Cooking w/Anna M (new blog).

[Peppercorn]

"As god is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly,"

LOL. One of my all-time favorite quotes. Yes, Les Nessman ranks right up there with Aristotle and Dorothy Parker.

I can't snark much on the Maxwell menu since I've been known to eat yogurt or cereal or peanut butter toast for dinner. I've also made pizza bread. Though my go-to easy meal is a big salad with lots of stuff in it.*

*bonus points for those who know what sitcom that quote is from ;)

[johnhugh]

Ya know, I thought that keep on cooking and serving him comment seemed a little questionable.

It's been laid on his heart just to leave comments on the cooking posts.

[Jessica]

Salad and tortillas? How filling...

[Peppercorn]

Ha!

Gordon dropped an F-bomb on the Maxwell blog? ;)

That loud bang you just heard from Kansas was Stevus exploding.

[freejugar]

LOL. One of my all-time favorite quotes. Yes, Les Nessman ranks right up there with Aristotle and Dorothy Parker.

I can't snark much on the Maxwell menu since I've been known to eat yogurt or cereal or peanut butter toast for dinner. I've also made pizza bread. Though my go-to easy meal is a big salad with lots of stuff in it.*

*bonus points for those who know what sitcom that quote is from ;)

[theologygeek]

OK, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I've never taken a home ec class, went to college and work full time. Here's what I've served my own family for dinner so far this week:

Sunday: home-made chicken noodle soup (big Sunday lunch)

Monday: African peanut stew and asparagus

Tuesday: Pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes (even dug up the potatoes myself), cauliflower, baked squash

Wednesday: Salmon, wild rice, broccoli

Thursday: Turkey chili, salad

All made from scratch. It wasn't hard, it didn't take long (crockpot comes in handy for stews, chili). Every stew/soup contains lots of veggies. You don't need to stay at home all day to provide good meals for your family!

Last night my son made burgers. He makes the best burgers. For sides I made homemade mac and cheese. We also had fresh green beans. Chocolate cake for dessert. Tonight I am making fried chicken, homemade rolls, and fresh beets. I am craving beets something fierce. Not sure what dessert will be tonight. I am making chicken noodle soup too, probably tomorrow. Don't know what the sides will be yet. Maybe chicken salad sandwiches and squash bread. On Sunday I want bbq foods-maybe ribs. I am skipping the traditional Italian Sunday meal this week for something different.

[Black Aliss]

Ask and you shall receive. This was copied from the titus 2 forum about food.

Here's what our lunch menu is:

--Monday, Sandwiches

--Tuesday, Soup

--Wednesday, Pizza Bread (Bread toasted, then spread pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese: melt in the oven)

--Thursday, Bean Burritos or Breakfast Burritos

--Friday and Saturday, whatever (sometimes leftovers, Macaroni and Cheese, etc)

Dinner Menu:

We have salad and fruit each dinner.

Sunday--burritos (http://www.titus2.com/maxwells-burrito-recipe.htm)

Wednesday--just salad and fresh tortillas

Saturday--homemade soup and fresh bread

Other evenings are variable

Hope this helps!

Sarah

Wow. They likes them some starches, don't they? If I ate like that I'd have a paunch just like Steve's.

[singsingsing]

I'm confused. Is that the full menu? They eat only salad and fruit for dinner? Bread with pizza sauce and cheese on it constitutes their entire lunch on Wednesdays? Where's the protein?

[alysee]

I'm confused. Is that the full menu? They eat only salad and fruit for dinner? Bread with pizza sauce and cheese on it constitutes their entire lunch on Wednesdays? Where's the protein?

Protein is for sinners!

[theologygeek]

LOL. One of my all-time favorite quotes. Yes, Les Nessman ranks right up there with Aristotle and Dorothy Parker.

I can't snark much on the Maxwell menu since I've been known to eat yogurt or cereal or peanut butter toast for dinner. I've also made pizza bread. Though my go-to easy meal is a big salad with lots of stuff in it.*

*bonus points for those who know what sitcom that quote is from ;)

But you're probably busy and don't have that many available adults in the house to help you. There is no reason why all those Maxwells being home all day can't fix good meals. They don't even have little ones under foot. That was one of the laziest meal plans I have ever seen.

