let's talk about American Food

[Vizcayana 4]

All my life I grew up in the Philippines and I only know Filipino dishes.

Leaving my home means leaving some dishes and adjusting to a new life, new food, new culture and new friends.

I am a big fan of Korean, Japanese and Italian food and of course I am pro in terms of cooking Filipino dishes but none of these countries will be my new home but its America. People Im going to meet and brush elbows with are different races but with American taste.

Now, I am wondering what are these dishes that most Americans do love? Simple or complicated dish they usually serve on the table?

Share your recipes and/or ideas

[Purple Turtle 17]

My hubby would always add hash browns and bacon on our grocery list and would request deviled eggs from time to time. Sloppy joes - one of his fave. I'd come home and see the kitchen sink filled with dirty pans and opened cans. One sure sign he cooked Sloppy joes.

[Vizcayana 4]

Sloppy joes --- sounds yummy and sounds like a rockstar food. how does ur hubby cook it?

hushbrowns and bacon is my hubby's favorite too.

[jrmejia 31]

As long that the food is healthy I am fine with. Avoidance of greasy and fried food is my big thing.

There is a fine print when eating too much hash browns or bacon in the morning. You are creating yourself a nice atomic/time bomb for your heart.

Yes, I know most Filipinos make a HUGE deal about food and some about st. miguels or red horse

my 2 cents on this subject.

Edited May 22, 2011 by jrmejia

[gretchen_darren 67]

you touched on one. the major problem is tastes. Get recipes from your husband. Learn his style and what he likes. Sloppy joe is meat plus sauce, the sauce is ketchup based, but from there varies. (easiest is a can of manwich sauce, or a jar of sloppy joe sauce) There are many different versions of the same meal. Meatloaf is one great example. Ground meat is the base, but the additives can change: crackers or oatmeal, eggs, onions, green pepper, salt, pepper, cinnamon, Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, allspice, ketchup, BBQ sauce, cloves, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, fennel, cook in a pan with or without water, the styles can vastly vary.

Here are a few others: meatloaf, pot roast, pork chops, BBQ chicken, fried chicken, potato salad, mashed potatoes, Hamburgers, hot dogs, Chili, french fries (many different types), fried onion rings, donuts, coffee, iced tea, spaghetti, lasagna, tereyaki steak/chicken/pork, kung pao chicken/beef/pork, sweet and sour chicken/pork, philly cheesesteak, chicken cacciatore, chicken marsala, nachos, tacos, burritos, chicken and dumplings, haw stew with sauerkraut, beef stew, shish-ka-bobs, shepherds pie, hash browns, bacon, Ham, GRAVY, GRAVY, GRAVY LOTS and LOTS of GRAVY

Some regional items (but not necessarily so):

Northeast: lobster, clam chowder, pigs in a blanket, long island iced tea,

Southerner: Grits, sausage biscuits, sausage gravy, mint julips

Cajun/Texas: red beans and rice, jambalaya, hurricanes, beignets, BBQ, dirty rice,

Midwest: chili cheese fries, Chili with/without beans, with/without raw diced onions served over spaghetti with mounds of shredded cheese

California: trendy food, light fare, sushi

West: grilled steak, grilled vegetables, spicy food, Tex-Mex

As for the food you love, you will probably find he likes it too. As for places to eat: korean, japanese sushi and teppan-yaki, italian, american, steak houses, seafood restaurants, mexican, fast food, jewish, russian, thai,

for shopping depends on location. In major cities, you can find anything you want or the store will get it for you, or you can buy online and have shipped to you. In the country, you may have to look harder for things, but generally the stores will get some items for you if you special request it. Sometimes you have to settle for buying online and have shipped to you for specialty items.

Just ask your hubby for recipes, or his sister, or his mom, or his aunts, or grandmothers, Be willing to try new things with him, but also have a backup plan in case the meal does not work well.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Spices are different here. For southwestern flavors, learn to use Cumin. American food may seem a little bland to you at first, especially the typical grilled food. Balsamic Vinegar will give some of the sweet and sour flavor you are used to, but with more of an American flavor. We use a lot of herbs like Rosemary, Oregano, Basil, and Bay Leaves. Try Seasoned Salt or Celery Salt instead of MSG to add that "something missing" to food.

