Music Leads The Dance Of Love AT FORTY FIVE Magazine Issue 2021 13

cook for only two. I lost interest
when I didn’t have five mouths
to fill and every recipe made way
too much. Even worse, when I
now tried to wing a meal without
a recipe, I ended up with a dish
large enough to serve at least ten.
Turning The Corner;
A Recipe For Meal
Planning Success
an ingredient, and to be brave
enough to try to create a few of
my own dishes with no recipe.
While I still don’t feel very
confident, over time I slowly have
become more comfortable in the
kitchen. The pressure did ease
when my kids became teens who
took care of their own breakfast
and lunch. I only had to deal with
what was for dinner. However, a
new challenge lurked just around
the corner. It was called an empty
nest. I no longer knew how to
A couple of things have
helped me turn the corner – well
most days. First is watching the
occasional cooking show. There
are so many to choose from such
as Trisha’s Southern Cooking,
and The Pioneer Woman. They
both use too much butter, cream
cheese, and sugar for me, but I
often walk away with the germ of
an idea. I also check the recipes
in the food section of our local
newspaper for ideas. Some of
my most interesting dishes have
come from here.
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