Carnival of the Recipes #74 | Main | Customer Service is hard to find
January 14, 2006
Tastes can change
When I was a kid, I never liked oatmeal. I also absolutely hated sweet potatoes and lima beans.
I still hate lima beans.
A couple of months ago, the doctor said my cholesteral was getting too high (they changed the limits of acceptable). He wrote me a prescription, but after reading all the possible bad things the drug could do, I thought I'd maybe try changing my diet first. So I tried some Quaker Instant Oatmeal - and surprisingly, I kinda liked it.
Next time I went to the grocery store, I looked at all the different varietis of Quaker Instant Oatmeal. I found this Quaker Oatmeal Supreme, and I tried it, and I absolutely love the stuff. Go figure - I've spent over 50 years thinking I despised oatmeal (except in cookies) and I love the stuff!!
And then ... sweet potatoes??? I despised the damn things - but then last year, at a hotel restaurant in Springfield, Mass, I had a salmon dish with fried sweet potato straws on the fish, and I really liked it.
A year later, John and I went to a comedy club and I ordered sweet potato fries - oh, my, I loved them!
And then, when I was in London right before Christmas, there was a pub on my way back to my hotel that had the British equivalent of cheese fries - big chunks of roasted white potatoes and sweet potatoes with some kind of white cheese melted over them and some kind of mayonaisse based sauce to dip the taters in. Oh, my - it was good!
So now, I take a sweet potato, cut it into big chunks, sprinkle some salt and olive oil over it and bake in the oven at about 400 for 30 minutes. You don't need butter on sweet potatoes, they are creamy and yummy by themselves, but if you feel like dipping the pieces in mayonnaise, well, that's pretty good, too.
I have tried lima beans again, thinking maybe I could stomach them, but no. They still suck. Biting into a lima bean just is icky -squish, if you know what I mean!
Posted by Beth at January 14, 2006 8:23 PM
Comments
I eat oatmeal 365 days a year. I've always loved it. You should try Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal. It's better for you—more fiber.
Posted by: Dave Schuler at January 15, 2006 12:57 PM
I love the good old fashioned oatmeal, but with brown sugar.
It seems, it does not matter how old we get, there are still SOME things we never acquire the taste for,for example, brussel sprouts YUK!
Mr. completely says we should pick the sprouts when they are small, dry them, and shoot them out of a paintball gun!
Posted by: keewee at January 15, 2006 2:13 PM
The old-fashioned does not travel well to be made in hotel room microwares, Dave!
I love cinnamon and brown sugar in it.
And Keewee... Oh, my - brussels sprouts paint balls!!! My husband loves brussels sprouts - I don't! But, I love asparagus - he would probably prefer they be used as some kind of missile.
Posted by: beth at January 15, 2006 2:17 PM
Heh. If Global Warming will rid the biome of asparagus, I say, Bring It on!
Unless, we can load them into 120mm rounds and shoot them as canister...
Posted by: John of Argghhh! at January 15, 2006 2:36 PM
John, Mr. Completely would agree with you on how to 'rid the biome of asparagus'
I am with Beth, asparagus,Yum!
Posted by: keewee at January 16, 2006 10:24 AM
Beth - for your next trick with sweet potatoes, try this. Microwave them first to cook them almost completely, then skin them and cut into chunks, maybe 1" size. Coat them with olive oil and curry powder, then fry in a skillet or (best way) in a veggie pan on a grill. YUM!
Posted by: Barb at January 16, 2006 10:57 AM
I like all the veggies you mentioned, always have. But I say, give lima beans a second chance. Buy the baby ones (preferably fresh), and don't overcook them. Then the skins won't be tough and the insides won't be mush. Add your favorite flavorings and... Yum!
Posted by: Fuzzybear Lioness at January 16, 2006 12:36 PM
Just might be able to shoot dried lima beans out of the paintball gun, too. Might have to tape two or three of them together, but if it gets rid of them........
.......Mr. C
Posted by: Mr. Completely at January 16, 2006 8:57 PM
Right there with ya on the lima beans. They're like the poo from Satan's rabbit :-(
Posted by: Harvey at January 18, 2006 2:58 AM
If you're not in a hurry, try some steel cut oatmeal (McCann's Irish is commonly available).
Slow cooked for 45 minutes or so, it's delicious and nutty and good.
The downside is, of course, the time. Though I suspect a pressure cooker could speed it up...
Posted by: Sigivald at January 18, 2006 3:54 PM
Next time you're grilling, try this.
Cube your sweet potatoes into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes (skin on), toss them with a little melted butter...oops...olive oil, put them on a sheet of heavy aluminum foil, sprinkle with brown sugar, then fold the foil up around them to make a nice neat flat square package.
Toss the package on the grill for twenty minutes or so while your meat is cooking, or by themselves in the oven for 45 minutes, or until their done like you want, then pull them out and EAT.
Posted by: Virgil at January 19, 2006 1:07 AM