DINNER IN MENA LAND

[ya falaha! 0]

Oh yeah..tacos...those are my other friend!

[sweet_peach 0]

Oh I feel your pain....

Last night while cooking I said to the husband "can you come help me please" his responce was "why thats a woman's job", then starts laughing about it. Needless to said I didnt find it to funny.

Sorry that his has to be the end of the story - I can really type what was said after that, but it did become funny and he did help until everything was finished.......

oh yeah - if he wont help - then fix things he will not like to eat -

moto - if you want to eat something you like THEN HELP COOK

Edited February 25, 2009 by sweet_peach

[caybee 21]

Lisa, have you thought about a slow cooker? You can make just about anything. Set it and walk away. At least you would have the main part of your meal finished and would just have to make

the pasta, rice or potatoes. I use mine for everything...chili, roast, sauces, soups, etc.

One thing I always try to do is plan a week of my meals. When I have the time to use the stove, I make food dishes and freeze them for "take it out and micowave it"!

Best of luck!! Don't be frustrated....just try to work it out! Yes I have to agree...our men have been raised by stay at home moms

I rarely make pasta, rice, or potatoes. Am I strange?

[allousa 1]

Totally agree with the gurlz about planning ahead. While I don't "cook" the meals, I do make a meal plan for the week and I post it on the fridge. Hicham will take a couple of meals (working on getting him to pick up another night ) and me the others and maybe one night we might get take out or something. But I go to the grocery store ONCE a week. I stick to the meal plan and my list and that has saved us alot on $$ too!

Hope some of this helps...girls are giving some good advice.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

When I leave the husband to fend for himself, he eats tuna and pita bread every single day. And if I had it my way, I'd eat macaroni and cheese every day Definately not healthy, as my blood pressure and cholesterol can attest.

So, I've made a concious effort to prepare meals ahead of time, like many of the other posters. On Saturday, I look through my cookbooks and plan out the menu for the week. I make a shopping list and get everything I need. Then for a few hours on Sunday, I'll prepare the food for the week. I usually do 2 or 3 different meat dishes, a soup, 1 or 2 big veggie dishes and one dessert. After it's done, I throw it in tuperware in the fridge. When we get home from work, simply throw it on the stove or in the microwave to heat up. Wa'la, dinner is ready under 10 minutes.

I also make one thing for the husband to take in his lunch - sometimes it's sandwiches, sometimes it's a simple meat dish without garlic and onions (don't want to eat that at work). He doesn't mind eating the same thing every day, so it works out well.

If cooking isn't something he's used to doing, work on it slowly. Most likely, he won't up and decide to cook for himself overnight. My husband is good about preparing his breakfast for himself (foul and eggs aren't too hard to make). And, since I've started to enjoy cooking (honestly, it's something that has to be done, so why not enjoy it?), I try to talk about the new things I'm trying with him. He sees that it's something that I like to do, so he's starting to offer to cook with me, so we can do something together.

[EtherealVocalist 0]

Last night while cooking I said to the husband "can you come help me please" his responce was "why thats a woman's job", then starts laughing about it. Needless to said I didnt find it to funny.

If my husband said that to me, I would have put aside what I was cooking, slowly put my coat on and drove to the nearest applebees by myself and have dinner there I don't do well with snotty remarks like that.

besides, my husband is a fab cook. He's the best and he would never say "that's a woman's job". that infuriates me and wont take that from anyone.

he knows better.

[Ban Hammer 13,332]

given all of the posting in this thread, i think i've found the problem: too much time on vj when ya'll coulda been cooking.

[Muh and me 18]

My husband is the one who does all the cooking in the house. I didn't cook much before he came cause it was just me and when my son was home-he didn't want to eat what i made. So when he got here I liked that fact that he cooked. But he won't cook Moroccan. I want some moroccan foods. I do cook once a week or so and when we do cook its sometimes a large quanity so that he has food to take to work. But he can eat the same thing day after day. Not me, I need variety.

