Tag: trying new recipes

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Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #79

Hello all!

Happy Friday! I hope you all are enjoying your week and have something fun planned for the weekend as we enjoy the first few days of a new month. I’m excited to dive into all things Valentine’s Day and love.

As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites as I share some of my favorite things from this past week. Let’s dive right in!

Thermos– I got this Thermos for Christmas and really have been loving it. I sometimes take soup or pasta to work, but didn’t always have the proper container to keep it warm and insulated. After I started using the thermos, it truly solves my problems. It keeps my food warm and fresh when I have warmer dishes, but it also does a great job at keeping my salads cool too. It’s also a great size for portions. Although, I tend to have access to a microwave to heat things up, this has been a great tool when I am on the go.

The Senator’s Wife– I finished The Senator’s Wife by Liv Constantine and absolutely loved it. I checked it out through Libby, an app that you can check out E-Books or Audiobooks through your library. I really have been loving it, I’m currently listening to an audiobook now. The Senator’s Wife is a drama/thriller that involves a senator and his new wife and some of the challenges and drama they go through, especially when she starts to get very sick. The story is through four different perspectives as the events unfold. The middle and ending were so good that I kept looking for pockets of time to read more, that’s when you know it’s a good book. 

Indoor Cycling– We have been getting lots of snow over the past few weeks which means I haven’t been able to get outdoors for running. I’ve done some running on the treadmill, but have also enjoyed indoor cycling to get my cardio in. Although I prefer running more, riding the bike has been a great alternative in the winter months. I often listen to a podcast or audiobook when I’m on the bike, or I’ll respond to emails. I like trying different forms of cardio when working out, just to work on different muscle groups. I may even lean more into outdoor cycling when in the spring and summer

Pinterest Recipes- A lot of recipes I have been trying recently have come from Pinterest. I have been using Pinterest almost as google when it comes to trying new dishes. I love finding different recipes and meals to put together on Pinterest and most of the time the directions are easy to follow. I have had success in the kitchen recently and plan to keep testing out new recipes, whether they be meals or a baked good (or both) every week. Tell me what are some of your favorite cozy recipes?

Air Fryer Recipes– From one meal related topic to another. My family got an Air Fryer for Christmas and have used it a handful of times but want to use it more. What are some of your favorite Air Fryer recipes? I’m looking for healthy food options. We have tried chicken tenders and enjoyed them and have also tried to heat up different foods like pizza, wings, etc. For any Air Fryer lovers out there, what are your favorite things to make and what should I try? Let me know in the comments below! I appreciate any suggestions. Thank you in advance!!!

That’s a look into life lately and what I’m loving. Tell me: what’s been catching your eye this week? 

Categories
Fun Ways to Organize Let's Get Cooking

Recipe Organization and Planning

Hello all!

Happy Wednesday! I can’t believe we are one week away from Thanksgiving. This month has flown by. I am looking forward to the bonus time with family next week, the delicious food, and getting into the holiday spirit after Thanksgiving. The older I get the more I cherish the time my whole is together because I know it won’t be that way forever. I’m feeling extra grateful this holiday season. Speaking of the holiday season, it also leads to more time in the kitchen.

One of my favorite hobbies that I have developed over the past year or so has been cooking and baking. I always enjoyed helping my mom in the kitchen as a child, whether it be helping bake cookies or with dinner.  As an adult, I have continued to love to spend time in the kitchen both baking family-favorite foods or trying new recipes.  I love finding new recipes from blogs, Pinterest and cookbooks. However, it can get overwhelming when you find recipes and then don’t get a chance to try them if you misplace or don’t save them. Over the past few months, I have developed a system when it comes to finding new recipes from cookbooks and blogs, saving them, trying them out and saving the recipe in my own cookbook.

I love finding new cookbooks and trying new recipes

Here’s how my system works:

  • Browse and tab recipes- Whenever I get a new cookbook or I’m reading a recipe blog and I see a recipe I like, I immediately tab and save it. I use sticky notes for cookbooks and then for blogs online I will save the page. On Pinterest,  I have a food board that I save all recipes I like. 
Browsing a cookbook
Using sticky tabs for my favorites
  • Add recipes to Notes in my phone- When I am done browsing a cookbook or after I find a recipe I want to try online, I add it to a note on my phone. I have a note saved of a list of all the recipes I want to try divided up by season and where I can find them.  For example, a hearty dish from one of Jessie James Decker’s cookbooksk would be under the winter or fall sections. I only keep meals on this note, not drinks or desserts. I only use this for cookbooks and blogs, not Pinterest, I will check that occasionally for specific recipe ideas. This way when I am looking to try a new recipe, I have a list of things I want to try and I know exactly where to find them, whether they be in a cookbook or online.
Some of the recipes I was to try and where I found them.
More recipes to try!
  • Time to Cook or Bake- Once I have settled on my recipe, I get my ingredients and cook or bake it and (hopefully) enjoy it!
The final result
  • Save the Recipe- If the meal is a success, I do a few things. First, I took it off my notes list since I have already tried it. If I found the recipe in a cookbook, I was replace the sticky note with a new color, so I know for future reference that I have tried it, and it was a success and I want to cook it again. If I find the recipe online whether it be on a blog or Pinterest, I will type up the recipe, with a photo of it and add it to my own personal cookbook. I got this cookbook from Simplified, and I love it. I have it filled with family recipes and recipes from blogs or Pinterest. I have each recipe typed up and in a protective cover and organized by course of meal (appetizer, breakfast, lunch, dinner etc.) From there, recipes are organized by the type of meal (for example under main courses, I have a section for chicken, pork, pasta, beef etc.) This keeps all recipes from family members or online in one spot that’s easy to find.

This system has worked great for me over the past year. I love how I have a whole slew of recipes at my fingertips and then I have a place with them all saved to make again in the future. Although this system may seem complex and tedious, it has become second nature to add recipes I want to try to my list and then type them up when I am done. I keep my personal cookbook with my other cookbooks in one spot, so they are all easy to grab and cook.

If you love being in the kitchen as much as I do, what are some of your tips and tricks when it saving and trying recipes? I would love to hear them! Enjoy your time in the kitchen!