When you are seriously tired of being asked (and having to figure out) “what’s for dinner?” every night you can see the wisdom in new ideas and suggestions. One idea you might consider is to put your weekly dinner menus on overdrive; meaning plan once and know what you’re eating for a very, very long time.

Sound good? Here’s how the idea works.

– Use the Revolving Method

The Revolving Method of menu planning goes like this: gather about 30 recipes that your family loves. These can be longtime favorites as well as any new meals your family enjoys. Get out your weekly dinner menus and start putting these meals into the daily slots.

The truth behind this easy idea is that most families have between 20 and 30 meals that they eat over and over again. So take advantage of this fact. Instead of wandering around the kitchen for 30 minutes and finally deciding to have hamburgers - again - just put hamburgers on the meal plan once a month.

– Pizza night

Many families have some sort of a family night where they have a favorite food. Pizza, wings, tacos and more are often on this list. My family has been having pizza night once a week for almost 30 years!

This is a great meal to combine with a family movie or a fun board game; whatever your family enjoys doing together. And your family’s favorite food gets a spot reserved for it on your weekly dinner menu. Another meal taken care of.

– Add take-out

We all have evenings that just don’t allow for a sit-down dinner or spending an hour cooking in the kitchen. So instead of having those nights sneak up on you and then feeling guilty about them, why not look at your calendar and plan your take-out nights? Staying in control of them allows you to limit them according to your budget and schedule them when they’ll do you the most good.

By this time you should have a month’s worth of weekly dinner menus planned and filled out. Draw up a grocery shopping list from these menus. Also write out a produce list for each week. Now you’re ready to go shopping once for the main shop and only once a week for perishables.

And no more wandering in your kitchen!

A diverse menu is a smart menu, and anybody who runs or is simply a part of a successful restaurant will surely agree.The ability to consistently keep patrons satisfied is vital to any eateries success, but it is equally if not more important to ensure that they come back with friends and family for a second (and third and fourth) visit. The more people that leave your restaurant satisfied, the more return customers you will have. A diverse menu will make sure that these people never get bored of the same dishes and can keep trying a delicious new dish that they can rave about to ever more family and friends. While some aspects are a bit different, the same logic can be applied to a parent saddled with the responsibility of providing dinner on a nightly basis to his or her family. Learning how to cook king crab legs is one way of accomplishing this seemingly daunting feat.

Many parents serve the same types of food day in and day out to their family for dinner. While this undoubtedly gets the job done, it removes a lot of the fun that can come from serving your loved ones carefully prepared and constantly changing spices and flavors. Mixing some Alaskan seafood into your repertoire is an excellent way to keep fresh and different dishes coming out of your kitchen and on to your family’s plates.

One of the most versatile and easy to prepare types of Alaskan seafood is the king crab. Knowing how to cook king crab legs, for example, is shockingly easy and extremely healthy, making it a perfect choice for any mother or father tired of dolling out the same meatloaf every week. With dishes such as Alaska crab wrap sandwich, king crab royal or simply preparing and serving Alaska crab legs with a handful of various dipping sauces will delight everybody at the table, and make you look like a five-star chef. Moreover knowing how to cook king crab legs saves you time as well: each of these meals can be prepared in almost no time, allowing you to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your family enjoying your scrumptious, new dinner.

When it comes to eating seafood, there is one source that has it all: the waters of Alaska. There is everything a seafood lover could dream of in these teeming seas, something for every taste. Some species have very strong flavors, others mild, and some species are very adaptable to different kinds of cuisine, like fresh Alaska cod. In addition to being tremendously abundant in the Alaskan waters, cod is very versatile in the kitchen, given its excellent texture, its large flakes, and its incredibly smooth flavor.

Few other species of fish have the mass appeal of cod-you might call it one of the least fishy of fish. Apparently, that is a quality many people enjoy, and it makes cod one of the most ubiquitous seafood items in the country, and many places abroad as well. It is one of the most common fish species to use when making fried fish products, as its firmness is ideally suited to extra handling; it doesn’t come undone like many other kinds of fish often do. But frying is only one option when working with fresh Alaska cod: it is great no matter what you do with it, whether you throw it in the oven or under the broiler, whether you steam it, grill it, sauté it or smoke it. The consistency of the flesh-the large, firm (but not at all chewy) and moist flakes-almost always maintains itself very well, and isn’t quite as averse as many other kinds of fish to longer cooking times or higher temperatures. Whereas many such species often turn to soft that you can’t even tell you’re eating meat, cod keeps its ideal texture for a relatively long time (in terms of cooking and/or preservation).

