Not So Ruthless

I got on a pretty good roll with getting some quilt work done, but then got side-tracked yesterday.  I'm not really sure how, but I did.  It could be it was that box of magazine recipe pages and notebooks sitting close to my bed that started calling to me.  I have a LOT of things that call to me like that!

It may look empty, but much of the contents are still on my work surface.  There IS less, but I'm afraid I was not as ruthless as I could or should be.  I still have in my mind to create weekly menus from which I'll do my weekly general grocery shopping and monthly Costco shopping.  I had put together some of those weekly menus before, and they were in this box, but need to fine tune them some and put together more.  I like trying new recipes as I get tired of the same old meals over and over again.  The biggest problem though right now, is not having my full kitchen.  So this may all go back into a box, albeit a smaller one.  

I am happy to declare that I did get rid of quite a bit of the recipes.  Some just no longer appealed to me, and some I knew would not appeal to Marty or Nick.  Marty doesn't like rye so anything with rye or caraway had to go.  Nick is allergic to peanuts, so some of those went, but some I kept figuring I can substitute cashew or almond butter in.  Some were just more complicated, used  pricey or unique ingredients or tools which I've determined I don't have time for now.  You know the ones - they come from Gourmet, or Sunset or Bon Appetit.  Some foods no longer agree with me so some of those got tossed, but unfortunately, I had a real problem getting rid of all those recipes that could pack on pounds, you know, the comfort foods and desserts.  I've found that those from Cooking Light are sometimes just a little too light for our tastes.  Not that we couldn't stand to eat a lot lighter!

SO much clutter to wade through; how did it get this way?  One bite of that elephant at a time!  

Recipe Inundation

Recipe keeper.  Recipe clipper.  Recipe filer. Cookbook collector.  TV food channel watcher.  Internet Foodie.  Do these terms fit you?  They fit me.  

I've gathered recipes since my childhood.  I have made many and rid myself of many.  I have favorite cookbooks, and books I've rarely opened.
 

My all-time favorite set of cookbooks

Repetition becomes boring; I like variety and experimentation, and trying new recipes on Nick and Marty can be fun, and enlightening. 

Many times I've picked through the recipes and created weekly menus.  I've inventoried my pantry to make it easier to determine what I have and what I need to buy.

Front left = pile to sort through, back right = to keep for a "better kitchen", right front = menus, back left = possibilities

One year I went through a cookbook that was a year of weekly menus along with shopping lists.  The exercise was good, the menus and recipes not so much - though some were good and became keepers, I found most didn't fit our eating habits or style and sometimes the meals were far too skimpy, or just not to our liking.  There were times I intentionally had to modify the plan.

I've been culling through those stacks of recipes again. Attempting to put together some new weekly menus of my own.  Attempting to incorporate some breakfast, and lunch plans as well since Marty is presently at home.  Thinking about doubling up some of those meals for freezer meals or freezing leftovers in individual servings for at home lunches.  It can be overwhelmingly time consuming.  

Considerations in my planning are that my kitchen is not efficient nor entirely functional due to the kitchen remodel that didn't happen (no real oven, minimal counter space), and Nick's pickiness and peanut allergy though the latter is less of a concern.

The ones that just don't cut it end up in the paper recycle bag.

The last couple of years have seen far too much reliance on quick meals and convenience foods, so I'd like to get away from that, plus, I'm just getting tired of some of those same old things again.  I need to plan my shopping better and use up some of the things that have hung around in the pantry for awhile.

That's my project for today, and likely the next few days.  I did a little bit of quilting piece-work yesterday or the day before, and will fit some more in today or tomorrow too.