My Dinner Planning Method

I grew up with a Mom that could cook. We had family dinner's every night at the dinner table and they were (usually) really good. We also went to restaurant's a lot when I was a kid and I had the opportunity to try a lot of different kinds of foods. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that now. I am NOT a picky eater. There isn't anything I won't try once.

Brandon and I saw eye-to-eye on keeping the dinner every night together thing alive right away. He also grew up having family dinner's. And he also will try almost any food. And so will our kids. Because we've exposed them to things they didn't think they'd like and made them try it anyway.

Not to toot my own horn or anything but I think I'm a pretty good cook (guess my Momma taught me well.) I seem to have a knack for knowing what spices or other foods would complement whatever I'm throwing together. And I like to cook. I love to try new foods and, as a result, I like to try to cook new foods. In fact, we try to work at least one new food a week in. Sometimes it's a hit, sometimes not so much. But because I work, and cooking when you get home from work is not always a desirable, I make a menu and shop two weeks in advance. I get asked occasionally by friends for my menu. It makes me laugh when they read it and say, "What is this?"

So tonight I'm sharing my list with you. Here is a sample of one of my menus:

• Baked seasoned chicken - my special veggie rice - green beans
• Homemade Crock Pot Chili
• Bacon swiss & spinach quiche
• Chicken Tacos (we have a new "no-tomato" salsa to try with this one)
• Marinated steak - fried fingerlings (red/yellow/purples) - broccoli
• Baked pork chops with mushroom gravy - wild mushroom couscous - corn
• Pasta Primavera
• Stir Fry (this is an easy one to try new things in - try bamboo shoots)
• Homemade Pad Thai
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Sauce Marco Polo (a recipe my mom got off Mr. Roger's Neighborhood when I was a kid)
• Hors de Oeuvre's (Lilly's Birthday. I'm making a bunch of stuff that night)
• Red Robin (Lilly's Birthday Party)
• Free night....I'm looking for a good recipe for Red Curry....

So that's what we'll be eating. Of course things change and we keep it flexible. Nothing has to be made on a particular night (except Lilly's Birthday this week). It really is fun to work new things into your menu. They say variety is the spice of life - I say I'd like to know what's in "variety" so that I could see what I could cook with it!