Cooking 101

Lately, I have really had the desire to cook, try new recipes, etc. I realized that I do love the cooking aspect, but my hardest thing is deciding WHAT to cook. So, to alleviate some of the pressure of having to make a grocery list NOW, and to avoid the stress of not knowing what to cook, I decided to sit down and make a monthly meal plan. I did this for September, and it was a LIFESAVER! It took me about an hour to go through my recipes to decide what to put where, but it was sooo worth it.

Here are some things I took into consideration. We lead a small group at our house every Tuesday. No matter what, it never feels like there is enough time in the day to get everything done on Tuesdays, so I tried to make all meals on Tuesdays as quick and easy with the least amount of mess possible. I know we usually have dinner somewhere else once a week. It might be the Shiver's house, Gma Ann who makes us dinner every other Wednesday, or a family night out somewhere. So I usually leave one day blank. And I also tried to have one crockpot meal per week; that way if something came up during the week and I knew I'd be gone for the day, I could put something in the crockpot, thus eliminating the temptation to just swing by and get fast food.

Now I'm on to planning October, and things are a little more crazy. Miles is in swim lessons until 6pm every Tuesday and Thursday, and I am working every Thursday from now on. But I did the upcoming month's calendar faster than last month, and I'm really excited about it (as is evidenced by an entire blog devoted to the topic) :) It really makes life easier. Now, every Thursday (I usually shop Fridays), I just sit down and make a list of all the ingredients I need to buy for the upcoming week. Easy as pie!!! (BTW--I don't know who made that saying up--pie is usually far from easy to make!).

That being said, I have taken a big liking to watching FoodNetwork. I've gotten some great ideas, and filled a lot of October's calendar up with new recipes to try--including Bruchetta Chicken, and Homemade Meatball Sandwiches! mmm!

My dad was an EXCELLENT cook, and loved watching Iron Chef on Food network. He was really into making new recipes and trying new things. I'm pretty sure that I got this cooking urge from him. My mom recently gave me a garlic press that dad bought but never used. And if you eat at my house, you know that I put fresh garlic in just about EVERYTHING. So almost every night I use it and think, "This one is for you, dad!"

Yesterday was a gloomy, rainy, and yet PERFECT fall day! I was reading a friend's blog and she had shared a recipe for Caramel Corn. I decided to try it and OH MY GOSH was it delicious! Thanks Nikki for sharing, I hope you don't mind if I pass it along! See below, and enjoy!

6 quarts popped popcorn
2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. butter
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Place popcorn in a large bowl and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla and baking soda; mix well. Pour over popcorn and stir until well-coated. Pour into two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 250° for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

And now I'm off to do a little reading, snack on a little caramel corn, and wait for my babies to wake up. Beef Strogonoff for dinner tonight---Papa Miles's recipe. Yummmmy!

xoxo,