Cod is always best when properly seasoned; its mild flavor really allows a cook to infuse lots of other flavors into a dish. A good way to boost the flavor of your fresh Alaska cod is to let it sit for a few hours (overnight in a closed container for best results) in a marinade with lots of aroma and taste. One such classic concoction can be attained in the following way: in a food processor, chop up a hefty amount of fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano and garlic, and begin to add extra virgin olive oil as the ingredients begin to be turned into a paste by the blades. If you’ve used a few tablespoons of olive oil, then add about a cup of chardonnay white wine afterwards; add some salt and pepper to the marinade, and then pour it over several fresh Alaska cod fillets, immersing them in the liquid as best as possible. After several hours, remove and grill a few minutes on each side, making sure the bars of the grill are well greased.

Anybody can roll out the chips and dips but we want you to be electrifying and rip roaring fun. This party will go down as one of the best in the neighborhood. Yeaaaaa you!!!

So you will need a few different things. How about a multicolor flame in the fireplace or if not fireplace, a fire pit. What? No fire place or pit either? Where is that old kiddie swimming pool, you know, the one you were going to give it away but it’s still stuck behind the stairs. Well drag it out, fill it half way full with sand and rocks. Then go gather up all the candles you can find. If they are 3 inches or shorter, sit it on a rock, then pile the sand around them. It doesn’t matter what color they are, bring them out of hiding. It will be a beautiful accent to your patio, also, it will keep the skeeters and those noseeums away from your guest.

You have the Tuna Delight sandwich so now we need some finger foods. Fresh fruit and vegetables are always a hit. Buy them whole and cut them up yourself, will save you lots of money. Use 3-4 dipping sauces and it’s a go.

If you do not have an old family recipe, use Krafts’ Catalina French Dressing and a good Ranch Dressing, like Hidden Valley, for the Veggies. A warm caramel or milk chocolate works wonders on the fruit. I also like a natural honey for my fruit too. All are simple and fun to eat.

If you have a dollar store nearby I want you to go look in their food isles for snack products. Mine has a large selection of crackers and cookies. I use 3-4 different kinds of crackers to make one bite wonders. Using vanilla wafers I can make five different small deserts. Choosing three to five different flavors or types of crackers gives me an endless variety of tastes.

Vanilla Wafers:

Turn wafer over and spread peanut butter on it, then a slice of banana with just a smidgen of chocolate syrup.

On the bottom of another one put Cool Whip, a fresh raspberry with shaved milk chocolate. [Hershey Candy Bar will work fine]

Place two wafers together with the peanut butter, then dip it in melted almond bark.

Ritz type Cracker:

Spread some herbed cream cheese and top with fresh basil and chopped tomato.

Captain’s Cracker

Top with thin slices of fresh pear and white cheddar cheese

Wheat Thins

Minced chicken salad and half a cherry tomato

As I said, the possibilities are endless.

For a full list of recipes, decoration ideas and directions, please go to my website. Oh!, And don’t forget to invite me to the party.

Faylee

Professional cooks know a dash of this and a pinch of that brings out flavor. These little additions are often secret. Other additions, like adding freshly-ground peper to raspberries, are more obvious. I love to cook and most of the meals I fix for my family are homemade. But when I am pressed for time, I will use convenience foods, and many excellent products are available.

Before a product reaches store shelves, the company spends thousands of dollars on product development, taste tests, and test marketing. The result is a product with broad appeal. Most convenience foods taste good. You can make them taste even better by adding pure extracts, fresh herbs, spices, fruit juice, and zest. One small addition can make quick fix products taste like homemade. These additions also make your made-from-scratch recipes taste better. Here are 20 ideas.

* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to corn muffin mix

* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to a small box of vanilla pudding

* 2 tablespoons dry sherry to cream sauce for chicken or turkey

* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon garlic pepper , 1/2 teaspoon chili powder to a tray of frozen

French fries

* 2 tablespoons sugar-free orange marmalade to barbecue sauce

* 2 tablespoons extra strong cold coffee to chocolate cake mix

* 1/2 cup sugar-free vanilla syrup to a bowl of mixed fresh fruit

* 1/2 teaspoon (or more) curry powder to egg salad

* 1 teaspoon coffee granules to small box of chocolate pudding

* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and 1/4 teaspoon garlic power to beef gravy

* 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary to popover mix

* 2 tablespoons ketchup to a kettle of vegetable and/or beef-based soup

* 2 tablespoons light cream cheese to cream sauce

* 1 teaspoon lemon zest to blueberry muffin mix

* 1/2 cup red wine to spaghetti sauce

* 1/2 cup sliced almonds to muffin mix

* 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar-free marmalade to pork sauce/gravy

* 1/3 cup mango chutney to chicken or turkey salad

* 1/2 cup salsa to a batch of chili

* 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to angel food cake mix

For me, cooking is an adventure, and I rarely make a recipe exactly as written. When it comes to cooking, I follow Julia Child’s example. “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure,” she once said. “In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” So the next time you use a convenicnce product add a few extra ingredients. You may be surprised at the results!

Copyright 2009 by Harriet Hodgson

Sometimes we get in a rut with our cooking and do not know what to do to spice things up. Here are a few ideas to add a little excitement to some everyday menus.

1. Cole Slaw:

(A) Add a little dill pickle juice to your salad dressing before mixing in the chopped cabbage. It adds a nice zing to the flavor.

(B) If you like a sweeter recipe, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixture. Be sure to mix thoroughly, you want the flavor to be mild throughout the slaw.

Warning: do not use both of these ideas in the same recipe.

2. Deviled Eggs:

(A) To give your eggs a little more hardiness, add some finely chopped cooked chicken to the yolk mixture before putting it back into the hollow of the white.

(B) To make sure you do not run out of yolk mixture when filling the whites, boil one extra egg and mince the entire egg into the yolk mixture.

Don’t for get to garnish your eggs with paprika, fresh black pepper or chopped cilantro. The extra effort will make your guest or family feel special.

3. Birthday Cake:

(A) A 3 oz package of flavored gelatin can turn a so-so birthday cake into an unforgettable event. When mixing the white cake batter add the gelatin. You can make your child a cake in his or her favorite color. The flavoring in the gelatin enhances the cake flavors.

(B) You can also use a contrasting color of gelatin for the icing. An orange cake with lemon icing is very pretty.

I’m sure you will come up with the right combo for every family member.

Most people are not really familiar with natural gas grills. Many people use natural gas to heat their home, ovens, and range but have never considering using that same gas to fuel the flames of their grill. The most commonly used gas in grills is propane, but if you already have natural gas running to your house, it may be a good idea to have that natural gas power your grill. We’ll talk to you about some of the benefits of using natural gas grills, some of the limitations if using natural gas, and what you can do if you already have a propane grill.

Natural gas is a great fuel for cooking because it is odorless and tasteless when cooked. Unlike charcoal, it imparts no flavor other than the taste of the flame. For most outdoor cooking this is exactly what you want. The only exceptions to when you want to taste the fuel is when you are using woods to impart flavor, such as a hickory plank or slow smoking a fatty piece of meat. For day to day grilling, however, gas is the way to go.

Another benefit of using gas as a fuel over wood or charcoal is the easy cleanup. To start cooking you just need to turn the grill on and wait about 5 minutes for the grates to heat up and you are ready to go. Then, to clean up you just need to scrub the grates with a wire brushed grill and wash the dishes and it is all done. With wood and charcoal you have to deal with a long and arduous lighting process and the cleanup process is difficult as well. You must wait until the charcoal or wood is done smoldering and then find a good place to dispose of the blackened wood. Cooking with gas makes this process a cinch.

The drawbacks of using natural gas over propane is that you must have a hard, fixed line ran to your grill. The gas company may charge for this work to be done. Additionally, since the line is fixed (hard) you will not be able to move the grill around because it is attached to the hard line. If you have no need to move the grill, however, your only drawback is having the line run - and that can be handled with a simple phone call to your gas company.

Now you may be thinking that you already have a propane gas grill and you aren’t about to spend more money just to have a grill that uses natural gas. The great thing is that kits are available to convert your propane tank to natural gas. Simple go to google and search “natural gas grill kit” and you will be presented with many options for what would work on your existing grill.

All factors considered, natural gas grills are a great solution for grilling at your home. Gas is a good fuel for cooking because it is easy to startup, produces delicious food, and cleans up very easy. Compared to wood or charcoal, natural gas is the best fuel. Compared to propane, natural gas does have its advantages as long as its shortcomings do not affect you.