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Step 1
First you will want to take a look at what you make on a weekly basis. For example if you only cook dinner from Sunday to Thursday, take a look at the recipes that you are using and just take note of the main ingredients.
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Step 2
Next you will want to do a search for new recipes using the same or similar main ingredients that you are currently using. This will most likely take a bit of time, but to help you out I will give you an example. If you have a meal that you prepare every week using ground turkey such as spaghetti with meat sauce you can diversify by just changing one or two ingredients. A good alternative would be lasagna. By just buying different pasta you can create a totally different meal and the best part is the flavor of the sauce doesn't need to change at all. This is great for picky eaters like in my family; they will most likely enjoy the new dish. All you will need to do is prepare your sauce the same according to the recipe you currently use but just take the extra step of preparing lasagna. Check my article for lasagna roll-ups for a great idea.
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Step 3
Next trying new recipes with your family can be disastrous. Don't let that discourage you, just use it as a way to improve your new meal. If you have switched your old chicken dish with a new one and it is not satisfying for your family don't write it off as bad, ask what they didn't like about it. If most of your comments are that the flavors are off then simply adjust the flavors to please your family. On the other hand if you just botched the recipe such as overcooking it, then that can be just an issue of not paying close enough attention to your cooking process. Try it again in a few weeks and see if it comes out better.
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Step 4
Finally practice makes perfect. When you have hits with your family it is normally because you have prepared that meal a number of times with great success. Well the same will prove true for a new one. It may now be great the first or second time but keep tweaking it and you will create a new meal that you will be getting request for in no time. But be careful, your family may enjoy it so much that they start inviting friend over to enjoy your cooking as well, this may create more work for you but hey at least it's better than fast food right? Good luck with your new creations and hope these tips help some.
Comments
mymind said
on 9/19/2009 Nice article, always looking for different meals to fix.
FranticMommy said
on 9/5/2009 Good artciel on how to take the boredom out of your meals. We are def. stuck in a rut at my house so this was a good read!