What to Cook!! - Harlan,KY

mushroom risotto
thai lettuce wraps
cioppino
shrimp and grits
kimchi and braised pork
mongolian pork chops
green chile casserole (can make it with chicken)...my favorite!
tomato-egg bruschetta
crepes (savory for dinner...with a spinach cream sauce for example)
goat cheese quiche
cucumber radish salad
sweet potato fritters
I like to look up recipes from michael pollen.

I love to cook and would be delighted to share ideas with you, but can you please give us some more info first?

What are you sick of and hope you never have to eat again?
How much do you like to cook and prepare, or are you looking for convenience?
How many people, and what food preferences/aversions/allergies are at play, if any?
Will you be cooking alone, or are you looking for things that can be a family or couple shared experience?
Does your family eat leftovers, or are you looking for small-scale meals that are complete for just a certain number of people?
Are you adventurous in terms of cuisine, herbs, spices, etc.?

If you edit your question with some or all of these answers, you'll get tons of suggestions!

What are you tired of, just so we don't suggest the same thing.

Any dietary restrictions, allergies, or extreme dislikes to consider?

Do you like cooking? Would you try a dish from an unfamiliar ethnic cuisine?

Are you the type to throw a few canned things together, or do you prefer cooking from scratch?

How about edamame, boiled in the pods, then drained and liberally salted with lots of lime wedges for squeezing?

London broil, grilled rare or medium rare, sliced thinly. Place the slices atop a hearty salad of sliced red or yellow bell peppers, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and any other favorite healthy salad ingredients. Shave a little real parmigiano reggiano cheese on top, or crumble blue cheese on top. A little olive oil and red wine vinegar and it's a great salad.

Greek "nachos". Pita chips on a baking sheet, topped with Kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, baked in a hot oven until heated through. Top with either diced cucumbers or make a quick tzatziki sauce (traditional Greek sauce) by combining plain Greek yogurt, finely diced cucumbers, minced garlic, and a little lemon juice.

I have tons of ideas if you tell me what you usually make that you're tired of.

I've also gotten tired of the routine things we usually do.
We try a new curry dish every so often - they can be hot or sweet and there are many to try.
So far Tikka Masala and Korma curry are very good.
Take a walk down the international foods aisle in your super market and try something/anything new.
You might like it or hate it, but you're sure to find a few keepers.

What does being married 43 years have to do with eating? Have your husband (of 43 years) take you out to a different restaurant every night for the NEXT 43 years. Order something different every time. (Would also make a great book if you then decide to write a book about it!)

ETA: Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville! (Yes, even some East Coast ladies like good fried chicken and the original "Kentucky version" of KFC. :-) )

Congratulations on being married 43 years.
Sounds like you guys need to shake things up, palate -wise.

How about going to the library? Check out or request new cook books. Do they do cooking classes?

Why not do a neighborhood potluck where everyone brings their favorite dish that you can sample and get the recipe?

Look up 'copy cat' recipes of your favorite fast food/restaurant food. These are usually copies of famous Chinese food and Fastfood restaurant favorites that you can make at home.

Can you and hubby do a day trip and try new places for dinner/lunch?

Our new favorite here...White Chicken Chili. It is gone in a blink of an eye here...
I'm sure it's been around for ages, but we've been introduced to it at a restaurant in St. Charles, MO (we love St. Charles) and when we got back I tried to recreate. It is so stinkin good!

Good luck!

Oops...forgot to add...how about new foods to grill or have hubby take over cooking dinner?

Only 33 yrs here but boy I know just what you are talking about. I started grabbing ideas from allrecipes.com by searching on a specific ingredient. Oh we still have chicken and fish a lot but the fish might be cooked in a foil packet with veggies on the grill. Or the side might be mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes. I've started cooking a different soup ever week by just starting with beef or chicken stock and adding whatever. Last week was stuffed cabbage soup made with ground turkey, diced tomatoes, and chopped cabbage. Really fast and tasted great. This week was tortellini soup made with frozen tortellini. Next week probably beef veggie soup made with lots of veggies.

Just change up 1 meal a week and get hubby involved if you want. Mine will eat anything I put in front of him.

ETA: 2KidMama, can you share your mushroom risotto please?

Congratulations on 43 years!! Tyler and I are going on 27!

Do you grill? put chicken, potatoes and veggies in a foil wrap with your favorite seasonings.

Slow cooker. Pork, chicken, beef all great in a slow cooker.

Salmon slow cooked on a cedar plank is good. Served with rice and carrots.

instead of steaming your carrots? add butter and brown sugar (about a teaspoon).
instead of just steaming your broccoli? add butter and minced garlic.

Pioneerwoman, Mr. Food, Betty Crocker all have cookbooks on-line. Google something that you want. Record Rachel Ray or even Beat Bobby Flay or Iron Chef, any of the food network's shows and get great ideas there.

