A. was in a Walmart the other day in one of the larger towns we sometimes shop in, and on his list were both flour and corn tortillas. He dutifully got the tortillas, and then, while he was stopped and examining the hams, a middle-aged Spanish lady looked in his cart and admonished him for buying tortillas.
"Those are no good!" she said. "I always make my own. Your wife should make your tortillas."
Yes, I know. I should.
However.
I can make tortillas. I do sometimes make tortillas. But I do not like making tortillas. Anything that has to be made individually is a huge pain when feeding six people, four of whom eat a LOT. Making enough tortillas for all of us to have them with a meal takes almost an hour, and, in the case of flour tortillas, requires rolling them on the counter.
Downer.
If all I was making in a day was tortillas and frijoles--traditional fare here in New Mexico--then I probably wouldn't even think about spending that hour making the tortillas. But I'm not. I'm making bread and pizza and yogurt and cookies and granola and chicken stock and coleslaw and LOTS of meat.
So tortillas are something I am willing to buy, even though, yes, the ones I sometimes make are a lot better than the ones we can buy.
We all make choices about our priorities. And my priority right now just isn't exclusively homemade tortillas.
I'm okay with this, even if Walmart lady isn't.
So tell me: What is something you have decided is definitely not worth doing for you, even if others don't agree?
I buy frozen diced onions and sometimes green peppers for things like breakfast casserole, spaghetti sauce, chili, etc. It seems silly but the time it saves is worth it to me. Plus my picky son tends to eat it better. Not sure why.
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteOh gosh, I had to think about this. Since we stopped eating sugar (any desserts are now made with xylitol), we don't buy any cookies or desserts, which sometimes my husband would insist that it was easier "and just as good" to buy a pumpkin pie than for me to make one. So I make our desserts at home, and I think those are better than storebought, personally, from a quality standpoint.
ReplyDeleteI used to make homemade stuffing; I had our family recipe all tweaked to perfection, we'd made it for all the years of our marriage, and it was a labor of love, and it was really good. Then one day, I think it was during the early months of the pandemic, that my husband was doing the shopping and he got store brand boxed stuffing to use as a side dish for a dinner he was making--the dehydrated kind--and all the boys who loved the homemade stuffing and looked forward to it all year, well, they gobbled that premade stuffing up. "It's just as good as yours, Mom!"
Well, then. It does save time on Thanksgiving!
I don't make homemade yogurt. I don't bake bread for sandwiches. I gave up making homemade hummus- I tend to make a huge batch and then it doesn't keep well.
ReplyDeleteI am not as frugal as I could be, but my time is valuable.
Do not tell my mother. I used to make my own noodles but the university and the commute took so much time, I fell into the habit of buying them at a nearby shop. Noodles are not difficult and take little time but shop bought noodles take less time and I became spoiled by saving those few minutes.
ReplyDeleteI don't make yogurt, although we eat a lot of it. I don't make tortillas. I buy refried beans and enchilada sauce in cans. And I buy preshredded cheese. And I feel guilty. But not guilty enough to stop.
ReplyDeleteI occasionally buy a jar of spaghetti sauce but only the kinds with no sugar and good ingredients. And yes, I buy tortillas. MIL
ReplyDeleteGravy.
ReplyDeleteI buy mine.
The women in my family have a thing about making gravy from scratch...the thing is I feel that if I'm making a meal that involves a big hunk of meat and all the sides that go with it I'm not about to fuss around with such a last minute chore before plonking it down on the table.
I'm a grumpy rebel that way.
That Walmart lady has her own dirty little kitchen secrets I'm sure so don't sweat it.
Cleaning the house is not worth my effort. We still live in a house that is much too big for two adults and one medium size dog. But we are growing old! So we hire someone to come every five weeks to clean the mess! Mary in MN
ReplyDeleteWhen my husband and I were first married and childless, I used to make his jeans. His body shape did not match well with commercially available styles so I found a pattern and made the jeans for a couple years. 3 kids and a nearly full time job put an end to my jean making. His body shape changed a bit too. Most commercially made jeans and other pants still don't fit him perfectly but even though the kids are gone and budget cuts have greatly reduced my employment, I am not going back to sewing jeans.
ReplyDeletePam in Maine
I buy tamales from Costco even though my MIL taught me how to make them. I also buy the boxed stuffing mix as well as the premade scalloped potatoes from Costco for the holidays. I wouldn't even think about making tortillas because we have a market that makes their own close to us and they are pretty darn good. And I buy canned soup too!
ReplyDeleteBaklava for one.
ReplyDeleteDepends on my season of life.
ReplyDeleteRight now, it's hanging clothes on the line and using cloth diapers. A busy season of life and a potty training toddler mean I'm using the dryer and store bought pull-ups.
I've tried all the things, the homemade laundry detergent and the homemade bathroom cleanser and whatever, and I'm just going to buy Tide and Comet and Soft Scrub and call it good.
ReplyDeleteI see you had a huge trip while I was too busy to do anything but be busy. So glad you got to do that.
As JP2GiannaT said, it depends on my season of life.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a toddler but I do have a medically complex husband. I didn't even get to garden last year, but am hopeful for this year.
On to the question, about 80% of the time I do not even go to the grocery store - I order my groceries to be delivered, including tortillas.
-Monica
Your logic is right on. You spend your time making a lot of foods from scratch; feel no guilt for not making tortillas or taco shells! I've considered making them from scratch, but I'm retired and do not have littles at home. Totally different situation.
ReplyDeleteI do not can dill pickles any more. I've made them many times, and the results are so inconsistent, it's not worth the time investment. My sweet bread and butter pickles and my pepper mix (I can't spell giardianara) are fabulous every time.
I have some feelings about the woman assuming you would be making them, as I assume your husband also has two hands & is a perfectly capable individual. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat aside, I agree with the comment about life seasons. I can make my own bread, and do on occasion, but we don't eat much of it anyway. So, when my 16 year old wants croissants, we buy them. We experimented over COVID with making them ourselves, and they are incredible, but a ton of work. I know how to make my own jam, but typically buy it, because again, it's a super rare thing for us. We're not big yogurt eaters, so I don't often make it. . . We do eat at home for most meals & most items are cooked from scratch. But, we're not shy about having some "cheater" dinners in the freezer as well: frozen pizza, Trader Joes orange chicken, etc. The cheater meals are more expensive & not as healthy as totally homemade, but cheaper & healthier than takeout, so they are a fine compromise.