Since you have more time, did any of you try to learn to cook, bake or make something nutritionally?
I won't say we're "serious" cooks, but we like to cook what we like to eat, and we almost never "dine out", for both reasons you cited.Started cooking seriously when I RE'd. DW and I are foodies but now when we go out to dinner she almost always says "you could do this better". We end up saving a LOT (and I mean a lot) of $$ now.
I'm of the minimalist view: a few pots, two super quality skillets, a couple of good chef knives...not into gagetry.
Ms G and I went to Costa Rica in December for a vegan cooking classes with a spa experience. A week on the slope of Poas Volcano in the cloud forest. We did the tourist things, zip line, coffee tour, volcano hikes, during the day, and classes making our evening meal at night. Massages, Reflexology, and aroma therapy, saunas, and a great pool, were part of the day stay. Than off to the Pacific side to Manuel Antonio, for hiking, birding and kayaking for another week.
I think people over estimate how difficult it is to be a decent cook.
I'm self-taught, have learnt so much watching shows on Food Network or just finding recipes on All Recipes.
It is quite easy to cook tasty food without having a dozen different ingredients, and there really does not have to be a need to use complicated techniques.
When I ER'd we were able to have plenty of time for nutritious home-cooked meals that set a great parenting example for our daughter.Since you have more time, did any of you try to learn to cook, bake or make something nutritionally?
I would prefer to never cook another meal, except grilling with friends. But both my budget, my tastes in food, and my health push me to cook every day.
I marvel at people who cook for fun. To me it is just the pain I have to go through to get to the meal.
I get overwhelmed when I try to look online or at cookbooks. And when I first started I had a tendency to try to duplicate a particular restaurant dish rather than just feed myself.
The epiphany was my BiL (who apprenticed under a French chef) serving me wonderful food, my asking what it was because it was so fabulous, and it was "chicken with salt and pepper" or "noodles with butter, salt and pepper", and I swore he must've had some secret ingredient for mashed potatoes, but only if white pepper is secret.
So since then I try to learn how to cook simple things well rather than try for a fancy dish. Technique is usually more important than particular ingredients, meaning I no longer fret about which of 10 different recipes is the "right" one for what new dish I'm trying for.
I think that means we get to have two pizzas next week...