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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

What's for dinner?

I have had quite the struggle creating a dinner menu as of late. In the two years we've been married, I plan for the week and shop accordingly. It's been increasingly difficult to be creative in generating new ideas, thus turning into the same old same old. Who likes that? Input is appreciated but it's just as hard sometimes for Scott to devise the menu as I.

I've tried the plan-as-you-go method (which goes against all of my type-a ways) and inevitably I went to the store MORE planning only for that night or two days in a row. No bueno.

So, I feel like I am stumbling on an obvious idea, but I think cataloguing each meal that we really enjoy will make it easier to reference that 10 cookbooks or my excessive list on FoodNetwork.com.

This struggle also made me consider how much of our dinner menus are influenced by our parents meals growing up. I can say firmly that chicken divan has NOT graced my lap (no dining table yet.) But we have our fair share of tacos, enchiladas, steak, fish, and sloppy joe's (though a revamped recipe courtesy Pioneer Woman.) This is not special fare by any means, but it made me realize how generic our palates. I think the most exotic addition as of late was quinoa and couscous. The man in my life was not a fan of the latter, at least the way I made (though Kerri made a variety he enjoyed).

I'd be interested to know the sources people turn to for their grocery shopping lists. Mine are primarily food blogs and and recorded FoodNetwork shows, courtesy of Ina and Giada.

1 comment:

Kelly said...

I'm have the same creativity issues in the kitchen. I'd love to hear how others do it.