Easy Planning- What's for Dinner
Deciding what to make for dinner used to be another chore to cross off my to-do list. It's no wonder I often chose to eat out instead, or stayed home and opened the fridge and cupboard a hundred times I just decided to make microwave popcorn for dinner.
So what changed for me, that made it easier and more fun to decide what to make for dinner?
Well, the formula I discovered is pretty simple:
> Start with 1 new, fun, or favorite ingredient
+ Add 1 or more staples on hand
+ Combine with a dose of Inspiration
= Fabulous idea for dinner at home!
Getting started- ideas on how to discover new, fun, & favorite ingredients:
Sign up for a C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture) share. Look for local farms or co-ops that offer a family sized share of vegetables, eggs, or even meats, which are grown and delivered to a nearby location to pick up throughout the growing season.
Shop for ingredients at specialty markets that look interesting (local butcher, cheese shop, farmer's markets). Many places will let you sample items.
Grow herbs, fruits & vegetables in your yard, or even in containers on your deck (fresh herbs, rhubarb, cherry tomatoes, raspberries are easy to grow options in my small piece of Minnesota) and/or just say "yes" when your neighbor has an abundance they are eager to give away (I'm looking at you, green beans, apples & zucchini,). I learned how to make chilaquiles because a friend had a bumper crop of tomatillos that had to get used.
Recommendations for staples to have on hand:
Because I need to be gluten-free, for me, these are things like potatoes, arborio rice (for risotto), parmesan cheese, eggs, sweet and spicy peppers, avocado, tomato sauce, curry seasonings, carrots, onions, garlic, kale, butter, bacon, gluten free pasta and sauces
We also can fruits and vegetables, and freeze meats (venison sausage, pork tenderloin, fish) to keep on hand.
Ideas for inspiration:
Look through that dusty stack of cook books you have on hand (or check out a few from the library). My favorites include recipes from Alice Waters, Amy Thielen, Rick Bayless, The Flavor Bible, and the recipes printed in my CSA newsletters
Look online at favorite blogs, Facebook posts and Pinterest. A word of warning though; many recipes you find have not been tested, so your results may vary! That said, try it anyway, and make your own adjustments by trial and error.
Take a cooking class through Community Education, at a local kitchen shop, or even online. Some of my favorites: a local Indian foods class through Community Ed, a Kitchen Window class on making sauces, and Thomas Keller's course on Masterclass.com
My final bit of advice is Don't be afraid to try new things, and be sure to record your successes and share them with others! Happy experimenting!