[MrsAmera 41]

*sulks back to kitchen...barefoot....and pregnant....*

[Muh and me 18]

*sulks back to kitchen...barefoot....and pregnant....*

Hey Amanda can u pm me some of those easy recipes? thanks

[sweet_peach 0]

Last night while cooking I said to the husband "can you come help me please" his responce was "why thats a woman's job", then starts laughing about it. Needless to said I didnt find it to funny.

If my husband said that to me, I would have put aside what I was cooking, slowly put my coat on and drove to the nearest applebees by myself and have dinner there I don't do well with snotty remarks like that.

besides, my husband is a fab cook. He's the best and he would never say "that's a woman's job". that infuriates me and wont take that from anyone.

he knows better.

This is really the way men from MENA think.....

[Aymsgirl 0]

given all of the posting in this thread, i think i've found the problem: too much time on vj when ya'll coulda been cooking.

Charles, you are such a man!

[Nagishkaw 510]

Husband and I both cook and if no one feels like cooking, there is always take out.

[Staashi 371]

Well, my Argentine man is accustomed to his mother cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. I was cooking all the time when he arrived. Slowly, I finally told him - "Baby, I'm sorry, but I'm not the Barefoot Contessa." He got the picture. I still do almost everything homemade, but I do cook in bulk to take meals for lunch; we do normally have one pizza night a week; go out to dinner on the weekend - also, sometimes I do paninis on our panini maker. It takes some planning but it can be a relief to both of you.

((((((((((((((((Lisa)))))))))))))))) You're not a bad wife, you're just under pressure.

[Imua 0]

My husband comes in very late from work, and I often feel as you do, just not inspired to start cooking from scratch, especially late at night. I lived alone for a long time, and I'm used to the quick, one-person cooking, whereas he likes to use fresh veggies -- imagine that! -- and prefers something that doesn't come out of a box, can, or frozen bag. He's a good cook and will cook for himself without complaint if the ingredients are there and I'm too tired, but I know it makes him feel good to walk in the door to a hot meal.

I don't know the answer to your dilemma, but I'm gradually adapting to our schedule by making sure certain staples are always on hand and rotating a just few easy, from-scratch meals that we both like. That way, I don't have to be particularly inspired or creative. I hope to gather more recipes and use my crock pot more often, because I can do the prep when I do have the energy and then just let it cook itself until he gets in. My goal (not there yet) is to plan meals one day a week and do some prep (like chopping veggies) in advance. When everything works out, I spend maybe 15 - 20 minutes actively preparing a meal and another 30 to 60 waiting for it to cook, so I can do other things during the waiting time. The routine makes all the difference for me, and in the long run, we sure are eating healthier than when I try to save time with the preprocessed stuff. That stuff really doesn't save any time in the long run, and it costs a lot more.

It's an adjustment, for sure, especially for Americans who are so used to convenience food. Good luck.

I agree with you that advance prepping helps a lot - if there are certain staples that hubby loves that can be cooked over the weekend, frozen and reheated that would help. I am lucky that Nepali food is pretty simple and I know how to cook a lot of the things Govi and I like already. He eats dal and rice every day plus whatever veggies look good that day at the bazaar. If he doesn't eat his 'Nepali khana' at least once a day then he hasn't really eaten that day. Traditionally Nepalis eat the same meal at around 10-11:00 and then late at night - you should see the mountains of rice my ILs put away..... No real 'breakfast foods' per se. So when he gets here my plan is to cook a big pot of dal on the weekend, freeze it in small containers and reheat for each day. Rice of course can be cooked in the rice cooker every day. So probably I will just cut and cook the veggies fresh every day. Luckily he already does a lot of the cooking for his family and is even taking a cooking class so will hopefully continue at least until he gets a job but it is good to know that his tastes are simple so I could cook for him even if both of us are busy.

Edited February 25, 2009 by Pattu Rani