Query

Every time I cook something with shell noodles I have to worry about the shell getting stuck inside another shell, inside another shell, inside another shell. Is there any way to fix this without going through and picking them apart? Should I give up on shells, stick to farfalle?

Administrative Rights

Kasey, could you change my settings to administrative, so I can add labels to the recipes to make them categorized?  Obviously, since you've seen my house and the toothpaste-encrusted sink I allow there, you recognize that I am not obsessively compulsive about organizing everything.  However, I would really like to organize the recipes on this blog.  That's where I'm going to direct my neatness energy.  And it's probably the place in my life that needs it least.

It might just have changed my life.

Ladies, do you get Everyday Food? I'm telling you, I find the best recipes in that magazine, and I love, love, love it. Very practical.
Anyway, they have a new column, called Sunday Strategy, about prepping some food ahead and strategically planning meals to use some of the same ingredients. AWESOME! This has been my best week ever for dinners. I've included each of the recipes in a separate post, and I hope it makes sense. The best part (or one of the best parts) is that the shopping list was included, so I just took my magazine to the grocery store. Yay!! You really need to try this.

Notes:
*It says each of these recipes serves 4. I would say that my family is about a 3-1/2 serving family, and we have had no leftovers. If you have big eaters, I would adjust the recipes accordingly.
*I have tried everything but the marinated chicken, since I made these recipes out of order (I didn't actually marinate the chicken ahead of time like I should have). It has all been delicious.
*I would honestly just make these recipes every week for the rest of our lives, since the shopping and prep are so streamlined, but I think it needs a few more vegetables to make the meals really balanced. (Although each of the recipes does include a vegetable or two.)

Shopping List:
Produce:
14 plum tomatoes
3 lemons
2-3/4 pound small red new potatoes
1 bunch fresh parsley (honestly, I just used dried)
1 bunch fresh mint (I did use fresh mint)
1 bunch fresh basil (is there anything more delicious than fresh basil?)
1 bunch fresh rosemary (again, dried)
1 small head Boston lettuce
2 bunches spinach (I just got one bag of prewashed baby spinach--it's the best)
1 large onion
1 cucumber, seedless if possible
1 head garlic

Dairy:
eggs
1 pint ricotta
2 oz. parmesan
1 container Greek or plain yogurt

Meat/Poultry/Fish:
1-1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins (I just used boneless skinless)
4 striped bass or salmon fillets (frozen, from Wal-Mart. Cheap!)
1 pound bacon

Miscellaneous:
2 pounds pizza dough (from the deli downtown--SO GOOD!)
1 package pita bread
1 loaf crusty bread

Staples:
extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
sugar
cumin
pasta
white-wine vinegar

Seriously, ladies. You have to try this menu.

Tasties!

So lately I've been pretty enthusiastic about finding new, delicious recipes. Now, since it would start to get kind of ridiculous to post all of them on the family blog I thought, should I send an e-mail? Should I text? What should I do to share the deliciousness that I've found with others. Then it came to me...a blog! I blog everything else that happens in and around my life, and now I intend on blogging tasty recipes. So my proposal is to have this sweet little blog to share all of the fun recipes that we find. I also will happily accept recipe do's and don'ts via recorded narration by Kelly...and everything in between :)