Technically, the debate is very straightforward: my husband loves takeout, and I don’t.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy having someone else doing the cooking for a change; truthfully, sometimes lighting the ol’ gas burner night after night gets tiresome. Plus, there’s the chance to try different cuisines in exactly the time it takes to dial a dinner – and, I must admit I love a good skewer of chicken souvlaki (extra tzatziki on the side).
I suppose the real reason I hate takeout is as follows: I’m cheap.
There! I said it. I simply can’t fathom wasting $30+ to feed a family of four – not when I know I can re-create the same meal for just a few dollars per person. Give me a stocked pantry and a recipe book… I will work wonders. And my husband does adore my cooking; he just likes to see me have a day off from time to time too.
Back to the debate.
My husband has been lobbying for a takeout (or dine-in) brunch for some time now: you know, Cora’s, Sunset Grill, Eggspectations – all respectable breakfast joints where a customer can enjoy a great meal for $8.95 per person. Plus tax. Plus tip. NOT happening.
In addition to the pricey menu, I have a huge problem with sub par ingredients – grade F eggs, greasy potatoes and breakfast sausage that tastes like the bottom of my shoe. And, since you’re paying for it, the tendency to eat every last scrap of pork fat on your plate. Certainly I can do better.
So, this past weekend, I treated the family to a restaurant-style breakfast – hold the heart attack.
On MY menu: I swapped white bread for toasted Dempsters WholeGrains Flax bread and added light spreadable butter. Next, I decided give a few years back to our arteries and substituted breakfast meats for fresh fruit – however, I did keep it somewhat traditional with two fried eggs, over easy. And what about those greasy, overcooked potatoes? Not even close. …