There are some days when I literally stare at the food in my refrigerator and can’t think of a thing to prepare for dinner. I have my go-to’s like burritos with oven-roasted red peppers, cavatelli with green beans and homemade pesto, and panko breaded halibut or eggplant. But beyond that, I tend to run to the local gourmet deli, a Thai restaurant for takeout or Whole Foods to fill in the blanks.
One of my neighbors recently suggested that several moms in the neighborhood start a recipe club. The premise is simple: We all have a few really good dishes we make again and again, so why not swap recipes? Every month all of us email one recipe to the group. It can be breakfast, lunch or dinner, even a healthy snack. We began with several members, but after a few days, several more joined the email list.
Weeks later, I had several really good recipes flooding my inbox. One friend sent a 30 minute recipe for Butternut Squash Risotto, while another passed along a slow cooker Chicken Tikka Masala. Yum. Several members of the group made the recipes and shared photos of their kids eating the dishes. Others made some adjustments and shared them.
You may want to gather a few friends and start a recipe club of your own. Here’s one of the most popular recipes, courtesy of Elizabeth D., from the recipe club.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Kids seem to love this one!
