There’s a saying in the Bowman household (mine as well as my in-laws), and that is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Sometimes I forget to hold true to that.
This past week I had a craving for KFC macaroni and cheese. I decided that a little alteration of my normal macaroni and cheese recipe could work to help fulfill that craving. Sigh… bad idea. I mixed in some soft, Velveeta-type cheese into our normal recipe, and it was gross. The whole cheddar flavor was lost, and it tasted like one big glob of American cheese. Neither Adam nor I could finish our portions. Rats. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
I have to say though, that I have a very patient and eager eater in my husband, so for the most part, trying new things around our house is not really an issue. I’m so thankful, because I just love trying new recipes, risking it a little, and learning new ways to do things.
This past week, the new food of choice was the papaya. I saw it on sale in the local grocery store, so my husband graciously allowed me to buy a papaya while he decided to enjoy his chocolate chip ice cream. That seems like a fair trade, right? 🙂 Well, for one thing, I think my papaya was/is a little overripe, but the flavor of papaya is one of a kind. The texture is very much like a melon, but the flavor has its own after-taste that makes it very unique. I wasn’t sure at first if I liked it, but after a little reading online, I found that dipping it in lemon juice brings out the more tropical flavor in the fruit, and that is by far, the best way to eat it. I also feel like papaya would make a great food for a smoothie, perhaps mixed with some mango, strawberries, and/or banana. I’ll let you know if I ever try that. I’m not much of a smoothie-maker. I normally leave that up to Adam, and he’s not really up to trying a papaya smoothie.
I do have to say this. Adam’s really great in that he tries all these new foods with me …. ok. He didn’t try the spaghetti squash, but he’s not really a fan of squash to start with, so I’m not too surprised about that. Anyway, he tried the papaya, and yeah,….. wasn’t really a fan. He didn’t try it dipped in lemon juice, though, so that might change things. I might sneak it into a fruit salad sometime, and see what he thinks then. 🙂
Tonight, I tried a new recipe. Yesterday, I was in Weis Markets (the same local grocery store where I got my papaya) getting some chicken for dinner–mono has pretty much wiped out my freezer of any meat whatsoever– and I saw a whole chicken for 79 cents/pound. I was kinda craving a good ol’ roast chicken but recognizing that there’s no way that Adam and I could eat a 7-lb roast chicken. I couldn’t pass up the deal though, so I bought and figured I would figure out how to portion it out for us at a later time.
Today, I was at work realizing I hadn’t really planned much for dinner, so I did a little research online (Thank God for the internet!) and found out that I could slow-cook my whole chicken for 5 hours, and it would be tender and moist for dinner. So…. at lunch, I pulled out my chicken, heavily coated it with salt and pepper, italian seasoning, and poultry seasoning; stuffed some quartered onions in the cavity; stuck it in the crock pot with about a cup of chicken stock, and turned it on high as I went back to work.
When I got home at four, the chicken was cooking away, sitting in some wonderful (and tasty) broth and only about 45 minutes away from being done. I whipped up some mashed potatoes, and wha-lah…. dinner was done. And boy, was it good!!!
Now, I have over half a chicken left, sitting in some leftover broth, waiting for a few more recipes’ use. Lunch tomorrow is quesadillas, and I’m sure I’ll make a casserole or two from the other remains. What a blessing! I paid about $5.50 for this chicken, and I’m getting 3-4 meals from it. Praise the Lord for good deals, good deals, a willingness to try new recipes and risk a little, and a husband who is willing to try all sorts of stuff that I make.
Another joy of mine is shopping for great deals at cheap places some people never shop at…. namely, Aldis! I have been so thankful for some great deals there–I found a great rice there one of the last times I was there, and after making it yesterday and loving it, it’s back on my shopping list for this month. 🙂
Okay… pause to breath. I just love talking about food — even on none Food-Filled Friday days 😉 – and sometimes I get carried away. So, you tell me. What affordable meals have you made recently, and what kind of recommendations can you offer the rest of us?
Tune in next week for more Talk about It Tuesdays!!!
Making My Boast 
I once got to try a papaya, a long time ago . . . I don’t remember why, maybe my dad just decided to buy a papaya and a mango? Or maybe we got them from somebody?
I seem to remember them both having a strong flavor (each very different), and that I didn’t like them. Then again, I didn’t like pineapple at all back then either.
That’s interesting that dipping in lemon juice made it taste better. I’d like to try a papaya again. Recently, I’ve only had canned papaya in canned tropical fruit mixes – and THAT tastes gross.