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.
I totatlly agree with you. Recently I have tried 3 new recipes for cabbage, and they were all great! I have never liked cabbage before, but now I can appreciate it!
I always like to try new foods. It keeps dinner interesting.
Thanks for the link-up.
Jen, Thanks so much for hosting this! There are always so many great links. I’m with you on the trying new things idea. There are so many great recipes to try…. I’m planning to do just that this week to mix up dinnertime. Have a wonderful day and thanks again for hosting!!!
I always make the same things!!! I need to add some new things to our menus desperately. Going to try more fish dishes, I think. I have tried sushi though, this summer, and loooooved it! Thanks for the link-up:)
I think for me just learning to cook seasonally has forced me to try new things. I’ve learned that everything in season tastes much better, costs less and requires fewer ingredients.
Can’t wait for that recipe!
I’m not very adventurous with food…I tend to get scared to eat weird things that I’m not used to. My husband has some jalopeno chips and I HATE jalopenos…he made me eat one and I was SO scared! I had my water ready when my mouth started on fire. It wasn’t so bad but never again!
Actually, since I got married in May and started meal planning based on sales and what I already have in the kitchen, we’ve tried A LOT of new things! Buying fresh produce on sale makes me think creatively! Some recent discoveries: scalloped cabbage, butter bean burgers, black bean burritos, sauteed spaghetti squash, and spinach brownies (don’t let the name freak you out; they’re not sweet- they’re awesome!!). Also, baked peanut butter oatmeal has become our new favorite breakfast!
Hmmm new foods…I roasted a butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper and nutmeg on Sunday and ATE THE WHOLE THING {by myself}.
Don’t be afraid of the sushi Jen – I am a huge proponent of non-fish sushi. For two solid years I preferred to eat eggplant nigiri over the fish offered on my mountain in Japan.
Are there any veggies that you love? I’ll make it work & teach you how on a Tuesday. Then you can try it at home!
@Teresa@where in the world?, Yum ,we are huge veggie lovers, it’s the thought of raw fish eggs that leaving me choose something else. I guess if it was offered by someone, I’d do it, but I would never want to actually order it, and it would have to taste really non fishy. I WISH I loved fish, but there are only a few fish that I eat, which is a bummer since it’s SO good for you. I’m not a picky eater….except for fish. lol
@Jens, I just reread my comment. I have to work on my use of directional adjectives in comments…I prefer veggie-only sushi. {Especially when I can’t judge the freshness of the fish & the cleanliness of the kitchen.}
Being picky with fish is okay. As my grandfather always asked “Can you see the ocean?”
@Teresa@where in the world?, haha…your Grandpa was a wise man. 🙂
I am in that recipe rut and trying to cook my way out of it!
HELP…I have tried clicking on pictures in your link up and nothing happens. What can I do?
Signed,
Desperate Cooker
@Angela at Coupon Makeover, hi Angela – I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it must be your connection. Try again, because clicking on the pictures should take your right to their recipe. 🙂 Hope you and your sweet family are doing well.
I DID try portabellas recently … what kept me from trying? My 15 yr old daughter inspired the choice, and I’m so glad. They were great!
I am always trying new recipes. We have plenty of fails, but plenty of success too. When I asked my family a few weeks ago, “what is one meal you would eat once a week”, I was excited to hear some new recipes made the list. One is even going to be for my daughters birthday meal.
My link today is a post from someone else and it too has made the “weekly” list.
Off to see what everyone else is making.
I love trying new foods. I recently tried lentils and have fallen in love with them! So versatile, so filling and so healthy, but don’t tell my kids! 😉
@Alea, oh we eat LOTS of lentils…I add them in everything. Don’t worry, my lips are sealed. 🙂
Jen! You must try sushi! It’s my favorite food. Start with something easy like a California roll.
I tried curried goat recently when out with friends. It wasn’t great but not gag worthy either 🙂
I’ve been trying root veggies. I’m trying to acquire a taste for them. 🙂 And I’m always trying new cheeses. Just got a couple new ones on Saturday from my Cheese Shop. I don’t have to work to acquire a taste for those. Funny how that is… 🙂
Yes, creativity in the kitchen is so essential to keep us motivated! I love mushrooms, but sadly e-Dad does not. Maybe I can make this pizza on a night he works late…
Blessings,
e-Mom @ Susannah’s {Kitchen}
Can’t wait to try the mushroom pizza sandwiches…we’ve been eating lots of marked down mushrooms lately!
Well, we’ve certainly had the big fat yeast roll before, but now we’re making them! My link above isn’t working, so it’s here under my name.
I was in a cooking rut for a very long time. We had a handful of meals that we ate, and nothing else. So I started trying new recipes. I’ve become obsessed and now I cook something new almost daily. I love it! 🙂
Good for you! I am “not a mushroom person” either…did your children like them??? 🙂
Am so thrilled to find Happy tuesday!!
So muc of deliciousness here!
I am linking up cow tongue – yes that is new to me! You really should try sushi – it is amazing@
I have challenged myself to serve meat only 2 times a week. I thought eating vegetarian would be awful, horrible, bland, ewww, yuck, and blech. Quite wrong, I was. The meals I found are DELICIOUS and so much easier. There is a lot more variety out there than I thought there would be. You just have to do a bit of digging!
Such great variety in this post! Last night was sage pork with homemade applesauce, perfect for a fall evening. And we had a Halloween party to go to, so we were all in costumes!
I just posted about the same thing yesterday! Always looking for new dinner ideas and inspiration. Thanks for hosting.
I was a super picky kid/young adult when it came to food. I literally had a month when I was a teenager where I ate nothing but s’more poptarts for breakfast/dinner and a cheeseburger from Wendy’s for lunch. It was bad. 😛
Anyway, since getting married my husband has helped me to overcome my fear of trying new foods. We are learning to cook together, and enjoying trying new things. We make it a point to grab a new or unusual ingredient every time we go grocery shopping.
Today we tried roasted asparagus for the first time. Hubby liked it, but it was a miss for me. Oh well, can’t win ’em all!
Not all sushi has to be fish. The Mr. is not a fan of raw fish so when I make him sushi for lunch I use buffalo chicken instead of fish.
Now chicken sushi…I would love that. I did NOT know that there were varying kind. I always assumed raw fish when people mention it.
I’m in a bit of a cooking rut lately too! I do like to try new recipes, so I need to sit down with my cookbooks (or the gazillion recipes I’ve torn out of magazines…ahem) and find some good ones!
I hate to admit it, but I’ve never really liked squash. I just tried some recently – zucchini, yellow squash, and spaghetti squash. They’re not my favorite thing, but I didn’t mind them a bit in recipes, so now I have another way to add in some veggies with dinner!
Thanks for hosting Jen!
I have started to saute spinach in a little olive oil and minced garlic. So good! I also have steamed cauliflower and then mashed it up. I add less than a tsp of butter and a dash or so of garlic salt. So good and good for you!
I recently tried making squash blossom pizza. It was GREAT I love discovering yummy new ingredients (added bonus if they are healthy!)
Wow so many recipes! I thought the wrap with the banana looked delicious and different. I’ll have to try that one!
ooooh. I am dying to get your portabella pizza recipe!