They say that the road to Heaven is paved with good intentions. Mine will be paved with cookbooks. If I cooked one recipe a day it would take me several years to work my way through my collection. And that doesn’t include the drawer full of recipes I’ve clipped from the paper.
On Sunday I made up my mind that this year I was going to use my cookbooks for more than just a step stool. I was going to cook the meals my family deserved.
First, I took stock of the ingredients I had then settled on a recipe for banana pancakes from The Barefoot Contessa’s Family Style cookbook. They were easy to make and delicious. For the first time in months there would be no black bananas to throw away at the end of the week.
Monday night I found a recipe for rib roast in the same book. The mouth-watering aroma of dinner in the oven filled the house and greeted my family as they came home.
I’ve read it takes three weeks to form a new habit, but by Tuesday night my family was now expecting a fabulous meal. Fortunately for them I had whipped up Chicken Parmesan and a green salad with lemon vinegarette dressing.
By Wednesday I was feeling the pressure turned to my tried but true Caesar Salad with grilled chicken. On Thursday I spooning out Campbell tomato soup and grilled cheese of the George Forman grill.
It’s Friday and you probably know by now what that means. You’re right, pizza. I guess it’s back to the drawing board, I mean cookbook, for me!
Scenes From A Baltimore Kitchen 