Nutty Brown Rice Pilaf that will make you beg for more

 One of the things that I love about cooking is the fact that there is no end to the possibilities.  There are so many different varieties of dishes out there that I could cook a different meal every night and still never run out of options.  There are so few things in life that are that endless in possibilities. And for people who feel stuck in dull rut in their life, having that kind of change and excitement to something as simple as an evening meal can be a breath of fresh air.  I challenge myself to try to discover a new recipe at least once a week, not just because I have a blog to write but because we need that little bit of variety in our lives to distract us from times in life that can feel stressful and repetitive.

This particular discovery of a new way to prepare brown rice was so popular that my family begged me to make it again, threatening to delete my photos so that I would be forced to make it again. But they don't need to worry about following through with their threats, even looking at the photos again is making my mouth water for this delicious, nutty side dish.

Refusing to allow homemade cookies to become a dieing trend

There is just something about the smell of baking cookies that puts a smile on faces young and old.  It's a smell that warms you from the inside out, even before you have taken your first bite.  Because of convenience we have sadly become a society that bakes less and less, instead looking to store bought brands to feed our sweet tooth.  But when you look at the overall cost of that one box of cookies and how much it costs to bake them from scratch you might discover as I did that I was losing money going for the store bought versions.  So not only was I losing that amazing warming smell and the moist goodness of homemade cookies, I was paying more!  As you may have come to realize through reading this blog that is a big pet peeve of mine.  Why pay more when I can do it for less and it tastes better?  Yes life does get busy and it is hard to make the time to make things from scratch but I have found if I really want something I make the time for it. Making the time for something like homemade cookies is just one of the ways that I like to tell people that I love them and from the smiles I get afterwards I think they know it.

Finding ways to enjoy time with friends and family on a budget

During hard financial times it is often easy to get discouraged.  When you no longer have the money to go out and it can leave you feeling isolated as you opt to stay in more and not hang out with friends because you don't like to be reminded about the things you can't do because of money.  But it doesn't have to be like that, in fact it is times like this that should bring us all a lot closer together.  One great way to save money and still enjoy your relationships is to plan a family/friend potluck BBQ.  Have everyone bring their own meat and a side dish and plan a meeting place.  If you have a large enough space in your garden plan it there, if not find a local park with picnic tables and BBQ pits.  You can even plan different lawn games to make sure kids and adults alike have fun things to do without spending a lot of money.  Getting together for a potluck saves money by having everyone chip in the cost of a meal out and it provides a much needed social time for families and friends.

There is a wonderful abundance of cheap, delicious potluck ideas out there on blogs and recipe sites you can find suggestions from Celebrity Chef's like Bobby Flay's Honey-Rum Baked Beans or Jamie Oliver's Pasta Salad.  But by far my favorite is a recipe is one that I found from Allrecipe.com, I altered it slightly to fit my taste and this dish has become a standard that has people asking for the recipe every time.

The creaminess of Macaroni and Cheese without the added fat

You never know where you will find your next inspiration for dinner, it can come from reading a blog, a magazine article or maybe even just a recommendation from a friend.  Keeping your mind open to new ideas can help keep your meal times interesting so that your family looks forward to a night in rather then spending money on an expensive night out.  For this recipe I found inspiration in my mother-in-law's Weightwatchers cook book, Fabulous & Filling.  So not only was this a delicious meal but I knew that it was a slightly better for your option that I could feel good about.

Discovering new Pesto Sauces and falling in love with the results

So I love hunting for new inspiration of recipes to try and it often takes me to new places of discovery.  The other day I found myself searching through images from a website that I use called Seriouseats.com and I stopped in my tracks when I stumbled upon this incredible recipe.  It was one of those love at first sight situations and I just knew I had to make it.  The best thing about it for me was that all of the ingredients were things that I keep stocked in my pantry on a regular basis.  Which means that this is a simple dish that I can create cheaply because all of the ingredients are on hand. I altered the recipe slightly to make it a much easier dinner to throw together and I am happy to say the result had people scrapping their plates for every last drop. And personally nothing says success better then that.

Changing up lunch with a cold noodle salad

Lunch doesn't always have to be sandwiches, as there are an abundance of alternatives that are easy as well as portable for packed lunches.  Some favorites in my house are cold noodle salads or couscous salads, which are an incredibly easy and filling solution while still being light.  For this particular dish I used Cantonese Style noodles that I bought from a Chinese Supermarket.  I have talked about this a few times and I just wanted to mention it again, finding a Ethnic Supermarket can be an wonderful way to get a great bargain.  I am able to buy things like oil, soy sauce, noodles and tofu and much cheaper prices then I would find in the regular supermarket.  Do a little research in your town, it may surprise you to find that there are one or two small ethnic grocery stores in your area that you didn't even know about.  Their appearance on the outside might intimidate you if you have never been to something like that before but give it a try. They are often small, family run operations that need the community's support to survive and as I mentioned it will give you access to ingredients that are either hard to find in the regular supermarket or at least cheaper.  I have so much fun stocking myself up with noodles so that I always have something unique within reach for a quick meal.

Spicing up the old standards

I loving taking old standard dishes and giving them a new twist, for me it is the best of both worlds.  I can have an old childhood favorite dish with a more sophisticated flavor, a total win win.  Today still focusing on lunch ideas I decided to feature one of my twists on grilled cheese.  Grilled cheese has always been one of my favorite comfort foods.  A few years ago I started trying out different ways that I could turn an old childhood favorite into a dish that I would want to show off to guests.  I have come up with a few versions but this by far is my favorite.

Don't allow lunch to become the dull meal of the day

For me there is nothing more dull for lunch then a really boring sandwich.  The thing is that I do love sandwiches it is just more often then not it can be a very dully prepared item.  It doesn't have to be that way! Challenging yourself to come up with more exciting sandwiches not only makes your taste buds sing but it can be economical because you are less tempted to go out and spend money on lunch when your own homemade lunch is something you are actually looking forward to eating.  So for fun I have challenged myself to come up with delicious and easy sandwich recipes.  I am ending this week with my first recipe as I prepare for my lunch focused blog week next week. The challenge being to add some excitement and flavor to what can often be a rather simple meal.

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

For me dinner should never be boring.  I love to constantly try new things and see what new creations I can come up with so that dinner is always exciting.  When you get stuck in a rut it can be more tempting to go for the easy pre-prepared items from the store as your source of exciting dinner choices.  But they are rarely economically priced for what you get and definitely not a healthy choice.  Challenging yourself to not get in a rut and try new things can be hard because we often think of new things as difficult.  But that is not always the way it is, there are hundreds of dishes out there that are new and exciting without being difficult to make. For my new inspiration for this dish I did a little research online, I was looking for a stuffed pepper recipe that already utilized many things that I had on hand.  I found the recipe at Midwestvegetarian.com, if you are a meat eater never be afraid of finding recipes from vegetarian sites. The dishes are often so full of flavor because they don't contain meat that they make even the pickiest carnivores happy.