Edited May 22, 2011 by Some Old Guy

[southcalhog 43]

Something Simple: Cajun/Southernly......Red Beans and Rice! goes with MOST types of meat.

[grumpymcdorky18 7]

for bfast sausage or bacon, garlic rice and sunny side up-easy over.....for lunch simple Adobo and plain rice will do...dinner baked chicken with honey barbeque sauce and baked potato with boiled brocolli on the side.....but on top of everything else I like steak medium-rare... YUMMY!!!

my fiance's family like Adobo and rice, maybe you can also ask your husband if it's okay if you'll make him some Filipino dishes. If he's been here in PI it'll be easier coz he already has an idea what or how the foods we have taste like. On the other hand, I think you can also learn how to make steak, spaghetti or American foods he like better ask him to be sure. When I stayed at my fiance's house I learned how to cook "steak" since it's very expensive in the resto and it only cost me less than $5 to do that. I usually buy Shoulder Blade from the grocery then I'll marinate it with Worcestershire and spices like Chicago Steak from Weber then you can cook it however your husband pleases At first I had a hard time looking for spices like "vetsin", broth cubes and stuff since my fiance is from OH and it's not like CA where there's ton of Filipino stores....you know how it is here in the Philippines Magic Sarap and broth cubes makes cooking easier Maybe you can also start looking for Filipino stores near your "soon-to-be" house so you won't feel home sicked after all....good luck on your new life just enjoy it and I'm sure you'll figure something out, cheers to your cooking venture

[~happyndinlove~ 540]

Early in our relationship, I asked my husband what recipes he likes. Little by little. At first, I was a little intimidated because my husband's "menu" has many many different cuisines and recipes. Then, during our visa process, everytime my hubby was home, we would cook various recipes. In fact, we often cooked together because hubby ko is a good cook too. I also went to food network to get recipes and ideas. Here's the link: Food Network .

Hubby eat what I eat and vice versa. So when I got here, there wasn't any problem...

Now, before we go to buy groceries we discuss some of the different dishes we want to eat. If I don't already know the recipe, I look it up on the Food TV website and load the ingredients to my cell phone...

Follow the recipe but be sure you read the reviews! You will get some ideas from others on what worked and tweaks to make it better.

Happy Cooking!

[Messybrownhair 251]

You will have to learn to trade rice for mashed potatoes or bread.. My husband and I try to compromise.. We take turns with between the three lol.. But aside from that we agree on most meat stuff.. he likes anything with chicken so I try to get creative with it like sometimes its fried or adobo or afritada or grilled.. you get my point. He also likes beef steak and beef salpicao.. I am proud to say that I have been here for 3 months and I still have not set foot in McDonalds..

[gretchen_darren 67]

HEHE, you ain't got kids yet........ :rofl:

[Messybrownhair 251]

LOL that's true

[adiiann 163]

You will have to learn to trade rice for mashed potatoes or bread.. My husband and I try to compromise.. We take turns with between the three lol.. But aside from that we agree on most meat stuff.. he likes anything with chicken so I try to get creative with it like sometimes its fried or adobo or afritada or grilled.. you get my point. He also likes beef steak and beef salpicao.. I am proud to say that I have been here for 3 months and I still have not set foot in McDonalds..

Been in McDonalds here twice since I got here, its because we're doing a road trip and there's always McDonalds in gas station. But we never went to any fast food for lunch/dinner except for Rallys because I like their buffalo wings.

I brought foods @ work (They are all Americans), and they liked the pancit bihon, pork adobo, beef stir-fry and lumpiang shanghai. Makes me think of having my own Filipino cafe here (after 30 years)... LoL

[Tahoma 2,292]

Makes me think of having my own Filipino cafe here (after 30 years)... LoL

I'd like to make reservations.

[Psoas10 17]

Oh gosh I though American food was rice and adobo. Well here rice is the staple food, and you can get pork and peas, adobo, siopao, and tocino at the 7-11 here. But it is different here than the mainland, except maybe the love of steak is the same, with rice of course.