I cook at least once every day. This is usually dinner, but in the summer I like a bigger lunch and light dinner. My youngest, who just turned 7, is totally against this! He has definite opinions about what is proper lunch or dinner food (rolling eyes!) We'll eat out or order something about once a month. Usually when I've had enough! Breakfast during the week is cereal, but I will cook something on the weekends during the school year. Usually scrambled eggs with biscuits, toast or bagels. Sometimes biscuits and gravy when I need them to stay filled up that day. I don't eat breakfast, just not ready to eat until around noon. Summertime is nice because I'll do the "breakfast" for lunch if we're all at home. I make the kids' lunches for school and DH will help with that since he has week days off from work. Sandwiches, fruit, snack food but occasionally I'll make calzones or send leftovers that are easy to pack. I cook something quick for myself or heat up leftovers. Dinner is the production. I admit, I get tired of it. Lately I've enjoyed myself because I've indulged in some new equipment, new cookbooks, or found something at the library for inspiration. I've been using Ina Garten's recipes here and there and have found them to be fairly simple yet so delicious! I'm reading one by Marcella Hazan and we've enjoyed some simple sauces. The Gorgonzola Sauce is to die for! I've found that kitchen equipment that helps me, rather than having to work around the negatives, which really ups my enjoyment factor. I'm an appliance junkie, though! My oven is fantastic and I have a new induction cooktop that keeps my kitchen MUCH cooler and is incredibly responsive. My Breville toaster oven is used constantly for smaller portions and it also helps keep things cooler. I'm experimenting with my pressure cooker and am thrilled with it's economy as well as the food it produces. Finally, my mixer is a godsend. Food I've prepared this week. Bake sandwich bread for kids' lunches. They like Japanese milk bread and I do two loaves for the week. I'm hoping to lead them to more whole grains, but it's slow going! Short ribs and mashed potatoes using pressure cooker. Peanutty Noodles for DH's birthday dinner. Cheesecake was his dessert choice, made in pressure cooker. A quick blueberry topping for it. Youngest's birthday was easy! Hot dogs and french fries. DH took care of the hot dogs on the grill while he made himself a steak. The child did require me to make cookies for his class, so the day before I made chocolate chip and peanut butter for his birthday dessert. Roasted chicken with root veggies cooked along with it. One day we ordered pizza, which was lunch the next day. We had left overs of chicken/veg and peanutty noodles last night, yay! I frequent the cooking forum, too. Looking for ideas, inspiration when I feel negative about cooking, and they are so nice. I'm looking forward to the day when cooking is a choice, instead of a duty. It makes all the difference for me! I love good food, so I cook. I like knowing what's in there, so I prepare a lot of homemade items. It's also more economical with 3 growing kids! Luckily, they eat a wide variety of foods. KSWL, I also do NOT enjoy grocery shopping.

Just purchased 36 oz of Oregon Blueberries at Henry's here in So. Cal. for $7. Last month at Raley's in No. Cal. I paid about the same. I have made a number of Blueberry pies. The Old Better Homes and Gardens, page 299, has a Blueberry Glaze Pie that is really good. I added more cream cheese to the recipe, but since I am trying to watch those calories, this is a good recipe with only 3/4 cup sugar in the recipe and I substituted 4 oz of low fat cream cheese. Other than the crust, that is the only high caloric items in the pie. No milk, eggs, butter or any other calorie adding additives. Just pure Blueberry heaven!

I am at the flipp'n grocery store at least every other day and today twice! But we are coming off of a long haul in a temporary kitchen, almost 2 years in construction, and I'm still not stocked as well as like. I think if you start saving recipes and plan at least 4 meals a week, your pantry will be pretty well stocked for wonderful meals within a month or so. On Monday I was at the store picking up plums and decided to stock my vinegars that have been sadly lacking. So I picked up my usual, White and Red wine vinegar, a few balsamic that were on sale, Rice vinegar and Champagne and even a few odd ball ones in the Oriental aisle. Over the last month or so I've been stocking up on my oils, sesame seed, walnut, 2 gallons of EVOO, Peanut oil and a some others that I can't recall now. I buy most of my baking staples at the bulk store as they have a nice selection of flours, all purpose, cake, WW and rye. Although the other day I was out of crisco, for heaven's sake! How that happened I don't know. I am at the bulk store probably once every 2 wks and I pick up spices at the time and white and long grain wild rice. I keep many varieties of pasta, a few cans of tomato paste and sauce. Now that I canned my stewed tomatoes, I don't need to buy any crushed tomatoes but I usually keep at least 2 cans on hand at all times. Also, keep some mild Italian sausage in the freezer. As far a meat, I keep 10-12 chicken breasts, some skinned and some deboned. Ground beef some in patties and some in bulk. Now, we do have a pork shoulder in the freezer but this was on sale and I need it to make more sausage. Several different cuts of beef, and I think we even have some pork chops which we usually don't. Lately I've been buying bacon too. Our fresh vegetable and fruit vary but I always have green onions, several lemons and at least 1 orange, brussel sprouts, carrots, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, purple onions, radishes, broccoli, potatoes and cauliflower. And we always have bananas and apples. I keep a huge stock of cheeses and it varies as to what is on special. But I stock several white cheeses, maybe a packet of shredded cheddar and usually brie or a similar dessert cheese. I keep a ready supply of nuts in the freezer, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, sliced and whole almonds, pine nuts, cashews and macadamia nuts. Even with all this, I am still at the grocery store way to much. Michelle

LOL, Jack, I don't know if a cow can get drunk, with their various stomachs and digestive system, but that's an interesting thought. I do have a neighbor that gets the spent grains from one of our local small artisan brewers and gives them to his pigs, they apparently love the stuff too. My cattle get hay and grass, that's all. I started raising grass fed beef after Dad had his heart bypass surgery and was advised to give up the fatty beef. Dad wouldn't stop eating beef, but he did agree to change to grass fed, which made the cardiologist a little bit happier, although not much. Dad's been gone for 12 years now, but I still have his old buggy horse in the pasture with the cattle, and my Morgan saddle horse was too, until he died. Too much grain will cause the horses to founder, and I don't have a way of separating them, so the cows are just out of luck! As for the sterile bull, Dallas said he had only one testicle and that one was "all shriveled up", the other one was just completely non existent. That's why he thought I'd maybe tried to castrate him and done a bad job. And, yes, Dallas always asks me if I want the "oysters". I've eaten them before, it's like chewing on rubber bands, so I always turn him down but many of his customers do want the testicles. Anyway, it appears that my only hope is riding on the "second string" player. Hopefully, he'll come through for me! Feeders are pretty cheap here too, but hay is expensive. I should have just about enough to get me through until spring. Any savings I'd realize by buying the cheap feeder calves would be offset by the expensive hay I'd have to buy to feed them! So, I'll hold my cards until spring, and see how things go. Merry Christmas! Annie