The other night Hubby and I were making dinner, and out of the blue we were inspired to switch things up. Not that we don’t eat well; regular readers will know that being married to a chef is a real bonus at dinnertime.
It has been more than 60 days of pandemic life for us – two months of being at home with no work and no visitors. Nobody to cook for but ourselves. We have made all kinds of wonderful meals and treats and tried many new recipes. But the one catch is we are both always eating the same thing.
We were preparing salad for dinner, so it was not complex to vary the so-called recipe and create our own versions. Hubby had his childhood favourite chicken salad with iceberg lettuce, celery, cucumber, and a mayo dressing. I had my cold chicken pieces over a bed of arugula and spinach with some grated carrot, grape tomatoes and cucumber and a balsamic vinaigrette. We were both happy diners.
If you’ve been able to support local restaurants and order take-out, then you’ve likely had the chance to choose your own path. Likewise, if you live alone, this is an advantage you may not have recognized. If you’re like us, and every meal has been the same for everyone – yet you’ve secretly hankered for a bit of something unique – then I’m happy to share our ideas for maintaining household sanity and good humour.
It works for us with these simple suggestions:
- Choose salad as the main course for the evening but set it up as a salad bar and let people choose what they want. To save on waste, don’t chop or grate veggies ahead of time as they don’t keep as well that way. Each diner can prep their own ingredients. Have a few dressings pulled out of the fridge or make your own if you’re feeling creative. TIP: remember to include leftovers as ingredients – chopped meat or fish and roasted veggies are fun additions.
- On a day off, prepare a few meals in bulk and then portion them out in fridge/freezer containers. Individuals can choose their own, so if you feel like lasagne tonight but your housemate wants the chili – no problem. TIP: this is a good way to engage everyone. Get each person to cook a meal they want. Kids can help, too, even if just with menu ideas. Here’s a few to get you going.
- Customize dinner on the fly – sheet pan meals allow for a bit of variation by using all the room on the pan. Cook dark and light meat chicken, for example, or a few different roasted veggies to match each person’s taste. TIP: You can also combine the salad idea with a sheet pan main dish for a bigger meal or larger group (for those with a bigger “bubble”).
I hope that helps. I know it is getting tougher, with the continued uncertainty in the world about so many things and the general lack of hugs. My theory is that if we can keep the stress out of the kitchen then it will be a haven that helps us all keep our sanity. The good vibes will be like vitamins that foster more smiles and kindness.
Let’s bake a bit of that into the new normal.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.