Yay for 43 years!! My parents will be 45 years next spring and they've definitely fallen into the same rut. They are lucky to be in a place financially where they can eat out when they want to and have more options than fast food, but even then, they tend to stick to the same few restaurants. God forbid my dad eat food that's not meat and potatoes, or food that's mixed together. He would drop dead if you plopped a stir-fry over rice in front of him LOL.

If your husband is a fan of country cooking, check out the Pioneer Woman Cooks blog. She's got lots of cookbooks and a Food Network show and products now but years ago, she was just a mom on a working ranch in Oklahoma blogging about what she was making her cowboy husband and four kids for dinner. Lots of country-cooking basics that might appeal to your husband but have a fresh twist that might change things up for you, and she's got some "cowgirl" recipes that are more exotic, lighter, and/or refined (she didn't grow up in the country). I try to stay away from the blog because I'm really trying to eat fewer carbs and less dairy and her recipes are just too tempting for me to resist. But when I'm looking for some stick-to-your ribs cooking with really fresh flavors and ingredients, that's my go-to site.

i cook from scratch, we eat many things all without onion.
here is a list of what i make for dinners.
grilled anything with mac and cheese, rice or potaotes. (potatoes are either baked, mashed or we use our smaller potatoes for potato smashers)
we have chicken parmesan,
chicken alfredo
breaded baked chicken with cheddar
breadded baked pork,
slow cooked bbq pork
chicken or pork with a buttery garlic mushroom sauce
pizza
bacon eggs and pancakes (or waffles or french toast)
chicken tacos
taco pizza
chicken quesdillas
shepherds pie
pulled pork or chicken smamiches with bbq sauce
chicken nuggets and french fries

all meals are served with a vegtable side.
if you want any recipes send me a message and i will share

Go to family favorite:
I can't spell it but I can say it so; Vee-She-Swah

Some beaked/broiled salmon on a platter surrounded by baby boiled potatoes and green beans, some green (or your fave!) olives, some cherry or grape tomatoes, halved hard boiled eggs all layer out & sprinkled with that champagne dressing in the triangle bottle. Easy & Light

Also Rachel Ray has a pumpkin sausage pasta dishes he serves with a spinach and apple and onion salad that is so dang good. It ranks amongst requested birthday meals at my house. If you try it just get the good sweet Italian sausage!

What about ordering some individual meals from Schwans? Cheaper than eating out (but more than cooking from scratch), allows for flexibility, and you can each order what you like. They have everything from "comfort food" to more exotic. My favorite right now is the Orange Roughy. Even the larger portions/bags/boxes are almost always individually wrapped, or resealable, or portioned out in some fashion.

Good luck and congrats on 43 years! We are just about 1/2 there :)

tell us what you normally cook and that would help us help you!

I got to Kraft Foods.com and they send me e-mails each week with new recipes to try.

I ask friends for their new recipes.

Today, we went to my girlfriends store, she is celebrating 5 years of being open and her son, a professional chef, made food. OH MY WORD!! DELISH! He is making one of the dishes he made for the celebration for me for Thanksgiving - wheat (like cous-cous) parsley, tomatoes (FINELY diced) and onions. it was YUMMY! It is an Armenian dish. I can't remember the name of it. sorry! He made chicken tandoori too. yum.

I love to use allrecipes.com too.

Hi R., Congrats on 43 years of marriage. Meal making can get in a rut. Same old everything gets boring. I am a Tastefully Simple consultant. I can help you out with the meal dilema. Check out these meal collections. All of our meal collections make your dinners for less than $3 per serving. And they ae awesome. There are 3 10 meal collections and 1 30 meal collection. Everything from fix it fast to slow cooker. Please let me know if you would like to talk about any of them. Here is a link to check them out.
https://www.tastefullysimple.com/shop-our-products/10-mea...

Basic Korean style curry:

Ingredients
2 tb unsalted butter
2 cloves sliced garlic
½ cup veggies {I used potatoes, carrots, onions}
2 tb curry powder {You can use a Korean brand if you'd like}
1 cup meat {optional}
2 cups coconut milk {I like the whole cream/milk kind}
Salt & pepper
Note: this is a great way to get rid of any leftover veggies in the fridge or any leftover meat. The first time I made it I used leftover rotisserie chicken from the night before and I had some celery so I cut that up & used leftover chopped up baby carrots.

In a pan over medium-low heat, melt and brown the butter. Keep your eye on it so it doesn't burn and swirl so it gets golden and smells nutty.
Toss in the garlic and allow it to infuse just for 30-60 seconds.
Sautee in the veggies and sprinkle with curry powder.
Add in the meat {if using} and slowly pour in the milk.
Season and stir. It will thicken as it cooks. Simmer for 30-60 minutes.
Serve with hot rice. Kimchi is highly recommended :)

Note: you can put the curry on top of rice, or even egg noodles, I have put on top of spaghetti noodles.
Curry powder can be bought from H mart, Lotte Market, Asian section of Wegmans, or most other grocery stores.
This is a basic recipe and it's really easy to personalize it and make it your own and add any kind of veggies or meats your family likes. I haven't tried it yet but it could probably be made in a crockpot.
Congrats on your 43 years of marriage!
-P