Can a baked potato be dinner?

[hereyago]

OP, you are sweet . But don't stress yourself.


Hopefully you are not cooking evey night for them because they should be helping.

I've done breakfast (pancakes, etc) for dinner. On real lazy days ether cereal or everyone fend for themselves.

 

[shoney]

I would just say I’m not really cooking just throwing in baked potatoes. Would you like one?
They can make the choice.
I wouldn’t present it as I’m cooking and dinner will be served at 6.

 

[PlainJane]

I can’t imagine expecting someone to put me up for a month, or more, and cook for me every day.

I’ve been at different places in my ability to cook during my adult life. I’ve totally served guests pasta with jarred sauce and I’ve served it from scratch with homemade meatballs, and I still would serve the jarred sauce if that’s what I had time to do that night. You don’t always have 3 hours to make elaborate meals (and it can be hard on the wallet too, especially when feeding a crowd).

For just us, we totally will eat freezer meals, a burger with no side, or a meat with just one side. We’ll also fend for ourselves and eat a bagel or cereal. A meat with one side and a no frills salad is pretty typical of our “goal” for dinner.

For one night of company I try to serve a protein, two sides, and salad. I’ll also do something like fajitas, roasted corn, and chips. It’s not something I would try to keep up for over a month every night.

 

[luvsJack]

My sister makes the best potatoes for a meal! She buys a big bag of baking potatoes at Sam’s once a month. She bakes off the whole bag. Then scoops out the potatoe and adds milk, butter and sour cream. Then she divides it up and makes some with Cajun shrimp, some with chicken, some with ground beef. Each different kind has different extra seasoning added. I think the beef ones have cooked onion, for instance. All have cheese in the potatoes. She fills the shells back up and puts cheese on top. Wraps and freezes them, labeled with the protein added. Easy peasy meals.

So yes, potatoes can certainly be a meal.

 

[low-key]

Of course it can, I had many of Mayonnaise sandwiches in my day

 

[PlainJane]

My sister makes the best potatoes for a meal! She buys a big bag of baking potatoes at Sam’s once a month. She bakes off the whole bag. Then scoops out the potatoe and adds milk, butter and sour cream. Then she divides it up and makes some with Cajun shrimp, some with chicken, some with ground beef. Each different kind has different extra seasoning added. I think the beef ones have cooked onion, for instance. All have cheese in the potatoes. She fills the shells back up and puts cheese on top. Wraps and freezes them, labeled with the protein added. Easy peasy meals.

So yes, potatoes can certainly be a meal.

That reminds me of the twice baked potatoes a woman from church made us after we had our son. They were so delicious.

 

[jo-jo]

Of course it can, I had many of Mayonnaise sandwiches in my day[/QUOTE

My brother loved them. Do you have a secret recipe?

 

[low-key]

My brother loved them. Do you have a secret recipe?

yes, 2 pieces of bread, mayonnaise and here was my big secret, salt and pepper

 

[QueenIsabella]

yes, 2 pieces of bread, mayonnaise and here was my big secret, salt and pepper

Add some fresh tomato slices from your garden, and you have a meal fit for a king! I love a fresh tomato sandwich.

 

[low-key]

Add some fresh tomato slices from your garden, and you have a meal fit for a king! I love a fresh tomato sandwich.

yum, Ill go make us a couple

 

[tarheelmjfan]

You are doing a very generous thing. I agree with others who think your guests should share the load in preparing/providing meals. As a matter of fact, I think they should be doing more than an equal share, but I wouldn't count on that. That said, it's impossible to know how your guests will feel, if you don't know their eating habits. My family wouldn't consider any of the things you mentioned a proper dinner, but that's my family. I would be totally fine with a baked potato w/ butter, but my guys wouldn't find that filling. I am surprised that anyone considers cereal an acceptable dinner. We're a main dish w/protein & two sides type of family. That doesn't mean that others feel the same way. You should do what works for you, but don't be surprised, if your guests feel differently. My suggestion is to ask them what they're used to eating for dinner & establish a routine with both parties sharing the meal responsibilities.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I can’t imagine expecting someone to put me up for a month, or more, and cook for me every day.

I’ve been at different places in my ability to cook during my adult life. I’ve totally served guests pasta with jarred sauce and I’ve served it from scratch with homemade meatballs, and I still would serve the jarred sauce if that’s what I had time to do that night. You don’t always have 3 hours to make elaborate meals (and it can be hard on the wallet too, especially when feeding a crowd).

For just us, we totally will eat freezer meals, a burger with no side, or a meat with just one side. We’ll also fend for ourselves and eat a bagel or cereal. A meat with one side and a no frills salad is pretty typical of our “goal” for dinner.

For one night of company I try to serve a protein, two sides, and salad. I’ll also do something like fajitas, roasted corn, and chips. It’s not something I would try to keep up for over a month every night.

This is funny. When I met DH, he would brag about his Dad's spaghetti sauce. He would spend all day simmering it. When they came to visit us, I was a fairly new cook. I "souped up" a jar of Ragu. My FIL wanted to know the recipe, because he thought it was the best sauce he had ever eaten. Naturally, I couldn't give him a definitive answer, because I had added a little of this & a little of that to make it what DH found close to FIL's sauce.

