What would you like for dinner, dear?

A sliced gherkin!( big burp emoticon required.)

Lidls sell (or posed to) lovely large sliced gherkins in a jar.

Used to

I don't know why a lot of us are getting fed up with cooking, especially if we are retired, it just seems to be a fact that we are!
Such a treat now to have a holiday and eat out, or in the hotel.
I don't mind doing lunch, just a sandwich or soup and crusty bread and cheese and a yoghurt.It's the endless main meals.
Interesting how so many men have become pickier about things, and not only food, my DH now has rules about colours of mugs for tea and coffee and also shapes of mugs!! I may have to send him back to work.

No not the big ones. The cornichons in vinegar ( had a craving for them when I was pregnant. Dh used to find jars everywhere, like, glove compartment, bedside cabinet, behind my chair etc)

Hhhmmm cornichons! Yummy with pate or ham hock. Am getting ideas now. Excuse me......

Glad to have inspired someone.
Think tomorrow I'll spiralise some courgettes and carrots and make some prostitutes sauce to go with them

Whats prostitute sauce???

I feel at home on this thread. I love cooking and never happier than when making soup. I used to love making cakes but now only when the grandchildren are here. My problem is shared by many on here a combination of a DH who limits what we eat in not liking pasta ,risotto ,broccoli ,and puddings. He has also taken over the shopping so I never see things I might like to cook. He has taken to the reduced shelves in a big way and buys odd things eg this week three lambs kidneys and three kippers. He loves all offal but I dislike the feel of it . I either cook what he has brought straight away or bung it in the freezer. I decided to cook something I've never cooked before every week which has led to some new standard dishes in my repertoire - salsa verde and caponata and habitant soup recently. But I share the remorselessness of meal times.
I did ask DH what he would do if I wasn't around and he said he would eat out most days. Since then he has been obliged to learn a basic menu and take me out EVERY week and wave me off happily when I have a regular ladies wot lunch.

Hate cooking, hate food shopping and I'd be first in the queue if a pill substituted food ?

Both retired, we have a 'cook up day' every few weeks. Combined effort, DH acting as assistant. Casseroles,curries ,pies etc.using recipes for 8.Portions for 1 or2 packed up and in freezer, labelled. Make list.
Sounds a lot of work but it pays off, less cooking and effort.
We have a fishmonger who comes from Grimsby about ever 3 months so buy from him and stock freezer.
When it comes to deciding what to eat, look at list.

Wot. I think it's puttesca. May have spelled it wrong. Italian for prostitute. Or possibly auto - correct!

Correct.( didn't want to appear too posh by using the Italian)

Hear, hear! Just what I'm doing soon

Going on a cruise I mean!

puttanesca
The sauce, I mean!! Not present company

Hoping to have Sunday lunch at 4.00 - it was meant to be around 3.00 but finished off painting shed as it is a nice day!! (Halo shining!!). I enjoy cooking and baking but these days everything takes so much longer as I am constantly checking if I have done it right. End result is usually okay and husband really appreciates his food. Take a lot of shortcuts now. Today's dinner is a roast-in-the-bag chicken, two veg and roasties and apple and bramble crumble (retrieved from freezer). I use a lot of foil dishes which saves washing. Hubby always did washing up but at 84 his legs are packing in and he gets so annoyed he can't help more so I make sure there is as little to do as possible. It works for me too. The tray and bag the chicken is roasted in gets chucked in the big and we will be having chicken salad tomorrow as our main meal and a chicken in gravy plate on Tuesday - not bad for a £3.89 chicken from Aldi! I can recommend the £3.99 Spanish Antano wine from Aldi to wash it down - used to get it regularly in Spain when we were luck enough to winter there!!

"chucked in bin"!!!!

H ha Galen! My first laugh of the day.

Sorry to post something semi sensible, but when Mr P is at home, we get together prior to going shopping and draw up a rough plan of meals for the week, then base the shopping list on that.

We also occasionally go through the cook books and pick something we haven't tried before, but like the look of, providing it doesn't involve too much expense or faff!

Quite a few new favourites have been found that way.

Soniah so am I. Emerald princess 16 April from Soton for 7days

Is this really 2016 ??? My husband has always cooked to some extent ....now he's the main shopper / cook at age 68 !! It's just a case of awakening the inner Jamie Oliver !! And always praising if praise is due . DH now cooks all sorts of fish dishes , makes bread ( delicious ) by hand ...good at curries and veg . My signature dishes are soup and risotto ...gettrotted out when he's been to a match, etc . I also put chocolate on his biscuits ...and we both like those !

stansgran what on earth is "habitants soup" ??

suelowe Is this really 2016
Yes, but perhaps some of our OH's need re-programming. They were programmed in the olden days when men didn't go in the kitchen (unless they were Philip Harben!).
DH does a bit of cooking but he is not an enthusiastic chef.
Sometimes I enjoy cooking, other times I find it a chore.