Half Hearted Chef

about me

I like cooking when I have the time, and the menu figured out. What I don't like about cooking is trying to please the whole family, since no one can agree on what to fix (hence my chef name). I also don't like having to come home from work and figure out a meal, then prepare it. I found that getting back to the basics of preparing a weekly menu, putting the menu ideas on the refrigerator, and buying for those specific meals really helps eliminate the stress. I have also started having my two kids (not really kids anymore) prepare one meal a week. Hopefully they are learing how to cook, or at least where to find the answers to their questions, so they won't starve to death if I'm not around.

I really like cookbooks that have a picture of each and every dish, and simple basic ingredients and directions. One of my favorite cookbooks is the Pilsbury Complete Cookbook. I got my first one from a high school cooking class, but it got destroyed in a spill, so I got another one. A similar type book I like is the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I also recently purchased The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, which has lots of info on the best ingredients, methods and equipment.

Since becoming a member, I have started my own cookbook with recipes I have posted here, or found by others. I used a 3-ring binder and clear sheet protectors to put the printed pages in. You can take one recipe out instead of having the whole book on the counter, and it's great to protect the paper (especially after the disaster mentioned above).

For anyone who has read this far, my icon is supposed to be half a heart, ha ha, cut from a tomato.

Favorite Foods:

Steak, anything Italian (except Calamari), Chocolate, Potatoes

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