Like others, I have a stack that high (and growing) of "to try" recipes. I currently have a stack of about five or six sitting by my grocery list. I intend to make all of those over the next few weeks, then replenish the pile. I keep the ones that turn out good in a binder in sheet protector sleeves to make again and I throw away the ones I didn't like, simoultaneously deleting them from my computer. The only one I can remember off the top of my head from that short stack is a chedder cheese studded meatloaf which sounds quite good. Oh! and a Greek dish where you cook the tomatoes and onions and garlic and spices, then add 5 cups of broth and then the pasta. The pasta and sauce all cook together. I can't remember what it's called but I'm looking forward to trying that. I also do want to make spanikopita, watching Sue's video made it look fairly simple. But I have to make sure there will be lots of people around who will want to eat it (think party) so that I don't gobble up the whole thing myself!

I don't try any recipes that call for a long list of "yarbs and spices." I am mostly a salt & pepper cook, just like my DM was. I remember her saying she didn't use recipes because they called for too many ingredients. :-) We had good solid, tasteful meals; mostly meat, potatoes and green vegetables. Deserts were mostly fruit pies/cobblers. My DH grew up in the country and ate pretty much like my family did, so cooking for him and our children was easy. I did learn and enjoyed making cakes and cookies. Not so much now, though. Being alone now for so long, cooking has become a necessary chore, and I've found a few things that I tend to make often. Also Bear Den Soups are good, especially the Broccoli Cheese, the Darn Good Chili and the Potato. The only frozen meal I like is Stouffers Lasagna. I have printed off and used these KT recipes: Little Chicken, but failed to include the poster's name. Hummingbird Banana Bread/Muffins, Marilyn Sue. Here is a recipe from my Vegetarian DD. I make it and add chicken or some other meat to it. Last night I topped a baked potato with it. Circles & Squares Vegetable-Pasta Soup 1 32 oz box vegetable broth 1 cup medium size pasta 2 cup frozen diced hash brown potatoes w/onions and peppers 2 cup frozen peas and carrots 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies In large covered saucepan bring broth to boiling. Add pasta, potatoes, peas and carrots, and undrained tomatoes. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer,covered, for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is tender. I cook it down to more of a stew, than soup. I so empathize with CS. I'm not a big eater, so that helps. Sue

