Lists

I've found that life can be a whole lot less stressful if you keep lists.
The older I get, the less I can recall, so lists are necessary.

I use Excel for the household budget list. All the monthly bills are listed along with the date they're due and the amount owed. Some can be paid online and others are paid in person. We mainly use stamps for birthday cards.

Today was weekly meal planning and the grocery list.
I love a good bargain and some store brands are just as good if not better than the national labels. I've also had some store brands that were simply nasty. If you can't eat it, then it's not a bargain now is it.

When making out the grocery list, I visualize where the items are in the store and plan the list accordingly. I also scan the weekly store ads for what's on sale and will incorporate those in my menus when I can.

Tonight we're having soft tacos. The cherry tomatoes are ripe so we'll use those.

Tomorrow, Ray's brother Bob and his wife Ursula are coming for a visit. I'm gonna make homemade pizza for our dinner.

I enjoy "culinary alchemy". That sounds more interesting to me than "cooking".
There's a certain satisfaction when a recipe turns out. I also enjoy tweaking them and making them my own. I tend to avoid those recipes with a huge list of ingredients. I guess you have to live in "The Hamptons" to afford those.
Also I know what's in my food and that clean hands prepared it. Call me crazy, but I don't trust restaurants with my food so we rarely eat out. I have to be in alot of pain before I'll settle for takeout.

Well, Ray will getting home from work before long, so I'll write more soon.

Have a great weekend!