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41 posts, 23 members
trudijoy
8375 posts
When it comes to feeding yourself are you a cook, a 'someone-please-do-it-for-me?', a buyer-in, a grazer....?

I have grazer moments (avocado on toast is a fallback haha) but I LOVE to cook.... I just get bored with only cooking for me. I'm actually not bad in the kitchen, and a lot of the time I prefer to cook than be cooked for at home. I do love my restaurant meals and my (calorie controlled haha - you'd be amazed what's out there!) takeout too though.

I think if I had to pick one to do always I'd cook <3
shazatron101
5112 posts
I LOVE to cook. I've gathered a few kitchen essentials but my absolute favorite is my pasta maker. I hate buying the "fresh" stuff from the supermarkets when I know mine is fresher and a lot better. I like to try doing a new recipe a week too, but I always run out of inspiration haha
trudijoy
8375 posts
shaz learning to make pasta is actually on my 'at some stage in the holidays' list.
shazatron101
5112 posts
It's so easy peasy, I really don't understand why/how the people on MKR mess it up haha
Kimrose
1415 posts
Because I used to finish work at 6.30pm my husband was always home first so he cooked dinner. He is a good cook but pretty basic. I always cooked on weekends and I would always pull out a recipe book and do a dessert as well. Now I finish a bit earlier so first home cooks.
Jesse
745 posts
I love food in general! I'm like you Trudi, love to cook but really cooking extragavent stuff is a bit tiresome when you're cooking just for yourself. When my partner's home I always try out something I wouldn't normally make just for me. I love Chealsea Winter's cookbooks, so easy-to-follow and such good recipes, made her Chicken and Vegetable pie recently which including prep took a fair amount of time but so tasty.

I also love going out to restaurants :)
trudijoy
8375 posts
shaz I love when they press herb leaves into the pasta <3 I've not made my own pasta but I've made my own soba noodles.

How long does it take? I don't think I'd be able to do it on a weekday but I'd be keen to try at some stage on a weekend. I'd need a machine though :S

Jesse sometimes on the weekend I cook up bathes of anywhere between 3-5 dishes and freeze them in portions, but when I'm up at my parents place I always cook up a killer feed. I need a boyfriend to cook for lol
shazatron101
5112 posts
Hmmm not long at all, but I have time to spare haha. I cheat though and throw it in the stand mixer, it cuts down on the kneading, and after a few rounds in the pasta machine its smooth and perfect. Maybe 1hr 1/2 all up? It has to rest in the fridge for 30ish mins (I leave mine most of the day cos I make it in the morning) and then once it's been cut up it has to dry a little so it doesn't stick to itself while cooking in the water. I actually love putting spinach in mine, makes the pasta so lovely and green! 
trudijoy
8375 posts
mmmm greeeeen paaaaaasta. def something to set aside for a holiday I think... pretty sure you can get a cheaper version of a pasta machine somewhere like stevens
MareeB
5239 posts
Yummm, it all sounds great! I'm almost sorry to admit it, but I buy cheap pasta and canned and packet mixes! I can't be bothered cooking, I enjoy the eating end of it tho!! I make lots of broths and thick soups in winter if that qualifies...
shazatron101
5112 posts
Yeah you probably can. I got mine for my birthday from my mum - I think it was like $20 or something. I wanna get the raviolli maker thing from Stevens it'd make things so easy!
pintsize
1072 posts
I do all the cooking in our house.. I do like a good take out but our nearest is half an hour away and they don't deliver. Still everyone needs a night off once and a while :)
Hubby has limited culinary skills... that is to say he can make toast but he has a skill not many could match... He is the only person I know who can curdle pasta snacks or burn 2 min noodles lol

Lucky for my family I don't mind being in the kitchen and often make dinner sauces from scratch but my kitchen at them moment is mid renovation so I am a bit limited for space.
Making pasta sound like fun, I might have to wait a little bit but definitly want to give that a go.  I have made ravioli before but with store bought sheets :)

Sadly the most lack luster meal in this house is beans on toast and that is rare.
Oh and I do love to bake too... buiscuits, cakes, cupcakes, tarts.... Can not wait for kitchen to be finished! lol

