A Week of Cooking

Many of you know I'm not a big cook. :) I don't enjoy it, I find it bothersome, and would much rather save time warming up something in the microwave or oven then cut things, stir things, drizzle things, etc.

However, one of my new years goals is to try and be a better cook. Mostly it comes out of necessity. James still doesn't manage to get home many nights until 7 at night, and I want our kids to start winding down by 7:30 - so that means mom needs to cook.

I found a site called SayMmm.com, which essentially is an online meal planning site. It lets you plan out dinners, lunches, breakfasts, snacks, etc. - which is nice when you are counting calories (or your husband's calories since I'm not supposed to diet while nursing). It also lets you link recipes that you find online, and you just have to click on the day and meal and it brings you to the site. You can also type up recipes if you like, but I'd rather just look at them if I already have a hard copy version.

This is fun for me too because James is always telling me I need to branch out and try cooking new things. There are definite staples in our house that I make and I'm sure they get pretty boring after a while. :)

Anyways, I thought I would share some of the recipes I've been trying out and letting you know whether they were worth cooking or not. :)

This week I thought I'd try out some recipes that Mel's Kitchen Cafe swears are her "best" recipes. Basically, if you don't have time to sift through the recipes she just gives you the ones she likes the best. I thought it was a smart idea, and I thought I'd try out them out.

Tuesday:

Best Banana Bread - I made this last night for breakfast this morning and Jack already ate the entire top part of it off yesterday before I could cut a slice. It's all gone by today (Weds afternoon). I agree with her - the best Banana bread I've had. It's light both in color and on the stomach, and I really enjoyed the flavor. I'm already planning to make it again in a few days hehe.

The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup - Even James, who does not like broccoli or soup (espeically combined) said it was a good meal. I only used half an onion and the regular shredded cheddar/monteray package from Costco, and it still came out tasting great. If you normally like broccoli cheese soup this is definitely the best I've had.

The Best Drop Biscuits - Made these to go along with the soup. I really liked them. They seemed a little on the bitter/salty side, but were still yummy and I used the leftover buttermilk from the banana bread with it and it measured perfectly.