Simply Delicious Personal Chef Service

Menu planning is key to time-saving efforts in every kitchen. Last minute dashes to the grocery store or seaching through cupboards for ingredients all make for a stressful dinner. In my personal chef business I am fortunate to have a computer program that helps me with all this, but most households don't have that luxary. The Pantry List that I have posted in this Forum is a great tool and here is another helpful tip that may also make things easier for you:

A Recipe Log. It's a simple table in which to keep track of the recipes you've tried and liked according to broad categories, like main dishes, salads, side dishes, breads, and desserts. It is divided the table into six columns, as follows:

Column 1 - The name of the recipe, such as baked ziti or pumpkin chip muffins.

Column 2 - The recipe's location, either on a specific page of a cookbook or in my recipe file.

Columns 3 through 5 - Ingredients. Generally list the ingredients that are perishable or that you may not have on hand, like ricotta cheese or fresh broccoli. If that's not relevant, list the three ingredients that are called for in large quantities, such as egg noodles, flour, or marshmallows.

Column 6 - Notes. This space allows you to indicate if a recipe is low-fat, especially quick, or a family favorite; also mark possible uses for leftovers, writing, for instance, that teriyaki chicken makes great stir-fry the second day.

Now, when you plan the coming week's menus, simply consult your recipe log and have instant access to tried-and-true ideas for main dishes. Because the log also lists the important ingredients for each dish, it's easy for you to make a shopping list without dragging out every last cookbook you own. Best of all, when you have too much of a certain ingredient on hand (say, evaporated milk or chicken at the end of its life span), you can simply scan your recipe log for meals that will use up the leftovers, a trick that saves you money.

The recipe log can be written in a notebook, but that may become tiresome and hard to organize. Creating a spreadsheet on your computer will help you to alphabetize the ingredients and dishes.


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