Tips Tuesday! Cooking

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This Tuesday, it's all about the cooking! I really do like to cook (I'm not good at it, but it's improving!) Since I'm a budding cook, I look to all sorts of places to find my inspiration. Some of the main requirements are that the recipes have to be healthy and delicious! They also need to have some form of meat - my husband doesn't do vegetarian! Here are some of my favorties.

The Pioneer Woman - seriously, this woman rocks! I don't know of too many in the blogosphere who hasn't heard of her. Not only is she hilariously funny, but this girl can cook! I love trying out the recipes that she posts on her website. Last night I made her recipe for homemade spaghetti and meatballs. De.lic.ious! Not only did my husband and I like it, but it received rave reviews from our four munchkins! I really need to buy her new cookbook!

The Food Network - Wouldn't it be awesome to be able to have your kitchen set up like the onee on the Food Network? I'd just like to have the clean up crew! Sometimes I think my husband thinks I am the clean up crew. Anyway, there are some very easy and delicious recipes on the website that my family loves. Hello, Paula Dean? We made her chocolate lava cakes on Valentine's Day - Oh. My. Goodness!!

So I do a lot of recipe searching on the weekends. I wish that I had time to make a bunch of new recipes every week, but let's face it, with a full time teaching job and four kids, it doesn't happen. So there a lot of stand by meals that we plan from week to week. On the weekends, I will meal plan for the week. I willl write everything down, and check with what we've got in the pantry. From there, I will send my husband grocery shopping (sometimes I go too) to make sure we have everything on hand for our meals for the week.

I make the decision about what my husband or I cook based on what is going on in the evening. For example, last night, we had nothing going on, so I could make home made spaghetti and meatballs. Tonight we were slammed with tutoring, a choir concert, and a basketball game, so it was steak sandwiches (from Sunday's dinner). Planning really helps with keeping the food budget down. We can avoid the drive thrus a lot more.

So there you have it, this is how we roll with cooking in a busy household of six! How does it roll in your house?