It's A Keeper!

It's long been a tradition in our household that January is the month for trying new 'main dish' types of recipes. It's not a tradition my children particularly enjoy, but never-the-less, it is our tradition! They were hoping I forgot - or was too sick!!! Can you imagine?

During December I set aside all my favorite magazines and put a bookmark in any recipes that look promising. I also search through my cookbook collection and look for good wintertime fare - and I bookmark it! I pray for guidance and wisdom. I kid you not - we have picky eaters! I also save the pizza coupons for 'just in case', and I double check the fire extinguishers. Do you need to ask why?

I have some guidelines to follow:

1. The recipe must use common ingredients - I don't have the time to drive to an obscure ethnic grocery store, so if Meijers or Kroger doesn't have the stuff, neither does the recipe.
2. It MUST be simple. I am just a simple cook, after all.
   
3. It needs to be healthy - or at least fairly well balanced. No preservatives, dyes or artificial stuff I can't pronounce, since it's all not good.
   
4. It needs to be do-able in 30-35 minutes total prep time. No negotiations here. If they like it, it might become a once a week staple!
   
5. It cannot contain more than 9 ingredients or dirty more than two pans.
6. It cannot contain fungus. We have tried and we are just not mushroom people ... well, three of us aren't!

So, now I have 16 new recipes that I would dearly love to torture my family with try out. Unfortunately, I'll have to honor my family's wishes and pare that down a bit!

Here's how we will know if the recipe is 'A Keeper!'

1. Pizza coupons and fire extinguisher stay in their respective places.
2. No gagging, whining or emergency room visits.
3. No one offers to take their plate over to Mr. Neighbor for his supper.
4. No one offers to feed their dinner to the dog next door.
   
5. Positive comments like ' we should try that again sometime' or ' that's a keeper' are heard around the dinner table.
6. Someone asks for seconds!!!!
   

Each week I hope to publish at least one KEEPER from our trials and share that with you on Saturdays. I even made a funny little picture in Picture It! Express, because one of my goals for 2008 was to learn how to use that program, and I figured, better late than never!

I don't have a clue about those Mr. Linky things, but if you want to join in my campaign to eradicate mealtime boredom during the month of January, just leave me a comment and I'll be sure to visit your blog and check out your recipe! You can even borrow my little picture to make your post look all official like.

Join me? Pretty please?

P.S. Please don't mention to your children that I put you up to this ...

Images used in my picture are from Free Digital Scrapbooking