes.  So tried and true dishes but made to fit the restrictions. 

[Carol in Cal.]

49 minutes ago, Garga said:

I try new recipes from time to time, but we almost always don’t much like them.  Or one of us likes it, but the other 3 are meh.  I’m only going to add a new recipe to the roster if at least 3 of us like it, but usually, I’d want all 4 to like it.  

Two of us are very picky, one of us is semi-picky, and 1 will eat just about anything, so that makes it tricky to find new recipes. 

Last night we tried a new creamy taco soup. The taste was fine, but 3 of us just couldn’t get past the way it looked.  We ate it, but no one can bear to eat the leftovers. We think it looks like cat food or vomit. I just can’t bring myself to eat it.

I’ve noticed something else that makes me not want to make something again or eat the leftovers—it’s when something subtly makes me feel...not sick, but not great.  We have a breakfast sausage bake that is like that.  We first had it at a bed and breakfast and it tastes amazing.  And it’s really easy to make.  But I feel a little ‘off’ afterwards, and even though I really enjoy it, and it doesn’t actually make me sick, that makes me reluctant to have it again until I kind of forget that.

[cintinative]

I go through phases with this.  Sometimes we will just make the same old standbys and sometimes I will pull in an old recipe my kids didn't like so well last time and retry it.  Sometimes I am in the mood to try new things, and schedule a bunch of new recipes, the majority of which totally bomb and we go back to the old ones.  Sometimes I will like the recipe but no one else will.  Like @peterpan I have had horrible success with stuff off of blogs, even when friends recommend the recipes.   ATK is always a good fit but I just don't always have the time to invest.

Presently I am just over cooking and would be super happy to use the crockpot every day.  Alas, I don't have a recipe repetiore to sustain that.  I am also currently in the "I'm bored with everything but not willing to take risks" phase. I just paged through a bunch of printed/magazine recipes that I had saved to try one day and there was nothing I felt willing to add to our meal plan. 

We have to cook gluten-free here so that does limit me somewhat. Sometimes I don't want to try to adapt something because I am just not sure it will work out. 

I feel like part of this is that right now with the pandemic there is so much out of my control, adding new recipes to the mix that my people might hate just seems a bit too daunting at times.  It might be a bit of self-protection, actually.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I will also say that usually if I have a list of ingredients and amounts, then I don't really need to look at the instructions.  I know how most recipes work and use recipes more as a jumping off place than a specific set of instructions. 

[Garga]

2 hours ago, Familia said:

Although that does look rather gruesome, I would eat it...it's right up my alley.  To improve its looks, perhaps place it on a bed or rice and top with shredded cheese.

I covered mine with cheese and avocado slices and a few corn chips and that’s how I was able to eat it.

[Spy Car]

I love to cook. And always have. Since childhood. I don't cook from "recipes"--my own or anyone else's.

I  like to invent new dishes on the spot based on what ingredients I have on hand and my mood, and I do that almost daily. Inventing dishes and planning a meal on the spot is fun for me. 

I'm lucky to have two adventurous eaters who really appreciate my food, so I'm not limited by constraints.

Always new things on the menu. Constantly changing. 

Cooking is a way for me to feel creative and to express love. I improvise. And we eat extremely well.

Bill

 

[Spy Car]

On 12/14/2020 at 8:14 AM, Chris in VA said:

I can't get some premade items here so I have to try new recipes if I want them. Just tonight I made cream of mushroom soup because I found the Russian butcher who sells pork chops and I thought I would try an old favorite. I had to make Thanksgiving dinner from scratch--no Pillsbury crescent rolls or Stovetop...😊

But I also learned new things for two other reasons. I started keto last year for a while and made a lot of recipes from keto sites, and I am in East Jerusalem so I wanted to learn some Palestinian recipes. I can make a mean lamb and freekah now...

Cooking is a fun way to explore and create; here, I don't have to worry about kids and their tastes, or being dairy-free, or spending too much time on it. There were lots of constraints previously.  

 

Freekeh is tasty, yes? I bet your freekeh and lamb dish is excellent.

You are living in a great food neighborhood. Enjoy!

Bill

 

 

[Chris in VA]

On 12/14/2020 at 7:33 PM, Garga said:

I try new recipes from time to time, but we almost always don’t much like them.  Or one of us likes it, but the other 3 are meh.  I’m only going to add a new recipe to the roster if at least 3 of us like it, but usually, I’d want all 4 to like it.  

Two of us are very picky, one of us is semi-picky, and 1 will eat just about anything, so that makes it tricky to find new recipes. 

Last night we tried a new creamy taco soup. The taste was fine, but 3 of us just couldn’t get past the way it looked.  We ate it, but no one can bear to eat the leftovers. We think it looks like cat food or vomit. I just can’t bring myself to eat it.

That does look disgusting😂 Maybe it would be good as a dip with tortilla chips?

I can't get past the look of ground beef here--it tastes ok, but there seems to be extra globs of hard fat and white, sinewy things. It looks like it is infested with pinworms. 

