COLOMBIAN RECIPES NEEDED URGENTLY --PLEASE HELP....HUSBAND IS DRIVING ME NUTS!

kwalteros says on Feb 22, 2009, 22:38:

I use a cookbook I found on amazon.com. Its pretty simple. They even have a glossary to explain what somethings are and some substitutions for some harder to find ingredients. Its called "Secrets of Colombian Cooking".

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ferran says on Feb 23, 2009, 01:14:

It seems your husband is a montanero, tell him to wake up and smell the real world, and if he does not understand this, open up a can of alpo, heat it up and served it with an arepa, this should keep the mutt happy.

All truth goes through three phases. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self evident.

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pavo says on Feb 23, 2009, 04:17:

Easy. Buy canned soups for starter and then for main dish :
Rice, Potatoe and Meat
Rice, Potatoe and Chicken
Rice, Potatoe and Fish

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expatriate says on Feb 23, 2009, 04:26:

I would hire a maid twice a week to clean up the house, and cook enough Colombian food each time to last him until the next time she comes to work.
If you want something good to eat, especially if it is even a little bit spicy, you'll have to cook it for yourself.

You better take care of me Lord, if you don't you're gonna have me on your hands.

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turnmeon says on Feb 23, 2009, 06:36:

Mocha_iced2000 your husband is not helping you with the cooking because he was never tought how to do it, i set the fire alarm a few times while cooking in the US(did i mention i was just learning?), his mother probably wouldnt allow him to go to the kitchen when he was a kid because cooking is "woman job", that is the stupid mentallity of some of the people here in Colombia, shame on the colombian mothers who will not let their boys cook or at least learn a little cooking, also shame on the colombian men who are lazy with the task at home.

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pedro says on Feb 23, 2009, 06:58:

What part of Colombia is your husband from?

What's the chance of teaching him to make one or two things that you both like, and make them well?

For example, it shouldn't be too hard to get a Colombian dude to cook on a BBQ grill once a week. Have him cook red meat for himself, and some other cut of meat for you.

Depends on what work commitments you both have... you didn't mention that.

"this may seem a strange post but it is not...when in colombia men need to be aware that colombia women may try to be seductive and entice a travelling gringo to have sex with them..to be forewarned is to be forearmed..." -- pow wow

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Mocha_iced2000 says on Feb 23, 2009, 07:14:

Hey Everyone,

I appreciate all the support. Some of you have given real advice, others have just provided jokes, but it's all good.

I thought I would add that my hubby is from Armenia. Althogh he is a big red meat eater, he likes fish too. But for the most part I like lots of fruits and veggies, and he only like salads. I just feel torn because I don't want to change my eating habits because of him. He even likes lots of cookies, milk and things that I find fattening and rather unhealhty. What are my options? Not cooking is NOT an option.

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) says on Feb 23, 2009, 08:40:

Hi Mocha,

You might want to look through some of Desi and Monpirri's old posts. They have both started some great threads about Colombian cooking. I believe that Desi had one called Cocina Colombiana.

I'm so hip, I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis. - Zaphod Beeblebrox, Former President of the Galaxy and inventor of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

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Mocha_iced2000 says on Feb 23, 2009, 08:46:

Thanks ColombianoGringo!

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Feb 23, 2009, 08:49:

http://desiscookingcolombian-pirjomarjut.blogspot.com/2008/10/colombia...

I have a few recipes but mostly just anecdotes about Colombian food in my food blog.
BUT
we have a whole lot of recipes here on this site, google them with search function on the top right hand corner of the page.

Cocina colombiana
PBH cookbook
etc...

BTW I'm getting started with the cookbook now.
I need more recipes and more pictures.

Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Mononoke28 says on Feb 23, 2009, 12:13:

Mocha, I feel for you and understand you 100%. But unlike you, I don't take that kind of crap at home period, he either likes what I make or if he wants to eat something else he needs to step up because my house is not a restaurant. But knowing how most Colombian men are and how they were brought up by mommy, he won't change so... he should at least try to compromise.

With that said... try this link for some ideas http://www.colombia.com/gastronomia/colombia/

Good luck girl!

Diana

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Mocha_iced2000 says on Feb 23, 2009, 12:33:

Thanks so much, Diana! This really helps a lot!

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Mocha_iced2000 says on Feb 23, 2009, 14:18:

Thanks so much, Diana! This really helps a lot!

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Shortiao says on Feb 23, 2009, 16:16:

serve him lentils with zero seasoning.

some kind of bland soup with a bit of coriander. he'll love it.

Then make yourself some real food.

"cuando una persona toma otro pasaporte....pierde su identidad!" - Shortiao

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adrimm (Moderator) says on Feb 23, 2009, 18:17:

I think that you will both have to compromise - if he's not planning to cook then he has to offer up some flexibility. Maybe 2 days Colombianish, 2 days not. Make the Colombian dishes a little more vegetably. Extra salad for you the Colombian days. I would also try to involve him in social situations that involve guys cooking (ie BBQ, kitchen party) to subtly show him it is actually a norm.