 

[PlainJane]

This is funny. When I met DH, he would brag about his Dad's spaghetti sauce. He would spend all day simmering it. When they came to visit us, I was a fairly new cook. I "souped up" a jar of Ragu. My FIL wanted to know the recipe, because he thought it was the best sauce he had ever eaten. Naturally, I couldn't give him an definitive answer, because I had added a little of this & a little of that to make it what DH found close to FIL's sauce.

When I’m not making sauce and meatballs from scratch we’re a Newman’s Own family, I don’t dress it up either. We don’t even like the same jar of sauce, we have to buy two.

I’m glad you had such a win with your FIL. That would have been stressful after your husband talked it up so much. I burned/overcooked so much stuff when we were newlyweds. My husband came into our marriage with decent cooking skills, I could boil water and bake.

 

[disneychrista]

The other night at a brewery/Irish pub I had a baked potato for dinner (w/ cheese, bacon, sour cream & chives). I would have also enjoyed it with chili & cheese, or steamed broccoli & cheese.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

When I’m not making sauce and meatballs from scratch we’re a Newman’s Own family, I don’t dress it up either. We don’t even like the same jar of sauce, we have to buy two.

I’m glad you had such a win with your FIL. That would have been stressful after your husband talked it up so much. I burned/overcooked so much stuff when we were newlyweds. My husband came into our marriage with decent cooking skills, I could boil water and bake.

Don't feel alone. When I met DH, I couldn't cook at all. When we weren't eating fast food or take-out, I could manage basic jarred spaghetti, pot pies & hamburger helper. DH would have eaten mud, if that was what I fed him. If I hadn't had DS, I probably wouldn't have known how to "soup up" the sauce for the inlaws. Having him made me want to do better.

 

[ronandannette]

You are doing a very generous thing. I agree with others who think your guests should share the load in preparing/providing meals. As a matter of fact, I think they should be doing more than an equal share, but I wouldn't count on that. That said, it's impossible to know how your guests will feel, if you don't know their eating habits. My family wouldn't consider any of the things you mentioned a proper dinner, but that's my family. I would be totally fine with a baked potato w/ butter, but my guys wouldn't find that filling. I am surprised that anyone considers cereal an acceptable dinner. We're a main dish w/protein & two sides type of family. That doesn't mean that others feel the same way. You should do what works for you, but don't be surprised, if your guests feel differently. My suggestion is to ask them what they're used to eating for dinner & establish a routine with both parties sharing the meal responsibilities.

I do - perfectly fine in fact, under certain circumstances. We have a couple of nights a week when we're not home together to eat at the same time and we fend for ourselves. The basic choices are cereal and toast or a sandwich, or maybe a couple of pieces of fruit and some chips or a little pile of crackers and some cold cuts or whatever. Given those choices, cereal is as good as any. DH and DS would say the same thing and FWIW, at various times all of us would eat any of those things for breakfast or lunch too.

 

[QueenIsabella]

This is funny. When I met DH, he would brag about his Dad's spaghetti sauce. He would spend all day simmering it. When they came to visit us, I was a fairly new cook. I "souped up" a jar of Ragu. My FIL wanted to know the recipe, because he thought it was the best sauce he had ever eaten. Naturally, I couldn't give him a definitive answer, because I had added a little of this & a little of that to make it what DH found close to FIL's sauce.

OT, but a funny (and true!) story: My dad was born in Italy. When he met my mom, she didn't know how to make sauce. He thought that was a good thing--he could teach her how to make it "right". Well, being good Catholics, they had 4 kids by their 5th wedding anniversary--my mom was pretty busy in those early years. One night, she burned the pasta sauce--horrors! She was so nervous that my dad would be mad. Dad came home, tasted it, and said, "You nailed it! Just like Mom's!" Did I mention that my grandmother had 7 kids herself?

I have to admit, I don't care so much for burned sauce. And I'm not above using the jarred stuff sometimes.

 

[jo-jo]

I do - perfectly fine in fact, under certain circumstances. We have a couple of nights a week when we're not home together to eat at the same time and we fend for ourselves. The basic choices are cereal and toast or a sandwich, or maybe a couple of pieces of fruit and some chips or a little pile of crackers and some cold cuts or whatever. Given those choices, cereal is as good as any. DH and DS would say the same thing and FWIW, at various times all of us would eat any of those things for breakfast or lunch too.

The way I see it, if cereal is good enough for breakfast, it's good enough for dinner.

But I see your point, I doubt I would say tonight we are having pot roast , tomorrow is cereal. More like tonight is pot roast, tomorrow, you guys have to fend for yourselves.

 

[lilkitty819]

The real question here is, do you eat meat. If the answer is yes, then you could do a pulled pork, beef or chicken in a slow cooker and one day you could have sandwiches and a veggie. Next day make your potato and use the left over pulled whatever meat as a topping, where people have a choice on what they put on their tater. If you are trying to keep a low budget with meals, spaghetti is also a good choice.

 

[tcufrog]

Here’s a suggestion for making it easy. One night make a big batch of chili and serve it for dinner. The leftovers can go on baked potatoes. Cook some extra potatoes and use it to make potato soup which is really easy to make.