SOS

I come from a long line of women who have never expressed a great deal of passion for cooking.  My mom was too exhausted after long days at work to be very interested in it (although she makes a mean roast beef and turkey!), and neither of my grandmothers were the cooks in their households… and quite possibly their mothers before them weren’t either.  So I come by my aversion to the culinary arts very honestly.

My best effort at cooking in the States usually includes boxes pulled from the freezer and heavy use of a toaster oven.  In Germany, I’m more or less forced to get creative.

During our last tour, I attempted a variety of dishes, most of which came out horribly.  H was of course a good sport about it and ate nearly everything I put in front of him.  (He knows better than to critique my cooking – or else he’ll find himself clad in an apron doing all the work himself – and he’s way too smart to make that move.  So he gets husband points for his dutiful ‘thank you’ every night, regardless of the disaster before him.)  We ate a LOT of spaghetti Bolognese, stir-fried veggies over rice, and a goulash of sorts with whatever veggies and ground beef was left over in the fridge.

The kids won’t go for a 3 night rotation like Hayne did.  And I’ve already used up what little skill I’ve got.  And we’ve eaten out 2 of the 6 nights we’ve been here.

But I’m finding it particularly difficult to figure out what we can eat because all the implements I have at my disposal are a small pot, a small non-stick pan, a colander and two eyes on the stove.  We have a small microwave, but no microwave-safe containers.  So pasta or veggies over rice is about all I’m able to manage at this point.

The anxiety over meal-planning is exacerbated by the cultural mandate to shop every day.  With a dorm-sized fridge, it’s not really possible to do a week’s shopping at once.   So rather than battle it out once per week at the store, it’s a daily nightmare.

That said, if you have suggestions or ideas, I’m open!  Tomorrow is spaetzle (egg noodle) with a pre-made spinach ragout.  The next night will likely be scrambled eggs and bretzen (pretzels).  After that, we’re back to spaghetti Bolognese…

(The above is a pic of my kitchen -- the space is so tight in that hallway that I got the best shot utilizing the reflection in the hallway mirror...)