Flinging pots and pans

I've had a non-stop cooking mania for the past week. It's abnormal for me as I hate cooking. Ever since I had the flu, the healthy food I normally eat doesn't go down well, you know, veggies and stuff from scratch. I know they're good for us but the stomach says, "uh um, no way" and a person really cannot go against their stomach in eating food. I won't go into detail, but let's just say, it doesn't work out well.

I've been sort of a food snob for all of my adult life. I stuck up my nose at cooking that uses, say, canned mushroom soup, even though that's the cooking of my Mom and my childhood and my Mom makes delicious food. Canned beans? No way, they must be made from the dried product (which takes hours) to be "real" food. Canned tomato sauces and products? Nope, they have to be made from actual tomatoes and simmered on the stove. Well, just guess what type of food works well for me now?

The hilariously funny thing about it all is that I've discovered that I sort of LIKE cooking, when it doesn't take hours or days to make something! I cannot even remember everything I've made in the past week or so, it's been a cooking marathon at my house!

It all started when I was looking through church recipe books that my sister-in-law and Mom gave me, many years ago, in the hope I could find something else to cook that I could eat. In those books were wonderful casseroles and deserts that could be made in an hour! Of course I had to make a list and go and buy the ingredients, because like I said, I didn't keep those types of things in my house. Some of the things I've made:

Lorena Bobbit casserole: fry cut up weiners with onions, put in greased casserole dish with cooked noodles, add (canned) tomato soup, some Velveeta (I wouldn't have been caught dead with that just a couple weeks ago!) cook for 50 minutes. It was good! Tasted like Spagettios or something the neighbor kids used to eat when my son was in grade school.

Cheeseburger casserole: hamburger fried up with onions, cooked noodles, add cheese soup and mushroom soup on top. Bake. Tastes like school food. I liked school food as a kid because at home we ate the same thing day after day for all my grade school years: venison (or other game) hamburgers, boiled potatoes, no gravy, canned vegetables. On weekends my Mom would make good stuff, though.

Meatloaf: I've made meatloaf often before, of course, but added oatmeal because it's healthier than crackers or bread. None of that nonsense this time. We had real meatloaf like my Mom makes with dried bread in it and catsup on top!

Chicken: I've baked chicken, with only seasonings on it but this time I breaded it with cornmeal and yum yum, it's VERY good! The meat is juicier and more tender, too. I didn't go so far as to fry it...

Lime 'n Pretzel Pie: This tastes like an alcoholic drink, and so is delicious! Crushing up the pretzels was interesting, though. A rolling pin doesn't work well or a potato masher either, so I used a combo of those two things. It's weird that they are so difficult to crush on purpose when they crunch up just fine if you drop them on the floor and accidently step on them!

Almond Bark with Nuts and pretzels: Had to use up those Halloween pretzels somehow, and this was too easy to make--and to eat!

Ginger Snaps: Easy to make while a casserole was cooking in the oven. Same with Banana Bread, Red Lobster Biscuits and Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.

Oh, and I also made a Sweet Potato Casserole last night. We're not sure that we like it though. It has pineapple juice, chopped ham and PECANS in it!

There's probably other things I've made, like the Pork Chop Casserole with minute rice and mushroom soup poured over it, but that's enough for now. Can you tell that it's become a real mania with me? Cooking with canned foods is so quick and easy that I think I like cooking now, at least temporarily. Have a good rest of your weekend!