My Inspirations

I was asked by a friend not long ago I have so many ideas for cooking and come up with my own recipes, do I ever get stuck on what to fix for dinner or run out of ideas. And if I do where do I go for inspiration.
Well I have to say that not every night do I fix a meal that I have come up with on my own, good grief that would take a lot of time and work. Most of my inspiration come from knowing what my family likes to eat and what they don't and then just trying different things in combination with each other until I hit on something really good.

One those night however that I am running dry on ideas there are a few places that I turn to for new ideas and inspiration.

My first one to share is Martha Stewart. I know most either love her or hate her. But I owe her the ability to make a flaky pie crust that is easy and delicious. My favorite part of the Martha Stewart world is Everyday Food Recipes. It is just as it sounds, everyday meals that can be cooked with minimum amount of fuss and with common everyday items that even I'm able to find in the aisles of Wal-Mart.

Great part of the web-site is the pictures

  The great feature of this is the Grocery Bag sections, a weeks worth of meals planned out and a shopping list prepared so that all you have to do is print and shop. Oh, and cook!

Now another place that I turn to when I'm not sure what to cook is the Betty Crocker web site. I love this one because you can enter what you have in your refrigerator or pantry and they will come up recipes for you! Also nice about this site is that it features recipes made from or with Betty Crocker products, such as Bisquick, Hamburger Helper, and cake mixes. If you are like me I almost always have some of these products in my pantry and they help make weeknight dinners quick and easy.

Now when I'm looking for something more special and that sometimes takes more time I turn to my cookbook by chef Curtis Stone. It is on sale right now on Amazon, for those interested. I first came across his cooking when he had a show on Discovery Channel called Take Home Chef. While his recipes are not for everyone I love them as they bring something beside steak and bake potatoes to the table and give the girls a chance to taste different food.

Other places I turn to my collection of cookbooks that I have collected over the years. I comb through the discount racks at the bookstores every time I go always looking for something new or something that looks good. I am also lucky in that I have my grandmothers recipe boxes and the hubby's great-grandmothers recipe boxes which are treasure troves of recipes that have been tried time and time again.

My one piece of advice is just do not be afraid to try something new. If a recipe seems kind of wired but contains individual ingredients that you like, try it. I did that once with a recipe for Veracruz Snapper that seemed a little bit off on the combination of ingredients and it is now one of our family's favorites. Yes, I will share that recipe in my next blog.