since when do we need to prepare "dishes" for dinner?

[DaintreeDream]

FWIW my family never expect be told what their food is, they just eat it.

:yeahthat: as long as it is food my DH will eat it, no name required. Although the other night I made noodles (with egg, lemon, fish sauce etc) but put egg noodles rather than crunchy ones and it kind of turned into mush, DH did ask what that was called, when I said 'noodles' he looked closer and asked where the noodles were, he still had seconds so it obviously didn't affect the taste.

[MrsFabuloso]

My mum used to call these meals **** on a stick....hmmm, not too appetising! LOL!

I made a mince meal very similar to what you did the other day Kaz, but with noodles and noone was terribly impressed ('cept me!). I wasn't happy. I literally threw out the whole lot except half of what DH had, my whole meal, and one bite each from the kids. The plain noodles were a hit though! Sometimes my 'whatever' meals aren't very well recieved, lol! But I persist, hehe... alot of our meal are just meat and veg, nothing special. Mostly the only time I make a 'special' meal is if it's a bake (as you said, easy as!) or a slow cooker meal (again, easy as to just throw everything in!). Though I often make 'whatever' meals in the SC too, and they usually turn out sooo yum! But you do need to learn what goes with what when you do meals like that too. Sometimes what I put with what isn't terribly nice, but hey, you gotta learn somehow!

BTW, mum makes chow mein too, but I think it was called something else in our house...can't remember what though- mince, cabbage, french style sliced beans, curry powder, and a packet or two of chicken noodle soup, a bit of woustershire sauce (sp?) and water, yummo.....I might have to make some of that one day!

[turtleschell]

Just thought I'd share DH's funny story:

When he was a kid his mum used to break bits of stale bread, put it in natural yoghurt and sprinkle sugar all over it. They loved it, and asked her what it's called and she said "lambs brains".

So guess what they started asking for when the guests arrived.. "Mum Mum Mum can you make lambs brains!!"

[*star*]

My brothers used to make a dish they called "crud in a bowl". Mmmmmm appetising. Some things are better left unnamed.

[christy]

I hear you, but I'm not entirely sure I'm with you.....

My kids will ask what we are eating and if it has a name, I'll tell them. Spag bol, shepherds pie, frittata, stir fry.... it doesn't mean I make it the same everytime, but I think for them to recognise tastes and what they are generally known as is a good thing.

I do a savoury mince and put in with mash all the time, I put the potato as a circle flat on a plate and the mince is hair, carrots are the eyes and nose and tomato sauce smile and my kids call it happy face dinner. I don't use a recipe and its a standard for getting rid of vegetables hiding in the mince with some stock.... same way I make shepherds pie.

If my kids ask what is in it, I tell them what I threw in. I rarely use recipes, just look in the cupboard for what we have and try to get my flavours right. I taste as I go too and make sure its okay.... or I use DH as my taster if I'm scared

[shellbell3]

I add "suprise" onto the name. Sausage suprise, mince surprise whatever when it's just the meat cooked with whatever I chuck in. Always turns out ok!

[JCE0810]

growing up we'd ask mum what was for dinner and we'd get some interesting replies

this reminds me of the movie 'The Castle' where everything Sal Kerrigan (Anne Tenney) the wife cooks Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) the husband asks what it's called