After I began doing most of meal planning and shopping I went through a period where every night was a new dish (or just about). After a few months of this my family asked about having “the stuff we used to have”. This wasn’t a knock on the “new” cooking but rather a reminder that no matter how infatuated I was with learning to cook, not every meal/dish has to be a gourmet meal (or try to be).

So meal planning started to include traditional favorites like meatloaf, spaghetti, hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, etc. I miss adding something special to the meal, however. So, I stated looking at sides and condiments as ways to add a little something special to a traditional fare meal.

I’ve experimented so far with:

• Home made macarroni and cheese – kids prefered the box kind despite the better texture and flavor. Will have to try half mild, half sharp cheese blend.
• Mayo – experiment with emulsions. A few takers. The tangy taste of fresh mayo was a change from the store bought stuff. Made a great ham salad
• Pickles – this has been pretty good so far. I really liked the sour ones and the wife the Bread & Butter.
• Hot Dog Sauce – used to come from a can but after making a batch of “Michigan Sauce“, I don’t think I’ll be going back. The kids are not much on hot dogs with sauce, but the adults love it. Could be a little less sweet and more tangy.
• Garlic bread – this seems to be a family favorite, as long as I can keep from over cooking it in the oven.

Some other items I want to try:

• Relish – my dad made a really good batch with onions, bell peppers, celery, etc. No recipe so this one will be trial and error.
• Salad Dressing – Ranch, French, Russian, etc
• Rolls/Biscuits - will have to find some quick bake or make a head recipes.
• BBQ sauce – we all like Sweet Baby Ray’s. Wonder if I can get close to this and add some heat
• Taco seasoning – I usually buy the pre-made packets, but it’s mostly chili powder and cumin.