How do you try all the new recipes??

[MarciaTJ]

Hi there-

Does anyone else have this delimma?? I lov eto cook, however I work full time, exercise regularly, and am studying in hopes of getting into graduate school.....since so many people carry these responsibilities plus so many more (like children), I am wondering how you are able to try all of the new recipes you find each month, and still enjoy your favourites?? Any tips?

[Gail]

Yes. Take a deep breath. Relax.

There are worse things than not having time to try recipes. Do it when you can. Live your life and enjoy. And if you have the urge, try a new recipe once in a blue moon.

Just to put things in perspective, this spring I finally tried a recipe I clipped in 1986! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[jd]

MarciaTJ, I have the same problem. I usually read through the new issue, yellow sticky the ones that look interesting and then watch the BB for reviews. I keep a good/bad list to compare to my stickies before I try a recipe (thanks to all of you that are more adventurous and try these out for me!). We've just started a Supper Club and are cooking from the current issue, so that let's us try 4-5 items each month. Lastly, I try to make about 3 new dishes per week. These things have kept me busy enough but able to have some new things to review. Good luck!

[Ralph]

Part of the pleasure my wife & I find in cooking IS making new recipes! Yes, we have accumulated a few favorites and those do get made on occasion.
I tend to find most of my recipes in CL (I have a subscription) and usually find many more enjoyable recipes in there than my wife does! So, she's a little more experimental; my plan involves just going thru each issue as it comes, pick out the recipes I like, and arrange to cook as many as possible over the course of the month. If I can't fill in blanks with recipes I've found elsewhere (like the Web), I'll fall back on an old favorite.
As for time to cook, we both work full-time & just plan our schedules to cook five nights a week. Having no kids "eases" the burden. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[andreajackson]

I seem to have this same dilemma! There are so many recipes that look great and I just don't know which ones to try. I am a faithful BB watcher so I keep my eyes open as to what others are saying about a particular dish.

[Beth]

Gail, how true. I have a Lemon Belgian Waffle recipe from a magazine (possibly one that is no longer published) that I have wanted to try for many years. Everytime I pull out a book, group of magazines or cruise through some other collection of recipes, I'm amazed at how many ideas I have tucked away. When I get bored with cooking, I have to admit it's a lack of time or energy, not possibilities.

[BernK]

I usually make new receipes at the weekend when I have more time. During the week I will try something like a crockpot recipe which will go all day. When I was growing up we knew what we were having for dinner by what day it was. My mother is a good cook she just didn't experiment much. I love to try something new and my husband is a wunderful guinea pig.

[lorilei]

I love having a bushel basket full of recipes to try when I have the time!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I tend to try new recipes on days when I'm feeling "inspired". During the week, the recipes I attempt will usually be more basic. Then on weekends, or when I'm having company, I'll attempt the more complicated dishes.

Since I'm not the planning type, you'll often find me scrummaging through my recipes at 5:00, looking for something interesting to make for dinner. I rummage until I find something I have all the ingredients for, and then I'm off to the kitchen to experiment. If a recipe is less than impressive, I'll usually toss it -- no point, after all, in saving the mundane when there's such a wealth of other stuff out there to try!!

[RUSTYSMOM]

Originally posted by MarciaTJ:
Hi there-

Does anyone else have this delimma?? I lov eto cook, however I work full time, exercise regularly, and am studying in hopes of getting into graduate school.....since so many people carry these responsibilities plus so many more (like children), I am wondering how you are able to try all of the new recipes you find each month, and still enjoy your favourites?? Any tips?
I AM JEALOUS - FORGET THE COOKING - HOW DO YOU FIND TIME TO EXERCIZE? thIS IS MY HUGE DEFICIENCY THESE DAYS!!

[lorilei]

You know, Marcia, I was thinking about this really hard -- even after I answered the first time -- trying to figure out how I REALLY make all of those recipes.