 
MrsLissy
301 posts
Now that I have really specific dietary needs since my gastric bypass surgery I prefer to prepare stuff for myself because then I can get it just right. I've found a few good options for if I'm out but can have issues with things if it's not quite right. I used to love eating out all the time but now I'd just prefer a coffee or something simple!
4545
1139 posts
I love cooking. Only have to do it once a week because I split the cooking with my flatmates but I do enjoy it when I do it! I don't cook with meat so I get quite creative to make sure everyone is fed properly. When I cooked a few days ago I managed to get something like 8 different types of vegetables in the meal which was pretty good!
MissQT
1547 posts
I love cooking and baking, whether its just for me or for others as well. During the week I like simple but tasty dishes. My fav at the moment is chicken parmigiana. I also love how you can control exactly what goes in your food when you cook it, e.g. how much salt, oil, cook in oven vs fry psn etc. I have always wanted to make my own pasta too. Shaz when you say you put it in the mixer do you use a dough hook attachment or the paddle? And are you willing to share any good pasta dough recipies? Need some inspiration/encouragement :) 
100_percent_ash
488 posts
I'm a chef by trade so I do do a lot of cooking and love it. I love eating out though if it's somewhere with good service and to be honest even if it's not the best any meal cooked for me by friends or family with love is a good one.

I love playing around with flavours and veges from the garden and we eat really well. It's often completely wasted on a tomato sauce loving partner, picky toddler (she's actually not too bad just looks at me like I'm crazy when I serve a whole plate of veges and no starch), and a baby that smears 70% of it on his face, tosses 10% and eats maybe 5% (the other 15% gets stolen by the toddler who can never resist someone else's food).
shazatron101
5112 posts
Elena I saw that on insty. Looked so yum! I made wraps last night and got that many veges in - with a piece of chicken haha so full, didn't even need the chicken! 

