Here’s a frugal tip I’ve had to learn the hard way…
Every now and then I get the urge to experiment. Now, I’m not even the least bit daring enough to try to whip up my very own creation in the kitchen. But I will venture away from my handy little cookbook to try a new recipe that I’ve discovered somewhere.
I love trying new meals, especially when I find a new “hit” that I can add to my “favorite recipes” book. (I keep a book, a journal actually, of all of my husband and children’s favorite recipes.
Every time I try a new one, I ask my husband what he thinks. If he definitely loves it, it goes in the book. If he says, “It’s okay”, it doesn’t make the cut.)
Unfortunately for my family, lately I’ve been picking some horrible recipes to try! Last week I tried a Cauliflower Cheese Bake, and then a Martha Stewart Shepherd’s Pie recipe.
My poor baby girl couldn’t help gagging as she tried her best to swallow the cauliflower mush down. I don’t know why the recipes turned out so terribly!
Anyways, by the time dinner was ready it was 6pm and the family was hungry. After Jerry and baby girl had tried just one bite and could not bring themselves to try another, dear hubby decided that we would take a trip for Fast Food. And since I did not have a back up plan, I could only agree. It ended up costing us over $30 to cover just the two meals out. WAY over budget!
The moral of the story: If you are going to try a new recipe… MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACKUP! Or it might just cost you more than you had planned.
A city girl learning to homestead on an acre of land in the country. Wife and homeschooling mother of four. Enjoying life, and everything that has to do with self sufficient living.
When I try a new dish, my husband, Steve, has highly suggested that I make a small quantity, so if it’s a dud, we won’t be eating it for a month!
In the 20 years we have been married, there have been less than a handful of times that I have made too much of a new dish that has been a dud, like beans in manicotti, yuck! Clafouti…a cooked custard that didn’t warm our palates! South Beach deserts…ugh!
Another trick is, if I won’t like he, he probably won’t either and that has worked pretty well thus far.
LOL
I’m so glad the “code” is alive and well in other families! El Hubbito is good with the code, it’s either “you can make that again!!” “hmmm…that was OK, but maybe next time you could add *insert food/spice here*” or “hon…I love you but that was not a success.”
12 years together and 6 of them married, and only 2 non-successes!
My new favorite is http://www.recipepuppy.com put in what’s in your cupboard/fridge, and it finds recipes for you!!!
I usually go to allrecipes.com when I’m looking for something new. They have wonderful reviews that folks leave and let you know little changes that they have made. Look up the King’s Ranch Chicken Casserole III, the first review has lots of suggestions that I used to make a exceptional casserole.
If I have a new recipe from somewhere else, I check here to see what others say. Sometimes it takes a while, but with the reveiws I can figure out any adjustments that I probably need to make.
As a back up, there’s alway breakfast for supper!
I had a cauliflower-cheese recipe go very wrong years ago. I don’t feel so bad now that I read yours was icky too…I say boycott all cauli-cheese recipes in the future!
Andrea
I am like you, Kendra. I base keeping recipes on whether DH likes them or not. After 17 yrs of marriage, I know the code….
if he says:
“this is good”…..that is a keeper for sure! A favorite meal.
“this is okay”…..might make again once in a great, great while
“that wasnt very good”….make it again and I might taste it, but thats about it
“this isnt good at all”….dont make it again if I am at home…I wont eat it, wont taste it, and fast food is an option.
It is nice to try new recipes. I hate it when they go wrong or don’t taste as good as I thought!
I suggest keeping some canned soup or chili in the cupboard. Then no matter what happens with dinner, you can heat up some soup in 5 minutes and add some toast.
I learned the hard way when I first got married. My hubby is the pickiest eater ever, it took a while to figure out that certain foods (like pasta) should have a reserve. I keep some plain pasta/rice etc. to the side before I mix things like a casserole together. That way there is something that will be eaten, and if not, it makes great leftovers and fast lunches.
I totally agree with this!
Although, I’m pretty lucky…my hubby will eat just about anything, and he rarely complains…so, even if the recipe is a dud…he’ll still finish off the pot, just so we don’t waste it! (luckily for both of us, we have really only had one bad recipe neither of us liked, that’s pretty good for 4 years of marriage!)