As others mentioned, the easiest way is to use an existing recipe and adapt it for the best blend of art (your changes) and science (established ratio of ingredients). Sarah Phillips - author of "Baking 9-1-1" and the great web site - http://www.baking911.com/ - made 100 different attempts before she came up with a low-fat White Cake recipe she liked. I made a form I use for creating new recipes, or for altering existing ones. I may have several pages of changes for the same recipe using this form before I am done. The form is divided into two columns. On the left side I'll place the original recipe (hand-written or a photo-copy), or sometimes I'll photo copy it on the back of the form if it's large). I may be adapting it to have high-fiber, low-fat, sugar-free, gluten-free, wholegrain, etc..., or it will be my first attempt, if it's an original recipe. On the left side I add my notes, after making the recipe, in boxes marked: -Ingredient changes (I made from the original recipe.) -Results - this is where my training as a Foods Judge comes in handy and I'll judge my recipe by those standards. -Next time - notes about changes I need to make or options I can use for the same recipe. I usually don't make more than three significant alterations on any one try. It's also beneficial to know some food science. For instance: -Additions of cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg ADDED TO THE DOUGH should be kept to around 1/4-teaspoon per cup of flour in yeast bread because too much can be detrimental to yeast growth. Now you know why the cinnamon is applied to the dough and rolled-up, not added to the dough in large amounts. -Bread dough characterized as sweet, salty or low absorption may require a special kind of yeast called Osmotolerant Instant Active Dry Yeast. Another helpful hint when making sweet breads and you don't have an osmotolerant instant active dry yeast product is to add 1/4 t. ascorbic acid or 3 t. lemon juice to assist in the rising. You'll also note sweet breads often call for more yeast because of the slow rise. -Adding an acid (ascorbic acid, lemon juice) to yeast breads that contain wheat germ, or whole wheat flour (which also contains wheat germ) will aid in preventing glutatione from forming, which can damage the gluten. Short heavy loaves of 100% whole wheat bread are a sign of gluten damage. -Just how much sugar CAN you add to a yeast bread before you damage the gluten? Two tablespoons of sugar per cup of flour is about the maximum you can add without major gluten damage. -How much milk or dry milk powder is too much in yeast bread? Milk affects the volume, symmetry, cellular structure, and texture. If the loaf looks more like a roller coaster ride, then there is too much dairy. You can overcome some of the effects of large amounts of dairy by scalding milk (which alters that protein in the whey of the dairy product), or using Special Dry Milk Powder from King Arthur Flour. -If you reduce the salt in a yeast bread recipe, you should also reduce the amount of yeast because salt regulates the yeast. So a general rule-of-thumb, if you reduce the salt by 50%, then reduce the yeast by 50% as well. -There is generally a ratio of ingredients used in most types of baking that is already well-established in the world of food science. There is generally a proportion maintained between ingredients that are tenderizers (fat and sugar) and those that are structure builders (flour and eggs). For instance, a standard plain cake has, by measure, one-third as much fat as sugar; two-thirds as much milk as sugar; and about three times as much flour as liquid. When I developed gluten-free cookie recipes, I first formulated a basic cookie recipe, and then made other changes to make many kinds of cookies from the same base recipe. I didn't have to reinvent the recipe each time, just alter it. You can also follow bakers' percentages for bread making. Following the same percentages you can make one loaf, or a recipe for 10 loaves. It's also good to know how much flour there is in different amounts of dough: 2-1/2 cups flour = 1-pound loaf 3-cups = 1-1/2-pound loaf 4-cups = 2-pound loaf -When you reduce fat and sugar you will be sacrificing tenderness, so find foods that may be substituted for those. For instance: *Whey-based milk substitute powder has a shortening effect on baked goods, so you can add it and reduce fat. *You can generally use 25% less coconut oil than butter or shortening and get the same effect. *Use Sweet Dairy Whey powder (not to be confused with whey protein powder) and you can significantly reduce the amount of sugar. -You don't always have to change the ingredient to change the recipe. When making bread if you add the fat early in the recipe it has a shortening effect on the gluten. The result is a closed-grain crumb, almost cake like, and a shorter loaf. Add the same amount of fat later, after the gluten has developed, and you'll get a higher loft and a more open crumb. Neither is right or wrong, but you'll get a different texture. Closed grain if you are going to use it for sandwiches dressed with mayo, and an open crumb for toast for all those openings for butter and marmalade to settle into. -Egg whites are drying, so when you try to lower fat and use egg whites only, you may have to add another ingredient to make up for effects found in the egg yolks. Yolks contain lecithin which have an emulsifying effect you can't get with whites. -Make low-fat baked goods in small amounts because they don't keep as well as those with fat. So instead of a 9x13-inch pan, make a recipe in a loaf pan or 8-inch square to avoid dried-out leftovers. -If I think I'll need to taste a batter that contains raw eggs, before I bake it, I'll use reconstituted pasteurized whole egg powder, or powered egg yolks or egg whites to avoid a food safety issue from tasting raw eggs. And a million other little things that come in handy with altering or creating recipes. -Grainlady

I was trying to ignore this thread. I was so embarrassed. I didn't want to admit it, but My name is Tree and I am a mosaic addict. I have 6-8 projects always in the various stages. I find something to experiment with and do that until the next experimentation idea comes along. (usually inspired by this forum.) I spend at least an hour a day checking up on the new ideas on this forum. I stopped getting my nails done because it was a waste when I had grout under them all the time. I quit coloring my hair so I could use the money to buy tesserae. I have gone all day without changing out of my pajamas. Most of my clothes have silicone on them. My kids have learned to make their own peanut butter cracker snacks because mommie is too busy gluing tesserae to substrate. I have spent as much as $300 in one day on mosaic stuff. When a toy breaks, I wonder if I can use it in some way in my artwork. I have often been afflicted with "grout mouth." And now, I think DH is catching it. He now brings me things he thinks I might like to use. He is slowing learning not to throw anything away unless he asks me if I can use it first. My son is also diseased, he has done his own mosaic projects and he also brings me stuff to see if I can use. And poor little DD, she is completely enamored with "colors" or glass and glass globs. My kids know what the word "tesserae" means. Yes, I am a mosaic addict and boy am I enjoying it!! I feel better getting that off my chest. Now I am off to experiment with crash glass...