marinated portabella mushrooms

Cook it up, Fry it up, Bake it up, Dice it up, Mash it up…(chanted in a cheerleading tone)… day in, day out..does it ever stop?

Seriously, just when I have created a masterpiece for dinner, the family gobbles it up, I clean the kitchen, and the process begins all over again. Phew – does the phrase “cooking rut” come to mind? Who ever said our bodies need three meals a day (kidding…sort of)? 😉

The joy of spending time in the kitchen is lost on me when I resort to the same 3-4 meals every week. That’s when it becomes a chore, rather than a wonderful choice:  a key reason why meal planning is so important. I’ve fallen off that wagon lately, and need to put my big girl boots on and climb back in the driver’s seat to take control. When I sit down with my beloved cookbooks, and engage the creative process in the planning, my dreaded meal time mountain becomes a mole hill. There’s nothing like trying some fun new recipes to inspire kitchen creativity, and one of the reasons that Tasty Tuesday is such a success. Tried and true recipes by people I know and love excite me. You all inspire me!!
Typically, I don’t branch out in the foods I cook, and have about 10-15 delicious dinners in my repertoire, but recently, I made Portebella Mushroom Pizza Sandwiches and they were UNBELIEVABLE. I’ll make sure and get the recipe up in the next day or two, but I am NOT a mushroom lover and these have forever changed the way I think about “fungi.” 😉 Who would have thought to marinade, grill those mushrooms and stick them on a bun instead of resorting to a juicy burger? Not me, and that’s why sometimes we all need someone else to encourage us to think outside our locked cooking “box.”
How about joining me in a “31 Days to More with Less” challenge by trying one completely “new to you” recipe this week? Let’s get out of our cooking rut, and maybe in a week to come we can share our inspiration. Portebella Mushrooms, anyone?
What new foods have you tried lately? Is there anything you that just took you by surprise?
(I admit, I still have not tried sushi and I just don’t know if that will happen. I know, I know, I’m missing something special – maybe someday.)

Simple Rules for Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods – If you’re joining in with a recipe link, two simple requests. As always, please link directly to your recipe post and not your blog URL, so that everyone can find the recipe months from now.
Also, please link back to my site so that everyone can join in the fun. I don’t ask much in order to participate, but many of you are not linking back, and it’s just common courtesy of blog carnivals.