You can probably try making some big pots of Colombian soup/stew and then freeze them in portions - that's half the battle right there. Small amounts of rice are easy - or you could always get a rice maker and make it his job ( a two-year old can do it).

My mother has also successfully frozen home made empanadas - they look like empanadas and taste like empanadas, but they definitely are more vegetabl-ey and less ric-ey than those I encounter in Colombia.

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Mocha_iced2000 says on Feb 23, 2009, 19:20:

Dear Adrimm:

This is excellent advice! I will definitely use your ideas. As for the frozen soups, that is not option in this house. He doesn't like seeing meat nor anything that doesn't resemble ice cream frozen.

As for him cooking, he likes cooking at BBQ's n the grill. As a matter of fact, whenever we do BBQ he prepares everything. But we live in an apartment so we're confined to a conventional oven and a microwave. Does anyone know of a parrilla that can be used indoors?

By the way, is this normal for a woman to feel so much pressure to perform in the kitchen? I work all day long too and being that I'm a woman, does this mean that I have to take on responsibility of the house? Even when or if my hubby gets home before me from work?

We both have good paying jobs and work from 9 til 5...does anyone have experience with this?

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Mocha_iced2000 says on Feb 23, 2009, 19:35:

Dear Adrimm:

This is excellent advice! I will definitely use your ideas. As for the frozen soups, that is not option in this house. He doesn't like seeing meat nor anything that doesn't resemble ice cream frozen.

As for him cooking, he likes cooking at BBQ's n the grill. As a matter of fact, whenever we do BBQ he prepares everything. But we live in an apartment so we're confined to a conventional oven and a microwave. Does anyone know of a parrilla that can be used indoors?

By the way, is this normal for a woman to feel so much pressure to perform in the kitchen? I work all day long too and being that I'm a woman, does this mean that I have to take on responsibility of the house? Even when or if my hubby gets home before me from work?

We both have good paying jobs and work from 9 til 5...does anyone have experience with this?

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adrimm (Moderator) says on Feb 23, 2009, 20:08:

I think it is widely the norm - although I do know a couple of Colombian guys who can outcook me (a father and son - both white collars, but with experience living in Europe) .

In my own family, my father would have cooked more, but my mom (Colombian) found his food too "meat & potatoey" so she tended to cook more - however without the freezer we would *never* have eaten 3 or 4 days of the week. Every 2nd weekend she'd cook up 5 or 6 meals worth of something, and freeze it. Stew, home-made soup, pasta sauce, lasagna casseroles, cabbage rolls, sometimes empanadas, and we'd alternate a few days fresh with frozen or do a mix, almost always with salad. Considering she came into it later in life, my mom learned how to cook & bake really well - I'll take her home-made anything (fresh or frozen) over alot of things.

Home-made spaghetti sauce is the most versatile thing becuase it can become chili, go with swiss steak, rice sauce or just be spaghetti sauce.

If your husband were the primary cook of the house I think he'd love the freezer as much as my mother did, heck does. She lives alone and still always has a full deep-freeze.

How about a George Foreman grill?

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Mocha_iced2000 says on Feb 23, 2009, 20:30:

Dear Adrimm:

You seem to have my sense of taste. Unfortunately my husband gets spooked out looking at a lot of frozen foods. I know it seems odd, but he just doesn't like looking at it. And a few times I froze sancocho and later microwaved it for dinner, and he never noticed it until one time...He must have realized that since he didn't see me prepare anything and then suddenly he had a bowl of sancocho. He called me out on it and asked me if I had froze it. I lied and said no. I knew he knew I was lying.


As for the spaghetti, he only likes it with chicken, and detests anything out of a can, or a jar, so it'll have to be fresh tomato sauce, not anything from a can or jar.

I can't use any bay leaves, nor fresh lime or orange juice in any of the food, otherwise he'll have a fit! I like cleaning my chicken or fish with lime or orange, but he thinks it's weird. Please tell me that I'm not loca y normal!

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adrimm (Moderator) says on Feb 23, 2009, 21:15:

I think you're normal (and more accommodating than I would probably be). He needs to get into the 21st century. My mom used the freezer but she always cooked from scratch... the freezer just made the timelines work for us. Home-made food that is frozen is still home-made food.

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dwmte7 says on Feb 24, 2009, 06:01:

you got everyone's sympathy...LISTEN TO MY DEAR HUSKIE.

don't bother. show that pandejo/huevon the door. and as you kiss him good bye, whisper in his ear on the way out. if you want to show a measure of mutual respect, maybe we can get somewhere. short of that, he needs a boot in the butt.

barbeque some good ribs, cook up some chiddlins and some grits and call it a day. forget the maid...he hasn't shown--by your discription--that he deserves more service. a quick reality smack in the face should do the trick...if not, LISTEN TO HUSKIE.

d

patriarch

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) says on Feb 24, 2009, 07:22:

Ah the pressure cooker or as it's known in Colombia, Olla Express. My mom and grandmothers always had one around. My mom normally used it to cook her incredibly tasty beef tongue. Hers is the only one I'll eat because she trims it well and only uses the "pulp".

