More BTS Shopping and Cooking Thrills

Guess what?! I almost finished the back to school shopping today!! I spent WAY too much money only to realize that I was so not even finished!!  This is a happy note though because something grand is in the works.

FIRST: we have about 8 more items to pick up for back to school supplies and that will be completed tomorrow.  WOOHOO! Why on EARTH my daughter needs FIVE one inch binders is so freaking over my head I cannot even begin to fathom it. And my seven year old, for grade two, needs BOTH a zippered binder AND a one inch binder - truly beyond my WILDEST imaginings.  I'm almost one hundred percent positive that my first binder was purchased with utmost care and consideration, when I was in junior high.  Now, it's grade two.  AND THEY NEED MORE THAN ONE! Whatev - that's the way they roll now.

Personally, I would be seriously ecstatic if SOMEONE could explain to me why my grade fiver needs TWENTY duotangs, PLUS his TWO one inch binders, and a two inch binder AND his zipper binder!! Oh wait, don't forget the PLASTIC duotang for math! 25 different things to put stuff in! SERIOUSLY? Are they getting a new one bi-weekly?? Rawr!


My dear friend Brandy went off about this on Facebook recently and I have to tell you, I am a bit of a socialist at heart.  It would be super nice if everyone who could helped everyone else who couldn't and every kid got the same advantages - like having enough school supplies.  Like Brandy said though, it would be HONOURABLE if the school coughed up the real reason for these extraordinary supply lists - donations.  Because let's be honest here - my kid does not need this many items and I know this because he only comes home with his zipper binder and like four used duotangs at the end of the year.  FINI.

Now onto the good news.  For the past two weeks that I have been on my kick of using Gordon Ramsay's Everyday Cooking cookbook, I have noticed some amazing things: my pantry is not sickeningly full of stuff that's not really good for us; my grocery bill has gone down; I am making some incredibly good food AND my recycling bins are NOT overflowing by the end of the week. That is all around good news.

So there I was, posting my dinner pictures, my meal next to the picture out of the book but I can't post the recipes because of copyright laws.  That got me thinking.  I happen to know a chef who has never published a cookbook but has had an extremely successful career.  So I have asked him to make a beginner's guide book of recipes for people who may, like me, be interested in cooking from scratch, but not necessarily a "foodie" who has been into this for a long time.  Let's call it a transitional how-to. 

Super exciting stuff here and I will be adding YET ANOTHER blog to detail this next avenue.  I have essentially asked him for a month's worth of recipes for the newbie, like me, that is an easier transition for the whole family.  So far, my kids have tried everything I've cooked - except Hunter, so there are limits, but everyone else has tried it and we've even found a couple of new favourites! Stay tuned!