Crawling out of the rut

Somehow, we seem to get into the pattern of the same few dinners over and over again around here. They're easy, we can make them with our eyes closed, etc. Only trouble is, it gets boring. The quarterly dinner group we belong to has been a great way to discover new dishes, but we still revert back to our "pattern eating".

In an effort to rectify this, DH and I have made a plan. A challenge. Okay, a resolution. This year, at least two weekends each month (provided we're at home), we're going to take turns choosing and making a new recipe for dinner. Most anything goes, as long as it doesn't use too many expensive, exotic ingredients. In the end we should have--give or take--two dozen new items to add to our line-up.

We both love all kinds of foods, so there really is no excuse for this bad habit. And for years (oh, say, roughly seven...), we've been subscribing to a great cooking magazine, Cuisine at Home. It comes six times a year and contains all sorts of tempting recipes, helpful cooking tips, equipment reviews and NO ads! See what I mean? No excuses!

So, last weekend was Yankee Pot Roast...a new twist on an old standby (and DH's selection for the week). Tonight: My turn. I'll let you know how they turn out.