On another note... This has been mentioned before, but I am still amazed that I can go to Colombia for nine days, eat like a condemned man and still somehow lose five pounds. I'm not the kind of guy that keeps an eye on his weight nor am I fat, but I had to weigh myself at the beginning and end of my trip in order to determine the weight of our luggage. I went from 197 to 192.

I'm so hip, I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis. - Zaphod Beeblebrox, Former President of the Galaxy and inventor of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

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dwmte7 says on Feb 24, 2009, 07:56:

you damn near snuck one by me there, CG...." had to weigh myself at the beginning and end of my trip in order to determine the weight of our luggage". maybe you could explain that. i clearly didn't understand.

d

patriarch

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) says on Feb 24, 2009, 07:59:

We pack a lot of stuff because we take presents for family and clothes for charity. With the ridiculous bag limits and charges these days, I am careful to make sure the bags weigh exactly 50 lbs.

First I weigh myself, then I grab a bag and weigh myself holding it. Then I simply subtract my weight and get the bag's weight. On most normal scales, I have found this to be a lot more accurate than simply putting the bag directly on the scale.

I'm so hip, I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis. - Zaphod Beeblebrox, Former President of the Galaxy and inventor of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

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Mononoke28 says on Feb 24, 2009, 09:47:

LOL, I do that too!!! I have to get on it with the suitcase in my hand like five times. Get on it, get off it, get stuff out of the suitcase, get on it again, get of it again, get more stuff out, repeat until you reach under 50lbs.

Diana

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Mononoke28 says on Feb 24, 2009, 09:53:

My dear old Miss Mocha, you are an angel sent directly from heaven. That is the only reason why I think you're STILL trying to accommodate to your husband's wishes and commands when it comes to food. Boy is he lucky he's not married to me because here, we all eat what I make, if he doesn't like it, then he has a choice to either not eat it or cook the meal himself. And yes, I use fresh, canned, frozen and dry ingredients to make all my meals at home. I cook Chinese, Mexican, good ol' American, and every now and then Colombian recipes, it all depends on my mood and on whether I want to cook or not. Oh and if we have leftovers, and we do almost after every meal, I freeze them. And if I don't feel like cooking one night, guess what? We eat the frozen left overs from previous meals.

Now, my husband was just like yours and I had a hard, straight talk with him before he moved here. I love to cook and I'll do it everyday with no problems, but it has to be my way or else. If he wants something, I'll make it for him, but none of that this is not fresh or frozen nonsense.

I think you have two choices, either put your foot down or not cook at all. So it's up to him, either he eats what you make him or he'll starve because he probably won't try to cook. We're not in Colombia anymore so that attitude needs to stay there with his momma not here with you.

Diana

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dwmte7 says on Feb 24, 2009, 10:01:

oh, diana...do i love you....mocha! listen to this lady and remember huskies remarks. lay down the law. somewhere along the line, the old man forgot all about thankfulness.

good luck.

d

patriarch

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briarblue says on Feb 24, 2009, 10:05:

Mocha, you are on the fringe of qualifying for sainthood! I wish you nothing but the best and much success in your marriage. I can't even fathom not having the empty pots and pans stacked-up on my side of the bed if I were to ever make such demands in a relationship/marriage.

Oh, by the way...do you have an unmarried sister with your qualities and demeanor, lol?

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Mocha_iced2000 says on Feb 24, 2009, 11:13:

Hey everyone: It seems like I'm being mistaken for a weak, submissive woman. To the contrary, I'm very assertive and opinionated. I've voiced many of the suggestions that have been made so far. I'm very greatful for all of the constructive advice thus far.

I'm hoping that, maybe since this marriage is still fresh, perhaps I could try a few techniques or ideas to get my husband to compromise with the cooking.

I don't like being characterized as a weak person. I admit, my husband could be difficult, but he is very sensitive, sweet, a far from a bully. I believe it's my duty as his wife to make sure he's satisfied as much as possible as long as we're alive.

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dwmte7 says on Feb 24, 2009, 13:17:

well, dear, don't doubt your strong nature at all. just sounded like the fella needed to be shown the door. i didn't note and 'sweet' and 'sensitive' until that last paragraph.

d

of course, i wish you both all the best in the kitchen and the rest of the house, til death do you part. amen

patriarch

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Mocha_iced2000 says on Feb 24, 2009, 13:24:

LOL

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Mononoke28 says on Feb 25, 2009, 11:06:

I agree, I don't think anyone thought you were being weak by any means. I just think your husband needs to put a little more effort on the adaptation part of the whole process. Once he does that, you're golden.

Diana

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