I was at the kitchen sink in my apartment around 6pm and realized the ground beef I thawed overnight smelled funky. Tossed it and grabbed a can of black beans and some leftover rice from Tuesday night, fried it up with cumin and a diced onion. Turned out better than the tacos I planned, and my girlfriend said it tasted like something from a real Mexican joint in Chicago. Anybody else keep a backup can of beans for nights like this?
Everyone says fresh is always better for stir fry, but I tried frozen broccoli and snap peas last Tuesday after a long work day. I timed it - 8 minutes total from pan to plate, and the texture was actually crunchier than the fresh stuff I usually buy that goes limp in 2 days. Cost me $3.50 for a bag versus $5 for fresh that wilts by Wednesday. Has anyone else found a frozen shortcut that beats fresh for a specific dish?
I went with chili mac since I had ground beef and noodles, but the cheese sauce seized up and I ended up eating burnt pasta while my family finished the tacos I should've made, has anyone else ever gambled on a new recipe and totally blown it?
I was rushing to get pasta on the table before soccer practice and the garlic bread came out black as coal, so I tossed a bag of frozen peas with olive oil and salt into the microwave for 2 minutes to stretch the meal, has anyone else found a weird emergency side dish that saved a messed up dinner?
Last Tuesday I forgot to spray my slow cooker before making chili and spent 20 minutes scrubbing it. My friend Jenna from work told me about these slow cooker liners she buys at Walmart for $12 a box. They save me so much cleanup time after dinner rush.
I was standing in line at Aldi last Tuesday with a full cart of stuff for the week. The lady behind me had like 8 items and was out in 4 minutes. I looked at my cart and saw 4 different kinds of veggies I never actually cook before they go bad. Now I only buy 1 rotating veggie each week and plan meals around that one thing. Anyone else find they waste less with a super short grocery list?
I bought a rotisserie chicken from Costco on Monday for $4.99. Turned it into tacos night one, soup night two, and sandwiches night three. Three dinners from one bird with basically zero extra cooking time. Has anyone else stretched a rotisserie chicken into more meals than that?
I was making a quick chili for dinner and heard a pop, then saw a crack spreading across the inner pot. This was after maybe 20 uses over six months. Anyone know if this is a common issue or did I just get a bad batch?
I was boiling pasta in a tiny pot for years thinking it saves water, then saw a cooking video where the guy said crowded pasta sticks together and cooks unevenly, has anyone else been cooking wrong for way too long?
She had this binder with plastic sleeves full of recipe cards sorted by day of the week, and she told me she spends 30 bucks every Sunday to cover all dinners. We talked for 10 minutes in the canned veggie aisle and now I'm trying her method with frozen broccoli and rotisserie chicken. Anyone else got a weird grocery ritual that actually works?
I used to buy those bags of pre-chopped onions and peppers every week from the local Kroger, thinking I was saving 10 minutes each night. Last Tuesday I added up the receipts and saw I was spending $8 extra per week for something I could chop in 3 minutes flat. Has anyone else done the math on convenience foods and found they aren't really worth it?