[Coconut Flan]

It looks like they steer close to vegetarian at times. Steve must have cut out as much meat as he thought he could.

On an occasional basis cheese is fine as a protein source to a lot of people.

[rural juror]

It's been laid on his heart just to leave comments on the cooking posts.

I pray we are blessed with many more of his comments in the future! Lord willing!

[Justme]

If I were a fundie Mother looking for a woman for my SAHS to court, I would want a woman that could cook balanced, healthy meals from scratch. I would not want a wife to serve my son that menu. Once in a while fine, but not as a staple. Anna's "Fundie Mingle" ad might actually sent possible courters away.

[Coconut Flan]

Survey question: How many fundie mothers of sons themselves cook balanced healthy from scratch meals as defined by the majority on this thread? Would they recognize them and given how so many fundies their families, do they care that much?

[salex]

But you're probably busy and don't have that many available adults in the house to help you. There is no reason why all those Maxwells being home all day can't fix good meals. They don't even have little ones under foot. That was one of the laziest meal plans I have ever seen.

I'm seeing a lot of inexpensive things going on in their family. I keep thinking they may be having money problems.

However, I'm with you on the whole "adults around to cook" idea. Even if they are all writing consistently, it strikes me that between the amount they do for their work (scheduling the road trips, sending the orders out, writing the blogs and the books) and the housework, they could be stepping up a bit on the cooking, just to alleviate the boredom

Wouldn't advance homemaking skills involve serious gourmet cooking on a budget?

[Black Aliss]

Protein is for sinners!

Anna's on-the-road menu is pretty heavy on the meat, actually. It's almost entirely big box store ground beef. Personally I'd go vegan before eating Costco (or Walmart) ground meat. It's no different from Emily's tube meat, really.

[Miggy]

Let's just sum up the Maxwell ladies kitchen skills as they can all produce food on demand but none can cook.

They all have the potential to learn but have not been given the opportunity, much like every other area of their lives. They could all learn to write but limited by poor education and not reading. They could all be good seamstresses but are limited by modesty rules to simple, boring designs. They could .., etc, etc, etc.

O/T and prepare yourselves for a long thought: Does anyone think Steve may have a mild autism spectrum disorder? Here is my logic;

# food: likes to eat a narrow range of foods, likes to know exactly what he will be served at every meal well ahead of time

# routine: likes every day to run to exactly the same routine

# social: finds social interaction difficult

I know there are many other aspects to ASDs but these are the big three I see in Steve. He has created the perfect world for himself to operate in. His family eat a boring, repetitive diet because it is what he likes. He has a perfectly routine life and it's not only him, it's everyone around him. Socially, he has created is perfect for an ASD to live. On a day to day basis he only deals with immediate family who all work around his needs. Easy! I know from having read his latest book that he thinks all kids+teens and many adults lack social skills but it doesn't occur to him that maybe he is the problem. When Steve does deal with people it is at conferences, where he is in control of the interactions. This is similar to all those university lecturers with Aspergers who are great at their jobs but can't hold a conversation with you on anything other than their subject. (MrMiggy is a chemistry lecturer. Trust me - The Big Bang is real! Compare Steve to Sheldon Cooper but with religion instead of physics.)

Steve would fall at the milder end of the spectrum; not severe enough for anyone to have twigged to it exactly what it is, just an odd boy/teen, severe enough to find life difficult and create a world that works for him.

[Coconut Flan]

I've wondered about that, but then I wondered how he functioned in the military and working for a large employer. OK, maybe the regimentation of the military worked for him.

[Jana814]

Never thought of comparing Steve to Sheldon (Big Bang is my favorite show). But I can see that. Or on the other hand Steve might just be a control freak & gets mad when things don't go his way.

[Miggy]

Military can be really good for ASD = regular hours, lots of routine, consistent food. It does depend on the type of ASD. My son (Aspergers) would go mad but I have met others through our support group that would love it.

