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XP: Friends cookin' in my kitchen
This is kind of a repost from the cooking board. But I started a topic there about how my DH and I are trying to "eat cleaner" and that my girlfriend brought over all the ingredients the other day to make pizzas with us... but her ingredients aren't anything I would use (even before we were eating cleaner)...
anyway, then it dawned on me t hat oftentimes my friends come over and "prepare" the dish they are bringing to share at my house.
The other night another girlfriend of mine brought over a dip. But not really a dip, the ingredients to make the dip, using my mixing bowls, blender, etc...
another time someone brought over salad to make, but starting preparing it at my house, cutting the veggies that she brought over, washing the lettuce in my colander, making the dresses, even baking croutons for it!!
I don't want ot sound like a jerk, but how do I tell people to come over with "already prepared foods"
Re: XP: Friends cookin' in my kitchen
I have only ever brought a dish that needed to be cooked at the host's house twice. But, everything was either pre-assembled, or prepped, and I brought my own bakeware. Honestly, I would never assume that I could just do it all at my.friend's house.
For whatever reason, you have established an open kitchen environment with your friends. You may have to ask the friends ahead of time to please bring assembled dishes, as the added prep work being done in your kitchen is taking away from the tome that you could be visiting with your guests, and you would like to spend as much tome with them as you can. You don't want them to have to work in your home when they come to visit...
I don't know at what point this started. I think that my one haphazard (sp?) friend brought over an unassembled, uncooked dish to my home and both these other people were there. So maybe they assumed the next time they were running late, they'd just pick up their goods at the market and come right over and prepare at my home as well?
I am totally fine with someone bringing over a dish that needs to be cooked or heated in the oven. For example, someone recently brought over a fully assembled dip that just needed to be heated for 25 minutes in a low heat oven. It's just that I don't plan on taking out all of my "prep" stuff when people come over, ie. knives, collanders, cutting boards. I try to have everything prepared ahead of time and clean these things and put them away.
My guests this last time did not offer to clean up the pan and baking sheet they used, and left the flour (they were rolling out pizza) on my counter as well. Which is surprising because normally she is pretty helpful. Also, my baking sheet was "injured" in the cooking when they used a metal spatula to remove the pizza from my gold coated baking pan, removing some of the finish and leaving scrapes behind.
I think I am at that point in my life where I am still afraid to say something to people for fear of hurting their feelings or seeming unappreciative, and don't really know how to say "my kitchen isn't for your use in prep work!"
Good idea! I am going to take that approach, and hope that they don't see right through me.
Even if they see right through you, it's ok. I think it's really weird that they do that to you... it would never cross my mind! I don't do my own prep work in my own kitchen when we have guests over. And I would never stick the host with dirty dishes!
I think you're understandably frustrated, and my last straw would have been ruined cookware. We take really good care of our expensive set and I'd be really mad if my friends scratched it. I don't think you're out of line to say something, even if you have to be blunt to get the point across.
i just have two things to say
1. I laughed hard when i reread my post and it said "gold baking sheet". I'm sure you all knew it wasn't a "gold" sheet.... but i got a giggle. You know, its the gold tone ones. I got them at W+S
2. Everytime I see the picture your little lady Amy, it makes me think maybe I want a baby....then I am like, wait no not now!
Hah, I figured it wasn't actually gold... our non-stick pots and pans are DH's babies, I swear. He gets twitchy if I use a fork to pull a piece of spaghetti out to test if it's done, for fear I'll nick the side!
And with DS, I would have told you how much work a newborn is. DD, though, is one sweet kiddo.... so I'll keep my mouth shut for fear of talking you into wanting a baby, and then you'd inevitably end up with a tough baby and be calling me a liar!this is true! A lot of my girlfriends keep mentioning how "easy it is" and "not as hard as it looks in the movies" and a close friend of mine just had a baby boy and he has been soo hard. Up all night, not sleeping crying, colicy and she is liek "they all LIED to me!"...
I am glad she is a lot easier than your son was as an infant! That is good news! She's a cutie.