Home cooked dinner
Living alone I miss the home cooked dinner. I miss the dinner and the ‘family’ time it allows.
My mother was a great person for cooking a dinner every day.
We were always assured of a proper hot meal for dinner.
Some dinners I hated ….. I miss them now.
Before Grannymar launches into a tirade of giving out to me about learning to cook etc. I would like to confirm that I can cook and I’m a good cook at that.
I have cooked my share of hot meals in my day.
While my mother was at home for her last few months I had the privilege of cooking the meals every day ….. it coincided with my summer holidays.
She came home to die in April (on her birthday) and she died in July (on her wedding anniversary).
I can cook ….. I just can’t be bothered ….. cooking for myself just isn’t the same.
Sitting down to a hot meal requires company and conversation. I have neither when I sit down to eat …. so getting the Chinese takeaway or the hot counter stuff serves my needs. It fills me up and stops the hunger.
The last thing I want to do when I come home is cook a dinner ….. I’m often so exhausted that it’s to bed I go to sleep/recover. When I awake I’ll usually get the quick fix …. the Chinese takeaway.
That’s the hardest thing I found hard to accept (since my mother died) is the fact that the sharing of meals is now something that I rarely do.
I do on occasion call to the sister for dinner etc. but it’s not the same.
Meals to me are just whatever comes hot and handiest.
Yesterday it was a Chinese ….. spare ribs and chicken fried rice.
Today chips from the hot counter and the dried out remains of some kind of spicy skewered chicken.
All washed down with a bottle of Lucozade.
I’ll have a cup of tea later on …. and I’ve got Coke in the fridge if I get thirsty after the spicy chicken.
I didn’t stay too late in school today …. I was home about 4.45 p.m.
It’s 6.30 p.m. now and I need a rest before I hit some school work later on.
No walks for the dogs this evening ….. I’m too tired.
One advantage of living alone ….. I can go to bed whenever I like …. be it afternoon, evening, night or early morning.
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I’ve lived alone for 10 years and went through the ‘I can’t be bothered’ stage. In order to entice me I bought some ready prepared meals, the idea being that not having to stand and prepare the stuff I might eat it. I am sure the box had more flavour! So that idea went by the board.
I found some new simple recipes and made a start with them. Then I made a meal for 2, 4 or 6 and when ready I put one portion on a plate to eat that day, and when the remainder was cool I boxed it in single portions for the freezer. That way I can pull out a meal for a day when I am not feeling like cooking.
I find sipping a glass of wine or sherry with some music on in the background while cooking prepares the taste buds and I do well.
I realise that cooking for one is soul destroying, but I need to live and there is nobody else to cook for me. Proper nourishment is needed for energy and health so I cook!
Tonight I made an omelette with a salad and it took about 5/6 minutes to prepare, it was very tasty and nourishing.
Why not ‘DO SOMETHING for PADDY’ this summer and book a weeks residental cookery course. Not alone will you meet different people, you might actually enjoy it.
END of lecture. I hope we are still friends
I know what you mean. As my kids grow older (well one’s on the other side of the world at the moment). We eat together maybe twice a week so Sunday is always eat at home night. Usually with DrummerBoy and the Fringelet but anyone is welcome. I know exactly what you mean about not ‘bothering’ but it’s important that you do simply from a nutritional point of view. Another beauty of cooking for one is that you can spoil yourself a little with some luxury ingredients too! Cheer up Paddy. Cooking course could be a good idea (might meet someone to share your meals with too!)
Paddy
I often hanker after the thought of the peace and quiet of living alone and being able to work, rest, and play (and eat) when it suits me. Then on the odd occasion when all the family are away at the same time and I get to spend time alone, I very quickly realise that there’s not a lot of fun to be had when you’ve no company to share it with. I really sympathise with you and Grannymar on this one.
But like Grannymar says, just because you live alone, it doesn’t mean that you can’t eat well. Our well-being depends on nutritious food - it’s brain food. Baino wrote a great post on this subject yesterday… ’soul of a carrot’.
I understand your need for quick easy fix when you come home tired from a hard day at the school but I also reckon that your tiredness is partly attributable to your fast food diet. The food you describe above may satisfy your hunger but it does little to satisfy your body’s needs. I guarantee you you’d feel much more energised if you could gradually introduce more fresh food into your diet. Is there a delicatessen in your area? They sometimes sell oven-ready prepared meals like lasagne, chicken & broccoli pie etc, which can be excellent especially when accompanied by a choice of ready prepared salads. This at least would be a move in the right direction without you having to cook/prepare food. And there’s always Baino’s banana for afters!
How about growing some of your own veg/salad? It’s really, really easy and nothing beats the flavour. You can buy small seedlings (ready-prepared) in a garden centre so that all you have to do is pop them in the ground and add water. You’ll be hooked in no time!
Grannymar ~ always friends!
Baino ~ on my way to Oz!
Steph ~ I’ve discovered some beautiful take away meals from Dunnes Stores …. real dinners!
I’ve tried chicken curry, beef and lamb.
Sold by weight …. average cost €6!
Fresh veg, mashed potato …. great stuff altogether.
To all my ladies!
Once summer holidays come I’ll make the effort … really … I will!
We’ll be watching and waiting! Paddy
Otherwise us ‘ladies’ might have to turn up on your doorstep to show you how it’s done!!!