My grocery bills are about to change…

I’ve been on a cooking kick since the beginning of the year (with a big help from Forest!) but my cooking skills have sadly been neglected in the last two months. In May I bought a total of $62.52  in groceries. That’s some kind of record for me! I guess that’s what happens when you pack your cookware 19 days before your moving date. (Yeah… I was so eager to get here!) In any case, my cooking kick is back.

A while ago, J and I decided we would go through a cookbook together once we lived in the same town. I think it was his idea, actually, which of course I jumped on and ran with.

Our cookbook criteria included:
-Prep time no more than 30 minutes
-Mixture of comfort and gourmet dishes
-Minimal ingredients
-Healthy
-Flavorful and delicious

Last month when I was in town we went to a Barnes & Noble to browse the cooking aisles. It was surprisingly hard to find a book that met our criteria. Finally after 30 minutes of looking, we both agreed to buy The Best of Cooking Light Everyday Favorites.

So far we’ve made three dishes, all delicious. I’ll admit, it doesn’t have everything we were looking for. It’s been a little expensive buying a lot of ingredients I didn’t have, and the prep time can be a little time-consuming. But they have all been delicious and healthy, and I think preparing things will be easier after we learn more. I promise to post pictures, recipes and grocery expenses very soon. :)

Do you enjoy cooking with yourself or by yourself? Do you think it’s worth spending more money on finer foods and fancier recipes? What is YOUR favorite cookbook?