In a Rut

I get the same way unfortunately. I collect cookbooks but there's days I'll be in a hurry to make supper & seems I end up making the same 5 or 6 meals

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i started this passion for cooking after my college days, because i have to cook food for my friends who came to visit me and for my mother and sister because that days i have no job yet,, yes i do experience like doing the same thing all over again, what i did was to experiment for something new, try other stuff like that,,

Alright! The following is called Macaroni Bechamelle. It's a fench/middle eastern pasta and meat baked meal, that I have improved upon recently. Are you ready?? OK, here we go. 1. 2 pounds of penne pasta 2. 1 pound of ground beef, 1 pound of bacon 3. 2 jars of Bertolli's tomato and basil pasta sauce 4. 5 cloves of garlic, chopped 5. 1/2 of an onion, chopped 6. 2 sticks of buttter 7. 1 cup of white flour (may need more though) 8. chicken broth (kind that comes in the box) 9. olive oil 10. 4 cups of milk 1. Cook pasta per directions on box 2. In a separate 3.5 quart pan, melt butter, then add flour and stir until light brown on medium heat. Add one cup of milk at a time, stirring it until it's totally incorporated. Take pan off the heat while adding the milk. Finally add 1 cup of chicken broth. Continue to stir and heat for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens to be slightly thicker than pancake batter. If it's too thin, you may add some more flour. Lightly Season with salt and pepper. 3. Lightly sautee chopped onion and garlic in very light olive oil, until they turn medium brown (in a large skillet) 4. Cut the bacon and place in skillet with onion and garlic, until mostly browned 5. Put meat in skilled with the rest until it's browned as well 6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 7. Add the two jars of Bertolli pasta sauce to meat while in skillet and mix 8. In a large glass baking pan, place enough pasta to cover the bottom of the pan. Add about 1/2 the white sauce and mix together in pan. Smooth out this pasta layer at the bottom. 9. Add the meat/bacon on top to make a nice thick layer 10. On top of the meat layer, add remaining pasta until pan is full, but not overflowing. 11. On top of pasta, add remaining 1/2 of white sauce so it sits on top of the pasta. Lightly smooth it over the pasta. 12. Bake the whole thing in the oven at 400degrees until the top is golden brown. 13. Enjoy!! :)

I am right there with you! We are in SUCH a RUT! I fix the same things over and over. This last week though I did get a little creative. I actually fixes faijtas one night and instead of using tortillas..I used pita pockets. Then another night I tried that zatarans jambalya (spelling..sorry). I used chicken white meat and a polska sausauge thingy as the meat. It was really good! But here I am thinking about the grocery shopping I have to do this weekend. Same stuff..different day! I will go online and look up different recipes, with say..beef. Then pick a new thing to try. I figure if we dont like it, then I am not out that much. But I try to pick things with ingredients that I know my family likes.

I too get bored of the same things over and over. So each Friday night I make my meal list and shopping list. I go online and surf for different recipes and different ethnic food recipes. It is fun to go out on Saturdays and track down the ethnic ingredients. I have travelled the world in cuisine! I really love cooking western Chines food. I found this website called Bakespace.com it is a great place to meet other cookers and to exchange recipes and cooking ideas. I have found it ever so helpful week after week. It is free to join. Check it out.

I know the feeling.LOL It happens to the best of us. I cook everynight and I get like that alot. Try taking a look in the cookbook. Thats what I do. Then once I make something new Im out of my rut.

Gee... Its great that you love to cook, I think i do to , however everytime I'm in the kitcken my family gets too nervous...lol...how about you experiment recipes that you think will be good food. like strawberry cake, or something, mixing ingridients from other recepies to another. lol will that be fun, then if you get successful, name the recipe after you.

I feel every family meal-planner , goes through this especially if you plan around a Budget . Last Month I rediscovered Panini's ( something I haven't had , or been able to afford in a very long time ) A panini is a sandwich with toppings of your Choice ie....Ham , or Beef, or Chicken and you can add your Favorite cheese , and then just to spice things up...add a piece of sliced fruit ( ie...apple , or pear ) When you have assembled your Sandwich...then place it on your counter-top Grille ( the George Foreman ) and Gently Grille ' till golden-Brown. You'd Be amazed at how making a simple Change ( such as Grilling ) Adds new Depth and Volume to your Victuals. One Love , A.

When I get into a cooking rut, I usually look towards other countries for inspiration. For instance, I will think to myself "Well, I've never had Moroccan food. Perhaps I should look up some recipes there." Then I just hop online and begin learning about the country's food culture. It's often really interesting and can get you really excited to jump back into the kitchen and try some new thigns out. Right now I am exploring Japanese cooking. I've made a bunch of my own Japanese soups and pickles. I also have some great recipes I have found online and in books that I would like to try. So I don't get sick of it, I will just cook a Japanses meal once or twice a week when I need a pick up. It's a lot of fun and I think I am also learning a lot. I hope you find your inspiration soon because I know how awful it can be to be in a cooking rut. Good luck!

I get this way every so often too. To that extent, my partner bought me an amazing slow cooker for Christmas and I ended up using it to make Christmas Dinner LOL. Since then I've had a lot of fun and I found so many different recipes online. If you don't have a slow cooker may I suggest that you invest in one. The possibilities are endless and heck it's great to start it off in the morning and come home to have dinner waiting for you.

i too love cooking... its my lab.. and my husband and inlaws became the white rats...by gods grace nothing happends till now...sometimes i become very lazy then it will be boring... very difficuilt thing is to decide what to cook ...for break fast,lunch snacks supper... not for a day for all day same routine... yes..u r right i feel so... many times, i heared that my mother and those who i know they were cooking that persons are also saying so..then for a change we'll go out... some restaurants..

I am usually in a cooking rut. I love to eat but don't care much about cooking, and that's probably because my hubby is a very picky eater and won't try new things. If I see a good recipe in a magazine (where I get most of my ideas) I have to try it for friends.