[Scarlett]

On 12/14/2020 at 11:39 AM, mathnerd said:

My father probably ate about 5 dishes total and my mom made those 5 dishes day in and day out. There was a period of time when I was 7-9 years old when she strayed into cooking for the kids territory, but, then reverted to cooking the same 5 dishes for the rest of her life. My father was a picky man and was OCD about his food. That should say it all. I hated it, I had no say in it and the moment I got my own kitchen, I was off to cooking with the best of the best ingredients and I rotate dishes, I make stuff that I had never heard about, the internet is my friend and youtube is an even greater friend. About 15 years ago, FoodNetwork was my friend, so was chowhound and many other online places where I got recipes and education from. I took cooking classes whenever I could before I had kids. I have tons of browser tabs open all the time - I am currently making a Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll which I have never tried before just because I can and it looked interesting 🙂

 

This is a great post. It made me smile.

[Sneezyone]

On 12/14/2020 at 1:17 PM, prairiewindmomma said:

Thank you @Homeschool Mom in AZ

I do treat them like fresh flowers and can get it to last 2 weeks--especially if I keep trimming the ends.  I just am really struggling to get it with online grocery delivery right now and my palate just isn't adjusting to the dried stuff, even when I add fresh lime juice.  

I do have seedling grow lights and a seed warming mat....is that enough for cilantro? I haven't had much luck growing it when it's under 75F. I'm not sure if that's been due to heat or light levels. 

Can you get the semi-dried kind? It’s not as good as fresh but muuuch better than fully dried. 

[Sneezyone]

I make new things all the time. Every time I travel or eat with friends from other places I pick up meal ideas. I still have and use a Basque Country cookbook that I bought after I visited almost 30 years ago.

[marbel]

I love trying new things. I have enjoyed cooking for years, since I lived alone for the first time and had complete control of the kitchen.  I don't remember my mom being a great cook. I know she was greatly limited by funds so made a lot of plain meals. She used a lot of canned and jarred stuff which I guess was cheap.  Ragu spaghetti sauce. Chung King "chow mein" which skewed my view of Chinese food for years. She became a very adventurous eater later in life and loved trying new things.

My husband loves food and his mother was not a great cook. She overcooked everything. I still remember the time I made him taste lamb in a restaurant. He told me he disliked lamb but from what I knew about him, I knew that could not be true. So at a dinner out one night when we were dating, I made him taste some. Ah, new love... of course he did not refuse. The look on his face when he tasted it was priceless! He had just never had lamb that had not been badly overcooked. I made lamb often after that.  Now it is too expensive for us, lol!  

I am also finding that my tastes are changing. I want more vegetables and interesting grains in my life and less meat. I have lots of food sites in my facebook feed so constantly have beautiful new recipes coming at me, and if I think I will like something but no one else will, I'll make a little. My kids, even as young adults, still have limited taste for many vegetables. But they have surprised me a few times. 

But we also have our favorites. Our celebration dinner is 'the shawarma meal' which consists of the New York Times oven-roasted chicken shawarma, a chickpea dish for the vegetarian, and all the extra "stuff" - pita bread, romaine, tahini, olive, feta, etc., etc. There are things my son asks for when he comes home from college. There are the inevitable turkey enchiladas 2 days after Thanksgiving.

 

[KrissiK]

I have my general repertoire but I do try new recipes as much as I can. Although not for the sake of trying new things, but rather if I’m paging through the latest issue of Taste of Home or Allrecipes and something “looks good”.  Then I’ll try it. Last week I tried 3 new recipes from the latest Allrecipes magazine.

[marbel]

On 12/14/2020 at 11:53 AM, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

<snip>

If they're invited to a type of restaurant they've never been to before they refuse, saying they don't eat weird foods. They eat only Chinese food, Italian food and typical American foods. Nothing else. Ever.

<snip>

This is something I have worked to avoid with my kids. To me there is no food that is "weird." Someone somewhere eats it. When my kids were little I had a moment of clarity in an Asian market in which another family was walking around the produce and fresh fish areas (adjacent to each other) saying "that's so weird," "who would eat that?" and the like. And of course there were people in that store with them who would indeed eat that and to them it was not weird! 

So in my house a different food was always just that, different. We don't have to like everything; we don't even have to try everything. But we can't go saying "ewwww, that's so weird" about food other people eat.  I'm sure many of the foods I eat are weird to other folks.  

[matrips]

I make a much bigger variety than my mom did, but I like easy.  So I’ll try new easy meals. But not labor intensive ones.

[HS Mom in NC]

On 12/14/2020 at 1:17 PM, prairiewindmomma said:

Thank you @Homeschool Mom in AZ

I do treat them like fresh flowers and can get it to last 2 weeks--especially if I keep trimming the ends.  I just am really struggling to get it with online grocery delivery right now and my palate just isn't adjusting to the dried stuff, even when I add fresh lime juice.  

I do have seedling grow lights and a seed warming mat....is that enough for cilantro? I haven't had much luck growing it when it's under 75F. I'm not sure if that's been due to heat or light levels. 

Here's a link about cilantro indoors: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/cilantro/how-to-grow-cilantro-indoors.htm
 

Some herbs, including Mediterranean herbs, don't do well in richer soils.  It's tempting to plant kitchen herbs all the same way next to each other, but your odds of success are higher if you have at least 2 planters with different soil conditions and sort the herbs accordingly.