Steve is a control freak! Whether he has an ASD or not doesn't change that. We've spent a lot of time in therapy with our son to make sure he doesn't turn into that. He has to learn when to make the effort to fit in with others and when just to walk away and be alone. He is not allowed to expect a whole family to work around him. We may choose to do this but he can't expect it. For example; we know he likes to have a shower at exactly 8pm. We respect this and don't use the bathroom ourselves at this time. If a guest, who doesn't know this, uses the bathroom at 8pm, son is not allowed to have a meltdown. That's the bit where Steve fails IMO.

[Arete]

Survey question: How many fundie mothers of sons themselves cook balanced healthy from scratch meals as defined by the majority on this thread? Would they recognize them and given how so many fundies their families, do they care that much?

In addition to the clear economic problems brought about by purposely having more children than your income could possibly support, I think Protestant fundamentalism adds another layer to the food problem in those households. Good, well prepared food is considered so damn sinful when there is a heaping dose of Protestant fundamentalism heaped on. Their attitudes about food are just so....joyless. Like they begrudge the time and the effort needed to produce even those crap meals for their families. I think for a lot of them making food from scratch and spending extra time on it may actually be seen as an unworthy indulgence. After all, you could be out soul winning or going for the next blessing instead of wasting your time making stock from scratch. It all circles back to this Puritanism in a lot of fundamentalist Protestant thought that if you enjoy some or a physical sensation gives you joy, it must be sinful. And that is how you wind up with calories but not meals, grape juice but no wine, and a woman who actually believes she was in bondage to Pepsi.

[Lillybee]

I wouldn't be surprised that Steve has them skip a few meals a week because fasting is pleasant to the Lord.

[OkToBeTakei]

Lunch – Tuna burgers (made from canned tuna, spices, egg, mayo, and then cooked) or tuna melts (tuna burger on an open-face, toasted, whole-wheat, homemade roll with melted cheese)

I feel sick.

I really feel sick.

That is an abomination.

[YPestis]

O/T and prepare yourselves for a long thought: Does anyone think Steve may have a mild autism spectrum disorder? Here is my logic;

# food: likes to eat a narrow range of foods, likes to know exactly what he will be served at every meal well ahead of time

# routine: likes every day to run to exactly the same routine

# social: finds social interaction difficult

With their bizarre lifestyle, I think it's easier for us to think that Steve has a defined diagnosis. However, I think his history speaks of a pretty normal, albeit conservative lifestyle prior to his fundie turn. He went to college, dated, married, got a job and a few kids. Teri was the one who started the scheduling so I don't think we can blame Steve for that idea. I think something made Teri and Steve terrified of the outside world, and the scheduling and isolation was their attempt to protect themselves against that intrusion.

In the past decade that I've followed the Maxwells, I've noticed they got became increasingly isolated as they were constantly met with disapproval. Perhaps that fed on itself. As they deviated from the norm, they were met with increasing disapproval, and so they isolated themselves even more, justifying it as part of being a good fundie. Maybe this cycle fed on itself until they became the overscheduled people we see now.

If anything, I'd point to Teri's depression as the reason for excessive and repetitive scheduling. Depressed people tend to have low energy. Maybe having every minute scheduled helped Teri get through her days better. The way I see it, Teri was just as responsible as Steve for what happened. This isn't Afghanistan, she has the right to say 'no' and leave. I think the two jointly decided to withdraw from the world, and are now reaping what they sow as their children struggle to find mates to start families themselves. I think the next ten years will see aging SAHDs and bachelors at home dusting ceiling fans and buying homes for no one to live in.

[Odd1Out]

LOL. One of my all-time favorite quotes. Yes, Les Nessman ranks right up there with Aristotle and Dorothy Parker.

I can't snark much on the Maxwell menu since I've been known to eat yogurt or cereal or peanut butter toast for dinner. I've also made pizza bread. Though my go-to easy meal is a big salad with lots of stuff in it.*

*bonus points for those who know what sitcom that quote is from ;)

WKRP

Sorry if it was already said.