Weekend Cook and Tell: TV Dinners
Welcome to the Weekend Cook and Tell. Every Wednesday we peruse the food sections of various national newspapers to inspire a weekend cooking project. We hope you will cook along with us and share your experiences, recipes, and photos here.
This week's inspiration comes from Janet K. Keeler of the St. Petersburg Times and it's all about TV dinners. Many of us (myself included) eat dinner in front of the television once in a while, plate balanced in lap, with none of that pesky dinner table conversation to get in the way of your meal. Sure, it's not the most civilized way to eat but, hey, sometimes it just feels good.
Rather than feeling guilty about dining in front of the tube, Keeler suggests that we embrace it. After all, it's prime TV-watching season and time spent eating together with family is valuable, whether you are sitting around a table or lined up on the couch watching The Office.
This week we want to know what you are eating in front of the TV and for that matter, what are you watching during dinner? Tell us about your favorite mealtime/primetime combinations. Do you sip dry martinis while watching Mad Men? Do you snack on hospital-style Jell-O cups while watching House?
Show us your photos on Photograzing (make sure to include "Cook and Tell" in your submission title) and tell us about your recipes here! If you'd like to blog the experience, please leave a link in the comments below. We'll post a round-up of your photos and recipes next Wednesday.
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17 Comments:
Do you know what the #1 sales week for snack foods in America is? Superbowl week. That's proof of eating in front of the TV, and the first thing that comes to mind is Buffalo Wings and any sporting event, a perfect match. That is, until you get wing sauce in the remote.
The strangest combination of food and TV I ever made was for the premier of "The Tudors" on Showtime. The Henry VIII show had me making a medieval dinner of roast lamb, potatoes and whole baked vegetables. While not "period-accurate", I did use a fork instead of putting the end of my knife in my mouth like Henry does.
ChefToddMohr at 10:29AM on 10/01/09
When we eat at home, there's a screen somewhere near us, on or off.
We do not have a dining room and don't have any furniture in the living room, so eating is either on the floor in the living room in front of the television or at our computer desks.
This is why I love bowls from Japan to eat out of, regardless of cuisine and temperature. They are constructed such that you are able to carry steaming hot stuff like ramen or frozen stuff like sorbet, and not feel a thing when carrying the dish while eating.
My favorite meal to eat while watching tv is kitsune udon, a tuna sandwich, and a cup of water. Just for this, I think I'll make a special tv dinner. I saw some plates that had indentations that mimic those aluminum tv dinner trays or school lunch trays. Not sure if I'll make it themed like ChefToddMohr describes above, since I am not in the mood for eating innards while watching CSI.
Cassaendra at 12:13PM on 10/01/09
That's a really cool idea, @Cassaendra. I think I'll follow your lead and make some TV dinner-style dinners for this. I have some sectioned plates that should work well, and the wheels are already starting to turn. Thanks for the great idea! :)
maxcriden at 5:40PM on 10/01/09
There was about a two-month period where we were watching Battlestar Galactica episodes back-to-back off DVD. On nights that we were just plumb exhausted, we were eating udon noodles with pork and bok choy in broth. At least it wasn't algae mush.
avaryne at 6:48PM on 10/02/09
About once every six months I do a serious TV dinner thing with my friends. I pick a movie and the food that goes with it. Godfather night is probably my most popular night. I make lasagna or other various New York Italian red sauce dishes. I have cannoli (natch). I serve Sambuca.
After LIfe (Japanese) was udon and tempora and sushi. Gone With the Wind was chicken fried steak, biscuits, greens and Lady Baltimore cake. My plan for the next night is Le Samouraï, a French film noir done in the late '60's. I'm having trouble coming up with what to make.
Oh, my favorite was The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn where I did turkey legs, beer, bread and cheese and pasties. And no silverware.
chisai at 8:33PM on 10/02/09
@chisai - how about a cassoulet for your French film noir meal?
LanaRae at 12:48AM on 10/03/09
@LanaRae - Great idea! Thomas Keller has an awesome recipe for it that I'd love to try out. I always get brain freeze on French food. The only thing I can ever come up with is beef bourguignon, which don't get me wrong, it's a perfect dish, but I make it all the time. I wanted newer (for me) and the cassoulet is a great idea. Suggestions on starter, dessert?
chisai at 8:08AM on 10/03/09
Friday night is pizza and wings with a DVD. Old episodes of Lost are often watched with grilled sandwiches and soup or kebabs of some type. A "high brow" motorhead show, BBC's Top Gear is accompanied with an appetizer/muchie type menu--more grazing than an official meal.
As colder weather sets in, we often play a lot of games on the weekend. How's about a future Weekend Cook and Tell about what people make to go with board games, poker, fooz ball, air hockey, etc.?
dhorst at 10:48AM on 10/03/09
I love a good stir fry when eating in front of the TV. Pork, beef, chicken, doesn't matter. As long as you don't overcook any of the components (which means cooking something taking it out and then adding it back in) it's perfect.
rumanddiet at 8:36PM on 10/04/09
Heh. We must be old-fashioned. We don't watch TV during dinner.
dbcurrie at 2:25AM on 10/05/09
I don't sip martinis during Mad Men, but I did have a lot of fun having guests over for the premier and making a 60's Julia Child dinner (onion soup, boeuf bourgionione, pommes dauphinoise, tomatoes provencal, epinards a la creme, which was served sit down before the show. Afterwards, we had Julia's cream puffs and chocolate spongecake. Though I haven't had company for the last few episodes, I do try to make a 60's themed dinner for Mad Men - last night I did sish kebab.
MMinNYC at 1:51PM on 10/05/09
I don't watch anything when I eat. But I usually have my MP3 player on, sometimes attached to a speaker to listen with.
Blue387 at 3:56PM on 10/05/09
So it was our first snow fall this weekend, and the entire weekend was spent in front of the TV. With breaks for food, water and occasional nap. Everything I cooked this weekend was a TV dinner by virtue of being consumed within five feet of the TV, but these potatoes dauphinoise really stood out. :)
http://www.mycoldprairie.com/2009/10/05/perfect-fall-potatoes/
tatianak at 6:15PM on 10/05/09
Okay, please, please don't kll me with comments here; we have an HD in our kitchen on this amazing antique baker's rack. Started out as a radio, then hubby got me a 27 in hd for my bday a few years ago. We watch EVERYTHING at the kitchen table! Which I have to say turns out to be nice, it's a great way to keep 3 teens and their friends under your eye on a Sat nite. They watch tv, hubby and I cook! A match made in heaven!
donnie at 7:12PM on 10/05/09
I love eating fried spicy hot wings when watching tv. I used to snack on the ones from KFC, but lately I've been getting them from the UCSD dorms courtesy of my brother. You can find some pictures about them here http://www.kirbiecravings.com/2009/10/ucsd-dining-revelle.html
They aren't messy to eat and they satisfy my greasy, fast food cravings for when I'm watching tv
kirbie at 3:05AM on 10/06/09
We normally will put a DVD on while we cook on weekends (usually Friends, The Office, 30 Rock or Mad Men) and then eat dinner while finishing off the disc.
For an odd coincidence, our meal Sunday happened to tie in nicely with the latest episode, plus it conjured up fond memories of our trip to Italy last year--it was kind of eerie how it all came together. I wrote about it here: http://themanhattanfoodproject.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/10-04-09-anniversary-dinner-mad-men-and-roma-and-figs-oh-my/
ElizabethS at 10:39AM on 10/06/09
I threw together some fast food between commercials...
http://cassaendra.blogspot.com/2009/10/tv-party.html
Cassaendra at 7:42PM on 10/07/09