Miss QT yeah I use the dough hook haha my bad. Pasta dough is easy, it's just 100g of flour to 1 egg for every person. I can get away with feeding me and fiance that, but sometimes I'll go whole hog and do 200g flour and 2 eggs, although sometimes that's too much haha.  I like to add pepper just cos I can, and to get the spinach (or herbs) in the dough you just cut it up super fine and mix it in. Others might have recipes but that one works best for me and I find it always comes out lovely and smooth :-)
chikoboo
3402 posts
I go through periods of being a shining example of the next greatest chef/baker but it doesn't last long lol and I fall back into quick meals or worse takeaways! even though I try and stick with subway if we fall into one of those nights as I can somewhat justify it as almost good.   I graze during the weekend then just eat 3 meals during the week as if I was to graze at work I would be even bigger than I am.  I am not a fruit lover but can polish off plates of just veg in cooked or raw state.   I'm a mood eater, if I am in the mood to prepare and cook I will happily, if I am not I either do it in a grumpy state or get take out.  There is no happy meduim for me
Macs
5351 posts
I used to be so good when I was dieting. I used to have 5 small low fat meals. Now I'm eating everything and anything. I do want to go back to my no carb ways. It did help me loose the weight.
Pifithrin
1243 posts
I like cooking, but if it's just me then I'll usually have an omelette or feta and tomato on toast.
Mila
1209 posts
I dont love or hate cooking .....I think if I didnt get home so late from work i'd probably enjoy it more, but gone early and home late I just want to have something that doesnt require too much effort to be honest.  These days especially the bigger and tireder I get I have been using our wonderful slow cooker healthy meals cooking while im at work come home to dinner already done...Magic ! :)
Rezee
1964 posts
Id love to cook for just me! I have all these ideas of when the kids move out, I can start making more exciting things and stock up the freezer lol. At the moment, I am a mum of four, my eldest has aspergers so she can be a bit fusy with new things and my partner who is also fussy with new things. I love cooking up new things, even moreso when everyone likes it! I do get stuck in a cooking rut though as it is so much less drama to be able to cook things that everyone likes.
Macs
5351 posts
My patner and kids are fussy eaters too Reeze. My partner wont eat Seafood. Wont go near it. My children are fussy as well. I love seafood and Spicy Food. I miss it alot, but my family wont eat it.
-Bex-
611 posts
I LOVE cooking. Sometimes I'm happy to be in the kitchen for a few hours cooking up new things. I am very lucky though that my partner and kids aren't fussy at all with flavours. Although master almost 9 will now tell me if there isn't enough sauce or if his steak is well done instead of pink. So he's a bit fussy like that. Funny how he can tell at such a young age! I love cooking up vegetables out of our garden it's so satisfying. I love (sometimes) the kids helping me cook and watching how creative they can be
MissQT
1547 posts
Cool thanks shaz for sharing that, sounds so simple! One more question, do you use normal plain flour as well? Thanks! :)
shazatron101
5112 posts
Yep I use normal flour :-) its super easy so I hope you have fun making it :-)
MissQT
1547 posts
thanks I'll let you know when I make it (when I get round to it!) :p
-Bex-
611 posts
Ahh thanks Shaza i only use 00 flour but i have to travel kms away to get it yay so glad it works with normal flour. dont ask me why i have never tried it with normal flour
kknz
82 posts
I love to cook, so much so that if I wasn't in my current career then I would want to be a chef. But when my child isn't at home and it's just me to cook for then  I don't have much motivation for it and am all 'someone else do it' so end up not cooking and just grazing. 
tannygirl
3392 posts
I cook at least three nights a week for my family. I did have a time when I was on my own and then I would cook on the weekend and portion out my meals to keep cooking at a minimal since I didn't want to make a huge effort if it was just me. But since I live with family I do put quite a bit of time and effort into it. Sometimes I'm inspired and make some really nice casserole dish or something extra special and other days I just need to get dinner cooked fast and go for curry with some veggies on the side. I strive to prepare healthy meals with lots of veggies included.
SandieNZ
424 posts
I love to cook!  MKR is my absolute fave show, I would love to go to night classes to learn how to cook better.  We've got Gizzy food month in July so I'm going to a couple cooking shows and one is to learn how to make pasta.  I'm so excited about that one, I've always wanted to make my own pasta and I've heard that nothing beats fresh pasta.
trudijoy
8375 posts
MKR Australia is one of my faves too Sandie - but I couldn't watch the NZ one. The Great Food Race was cool though and I love me some Masterchef.
I hate cooking since I just can't do some things. I can make some decent dishes like teriyaki chicken on rice but with pasta sauces you can rely on me to screw that up big time.
SandieNZ
424 posts
I LOVE Masterchef too Trudi - in fact I've just bought a pasta machine today and I'm attempting my 1st ever batch of fresh pasta.  Fingers crossed it works out ;)
As for that Colin Fassnidge on MKR - phoar!!!!
Macs
5351 posts
I love MKR too. Isnt colin so sexy. I love his firm ways.
MAGPIEFI
615 posts
 I like to cook:) my husband enjoyes what I make. 
I myself am raw till four it's easy and healthy so I can mix some bad with the good
makes lunch at work easy as well. I did a body sculpting competition and learnt so much about food and health exercise and nutrition. 
Shana_Banana84
567 posts
I love to cook too.  I went through a phase of buying in when it was just me and the ex bf with no cares or kids.  My body paid for that huge mistake.  I prefer to eat better now such as making from scratch and not relying on packet food.  I make my own pasta, pasta sauces and all sorts.  It really does good things to the soul to cook for your family and have fun doing it.
shazatron101
5112 posts
I love MKR!!! Manu oh my gosh get at me you little French muffin! Daaayyuumm hahaha. Sandie how did your pasta come out? I bought a ravioli thing today so thats on the menu this week :D
SandieNZ
424 posts
I'm not one to brag... but my pasta was amazeballs Shazatron lol.  It really was so so so much better than the fresh shop bought stuff.  And I was really surprised at how easy it was to make - I read up on Jamie Oliver's recipes and techniques first and it was amazingly easy.  I am an absolute convert now!
Oh, and Manu....if Manu and Colin came to town to cook I think there'd be a riot ;)
shazatron101
5112 posts
I'd be at that riot hahaha! And yay!! I'm so glad to hear it went well. Jamie is where I got my pasta recipe from too haha :P I actually go to him for a lot of recipes, I quite like him!
I'm a cook, but get really sick of it. I'd prefer to graze but with kids ... lol

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