Cookbook Challenge-Anyone want to join?

[MisaGoat]

I decided to cook my way through a cookbook after realizing I have a dozen or so cookbooks and don't cook nearly enough.

I picked Real Simple- easy, delicioius meals.
(http://www.amazon.com/Real-Simple-Be.../dp/1603201025) You don't need to buy the book, most recipes are online or the library might have the book.

My idea is just to cook everything in the book. I need to cook more, this book comes with pictures, the ingredients are easy to find, so far I've enjoyed everything I made out of the cookbook.

Does anyone else want to join me?

My motivation: I don't cook dinner often enough. I want family dinners to happen in our home and that requires cooking. We order take-out or have cereal or make pasta and sauce for dinner . Those are not good habits for us or for our son. I don't mind cooking but I can be really indecisive about deciding what to cook or I can get too elaborate and overwhelmed. So by limiting myself to one cookbook I am making it easier on myself.

Grocery shopping is something we do but we do it without a plan so we end up with food but not a meal and end up wasting too much food. I think I am better off running to the grocery store a couple times a week and picking up a few things off my list and having a set meal plan for the next couple days than doing a big grocery shopping trip and not using the food and ordering take-out. I know some of you are great at keeping a budget and meal planning, but I am lacking in that area.

So I cleaned out my fridge and I am sticking to a list and a plan until I make it through the book.

I started on July 22, 2010
Progress:

Day 1: golden chicken with tomatoes and olives (also made a lemon zucchini cous-cous side from Jaime Oliver)
Day 2: parmesan twists, skirt steak with lemon and chili-roasted potatoes (also made a blueberry pie)
Day 3: beef cocktail sandwiches with parsley butter
Day 4: spaghetti with bacon and eggs
Day 5: Deep-Dish Polenta Pizza (ok there was a gap there, we were away for a long weekend and last week my dad was painting our dining room/kitchen and last night we were over a friend's house for dinner).
Day 6: Spinach Salad with warm onions and crispy salami

[SubliminalDarkness]

Good luck! My DH is, unfortunately, far too picky for me to be able to just cook every recipe from any sort of source.

Last week, though, all our dinners(seven) were from Real Simple: Meals Made Easy. We really liked all but one!

[lakeruby]

I think this a great idea! I have a ton of cookbooks (I can't resist them, they are so alluring to me-- especially gorgeous ones) and I don't use them enough.

I think I will try this idea with some of the cookbooks I have at home. Now...just need to pick one to start with Thanks for the inspiration!

[MisaGoat]

My husband is not a picky eater at all so it works well, plus most of the recipes are close to food we would eat anyway. Some we decided we probably wouldn't make again, we really don't eat much beef.

lakeruby-Join me, even if it is with a different cookbook!

[onthemove]

love the idea of this! perhaps in the fall, right now we sort of eat what the garden is producing but would love to reconnect with my cookbooks...

[AFWife]

I'll keep an eye on this! We're fairly picky eaters and DS can't have most dairy (unless I can get it raw) so it limits us a bit.

[MisaGoat]

onthemove-maybe a seasonal cookbook would work for you?