And then I realized... I don't. My husband is the big CL addict. We take turns cooking during the week, and he's always flipping through the magazine on his nights, looking for something to make. I think most nights that I cook I end up improvising. But, he's a recipe junkie -- and that's why I can actually contribute to these boards http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Laura]

It is hard, and I don't even work full time anymore. I have pretty much relinquished new recipes to the weekends (and even then it is usually only 1 or 2) With work, kids' homework, afterschool activities, volunteer commitments, I just decided to cut myself some slack somewhere. I try them on the weekend and if they are a success with everyone they make it into the weekly rotation. If not, they are either tossed or saved for times when it is just my SO and me.

[lindrusso]

Marcia -

Sounds as if you have a lot on your plate right now so as to make ANY cooking hard to fit in. When my life is busy I tend not to cook a whole lot or try new recipes, but the more practice I have had in planning, the more recipes I seem to be trying.

Like Ralph, one of the things that keeps me inspired to cook at all is trying new recipes. Lately I've been on a roll and have been trying at least 3 new recipes a week. I love trying new things.

However, when pressed for time or simply too tired to cook, I'll be more likely to use a familiar recipe that I sort of know by heart. Plus, there are just some favorites that MUST be repeated because we like them so much. However, if we don't LOVE a recipe, I don't usually repeat it unless it is attractive in another capacity -some recipes are "good" just because they are easy.

So, I guess I'm saying that sometimes the favorites get sacrificed in favor of trying new recipes, but there are those few recipes that I make sure to throw in the mix at least once a week. But as Gail said, relax - if it isn't fun or it becomes stressful then it just isn't worth it!

[MrsReber]

Well, it can be done. I work full time, go to the gym, and go to school one night a week. What I do is pick something simple if I want to try something on a weeknight. Then I buy the ingredients and I don't pick a particular day. This way, if I don't make the dish, oh well, no big deal. And I can make it any night and not feel locked in to a particular day. If it's a big dish that requires alot of work, I'll save it for the weekend. I don't usually try the dishes with ingredients that I wouldn't ordinarily use. We're used to eating late, too- around 7:30 or 8:00, so I usually have enough time to cook at night if I am getting home at 6:00.

[CL Fan]

When planning grocery lists, I try to pick out recipes from the current issue. Or if things don't jump out at me, I'll go to an old issue from the same month. It's convenient to have all the recipes that you want in the same magazine vs. having to hunt for them. I have to admit, though, that I have wonderful help.

[MarciaTJ]

Thanks so much for your tips,and examples of how you manage. I don't feel quite as overwhelemed as I once did!

[Cindy Rafferty]

Hi everyone. Our CL Supper Group has been an inspiration in getting me to try some new receipes. For instance, we did an Indian theme for our Sept. get together using some of the recipes from the Aug. '00 issue. This got me going on making Tomato Chutney (yum!) and trying to cook with Lentils for the very first time (Red-Lentil Soup). For Oct. I'm going to try the Sausage Soup with Spinach and Wild Rice.

When trying something new, I make a detailed list of the ingredients I'll need, and then take them with me to the Supermarket. It takes me awhile to find certain specialty items, like the sun-dried tomatoes packed without oil called for in the Aug. '00 cover issue. I go a'seaching alone with one child in school and one in preschool, otherwise I'd never get out of the market.

Things are getting easier as I become more familiar with CL recipes. I now stock diced tomatoes, low sodium chicken broth, lowfat yogart, and even orzo and feta cheese, items frequently called for in many of the favorites.

I visited the CL truck about a year ago, that got me started on baking scones. While I was working part-time, I had time to try alot of the baking stuff, but not alot of the main courses, which I find do require more planning on what to get ahead of time. I didn't really have this time until I became a stay at home Mom. But--I'm new to branching out with new recipes. I know other Moms who work full time, have families, and are able to try new recipes from CL every month, so yes, it's possible-
making the list is the key!