Food inpiration

I should be cleaning now. Seriously. Or grocery shopping. Or at least resting since I've had the cold from hell (or possibly bronchitis) since last Friday and have missed a substantial amount of work during a very busy month for us at FFA and right before a week-long vacation.

Alas, I am doing none of those things. Instead, I'm being thoroughly inspired by a new-to-me blog and by a cookbook I recently checked out from the library.

blog: Stonesoup
Stonesoup is, how shall I say, an exceptional site devoted to delicious, healthy, and inspired meals all made from five ingredients or less. Jules, the author, is a retired food scientist turned professional blogger for her site, and I am a huge fan. She covers the minimalist's kitchen (Part I & II) and the minimalist's pantry, has free ebooks available for cooking and baking, sells a more comprehensive five-ingredient recipe guide, and has an on-line cookery school. What are you still doing here? Go, go check her out ASAP!

book: Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express
Mark Bittman has done it again. Kitchen Express is a cookbook for those of us low on time but high on expectations for a good but quick dinner (20 minutes or less!). His recipes are organized by season and written in simple paragraph form, as in one paragraph for each recipe. We have a few of his recipes on the meal plan for dinner next week, including Potato Cumin Curry and Chicken Piccata. Aside from the short & easy recipes and the whole organized-by-season approach, which I wish more cookbooks would do, I am especially smitten with the Menus he lists in the back of the book for things like Weeknight Dinner Party, Better-Than-Chinese Take-out, Romantic Supper, and Picnic or Roadtrip. This is a book that might find a permanent home here in the McKenna household.

OK, now I'm going to tackle the kitchen. Really. I love to clean. Just love it.