In an attempt to get my recipes organized, I am going to post more of what we are cooking. As stated previously, we cook a lot! Even Betsy gets in on the
action...
I realize you do not need another source for recipes. They are everywhere ~ cookbooks, magazines, the Internet, the newspaper, even the aisles of the grocery store. I'm not really trying to give you more recipes because I'm sure you have your own shelves full of unused cookbooks, piles of clipped magazine or newspaper pages, and bookmarked websites.
I simply want to get my recipes in order and leave my children with a collection of some of our favorites. This is for me, not you, but I do hope you can benefit from what is taking place in our kitchen. I know I have found some tasty recipes from the various blogs that I peruse daily, weekly, monthly, etc...
You will find that aside from my tried and true cookbooks my go to recipe source is my monthly copy of
Southern Living. I have been a subscriber for years. Well let me rephrase ~ for years my mother has given me a subscription for Christmas. While the format has changed many times over those years, and in my opinion the content ebbs and flows, I still look forward to receiving my monthly magazine.
I have binder filled with recipes I want to try one day. Many of these recipes have come from
Southern Living. I attempt to try at least one new recipe each week. Some are keepers and some my family endures!
In order to make it happen, I create a menu plan at the beginning of the week. I created a fun What's Cookin' document to make this easy. I keep a stack of these in the front pocket of my coupon binder. On one side, it has what I am going to cook each night and on the other I fill in my grocery list organized by the aisles of my local grocery store. I have a place to write breakfast, lunch, and snack ideas though I don't plan those by the day. One day I might reconsider that ~ we are always in a rut for breakfast and lunch. My What's Cookin' document also has a place to write in grocery store specials and items I need from other places such as the farmer's market or the seafood store. I make my menu plan with my calendar nearby so I can write in special circumstances for the day {i.e., dinner to Smiths for new baby, swim meet, RFS out of town, Jones for dinner}. That helps me plan accordingly ~ some nights I have less time than others. I keep this binder in my kitchen so I can add staples to the list as I realize a need. Stay tuned for more of what we are cooking!
What about you...do you make a weekly menu plan? Where do you get your cooking inspiration? How do you organize your recipes? Do you like to try new things or is take-out your go to dinner?
and we LOVE it! Each of my children has their own "card book". It keeps our cards together. We can read and reread the cards. We can take them apart to play with them, organize them, sort them. There is no clutter. It is their own personal book. We can relive birthdays and other holidays. We can talk about family and friends.
What you need?
Speaking of cards, we have a birthday dinner to prepare for. We're off to pick up Mary Frances from school, make a carrot cake, set the table, and pick up the house.