A little over a week ago I sat down and made a two-week meal plan for the pay period.
First I made a list of what we had on hand and what was on sale and made a list of meals to prepare complete with sides. Then I made my shopping list which took three stores to fill.
As usual I had sat with a stack of cookbooks looking for a few new things to try and since I was trying to feed us on the cheap this month something called Penne Pasta Casserole landed on the menu. I know it landed there because I had both ground beef and penne pasta on hand.
I distinctly remember that I had two small cans of Italian tomato paste on the shopping list. I never found it at any of the stores I visited and ended up buying one large can of regular tomato paste figuring that I'd just toss some Italian seasoning in to make up for not finding the Italian tomato paste.
I also remember having one small onion on the shopping list for this casserole. I did not buy an onion at the first store because all they had were three pound bags and I only needed one onion this pay period.
I also remember that the recipe called for Monterey Jack cheese. Two cups of it, shredded. I was annoyed because I could not find Monterey Jack cheese already shredded. I bought a pound of it in block form. That should, at least in theory, be two cups when shredded. I remember thinking at the time that it was really weird for an Italian pasta dish to call for Monterey Jack instead of Mozzarella cheese. But, hey, I wanted something new and different.
Last night I picked up a fresh baguette and a bag of Italian salad greens. I don't like to buy those in advance. But then I decided to serve chili dogs because I didn't want to run the oven to make the casserole. So tonight we have to make the casserole before the bread and salad get stale. The ground beef has been thawed too and needs to be cooked.
Guess what?
I can't find the recipe now. Shannon and I have been through all of the cookbooks and there is no Penne Pasta Casserole that calls for the ingredients I purchased. Not one. We even checked my Ragu Family Favorites cookbook even though it wasn't likely to be there since it called for tomato paste and no Ragu.
We finally found a recipe for Italian Pasta and Beef Bake in one cookbook. My husband is in the kitchen preparing it. Sorta. It calls for tomato sauce and I bought tomato paste. It does not call for an onion, small or otherwise. It calls for two cups of Mozzarella cheese, not Monterey Jack cheese. It calls for mostaccioli, not penne pasta. And so on.
It is absolutely not the recipe I was looking at when I made the menu and shopping list. Shannon is convinced that it is the recipe and I screwed up the shopping list. Not. I wouldn't have dreamed up a small onion I didn't need. I wouldn't have dreamed up putting Monterey Jack cheese in an Italian casserole.
This feels like a Twilight Zone moment. How could the recipe I planned to prepare have disappeared? Why didn't I jot down the cookbook and page number on my meal plan like I've done for several years? I even have a catalog system for the cookbooks so that each one has a four-letter code to jot on the meal plan instead of writing out the entire title.
It remains to be seen whether this meal will end up in the Kitchen Disasters group. Cross your fingers for us that it is edible.
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More by Andrea "slackermom" R. |
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Comments: 42
Next, great idea, typical at our house to lose the recipe it I am in charge. If Mr. grems is in charge, not an issue.
sounds good to me so I hope it is good.
you will have a great meal regardless. i stopped using recipes decades ago and this is pretty much how.
I hope you all get to eat. You'll find something else to write about; may tonight's dinner be a good one.
I hate to say "OMG," but OMG! Janna!
That's it. That's the recipe I lost. I would swear it was in a cookbook around here.
Exhibit A: One jar of instant beef bouillon that I know I purchased specifically for this recipe. Not Maggi but some store brand because I couldn't find Maggi even after three stores. I would remember searching for Maggi instant beef bouillon. And I do remember.
Too bad we used up all the other ingredients. Now what do I do with the stupid beef bouillon in the cabinet?
No! Do not approach the crock pot. Especially if your recipe called for cream of anything soup.
And... I rarely use a recipe. I kinda just put things together based on what tastes good with other similar things. Recipes kind of stress me out because I feel like it has to be so exact and if I mess up then the whole thing will be ruined. If I just cook without a recipe, there is less stress and the meal is still pretty good usually. : )
And, now.... I swear, Janna is like... A god or omniscient or something. She's always popping up with links or explanations or rules or something else that satisfies curiousities or quandries!
I'm not all organized or all smart or all that. I have to do it to make sure I have enough food to get us through the pay period before I spend the rest on bills. It wouldn't do to have one week worth of food and no money left over with another week to go until payday.
I put back enough for fresh items like bread, milk and produce and buy all the rest on payday.
I know. I almost fell out of my chair when she posted that link. How did she do that?
Sometimes more. Hubby gets paid twice a month and I've seen that fall up to 18 days apart. He's supposed to get paid on the 15th but if the 15th is a Sunday, he'll get paid on the 13th. Then he gets paid on the last business day of the month which is often the 31st. When that happens I have to plan for 18 days of meals. I hate doing that. The freezer is only so big...
She ALWAYS does that!!!! Even when you don't think she's looking... *poof* There's a link from Janna!
No kids and trying to discourage a leach-like RM from eating my groceries drive my meals. I usually keep non perishables like pasta and crackers etc for months at a time. If I feel like it I'll buy a dinner roll to go with left over salad type meal, otherwise bananas, Peanut butter bread and veggie snack packs are my main staple, along with coffee, 1/2+1/2 and sweetener.
When motivated and if a recipe is available I can cook anything and cook it well... when motivated!
So how did the substitute recipe come out?
Not bad. There is a ton of it though. We only ate about 1/3 of the thing. It filled a large 11X13 baking pan to the top.
If you can call it "planning". Other than Tuesday usually being taco night, the most I plan is a day or few in advance, based on what we have on hand, what I feel like picking up, the weather, and what I feel like cooking. We only do a big grocery shop about once a month and fill in with fresh produce and perishables as needed. We're lucky enough to be less than a mile from a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and another grocery store and there's a food co-op less than a block from my work. I hope we get the farm share (and a beef and chicken share, too) next year. We're on a waitlist for it. I always admire those who can plan their menus far in advance. Fortunately Dave always does the dishes and takes me out to eat on Fridays.
She has the internet and she's not afraid to use it.