My 10 rules for meal planning success - Rule #1

Remember my 10 rules for meal planning success? I've noticed that several of them have been touted recently in the blogosphere.  I didn't invent the concepts behind the rules and others who write about the concepts are not quoting me.  The rules are just my take on sensible guides that can help you go from feeling crazy after you prepare a meal  - or too afraid to even try making one because it seems such a daunting task - to confident meal preparation that leaves you smiling as you sit down to eat.  

Am I overselling the rules?  I don't think so, but you be the judge.

Meal planning rule # 1 - Be realistic but brave

Have you ever begun a project and quit mid-way through because you got so discouraged?  I have - with a quilting project that drove me to the brink of madness because I picked a pattern way too intricate for a beginner.  Luckily a friend who is an expert quilter came to the rescue.  If you've never prepared a complete dinner by yourself before, don't start with a complicated recipe for beef baked in a pastry shell combined with a scalloped potato casserole and green beans almondine.  Duh, you say?  It may be obvious what you shouldn't start with, but how to find recipes that are simple but appealing?  

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Poppy seed cake - no secrets, no shame

Should I hide the fact that one of my favorite (and most requested) cakes is made with a mix?  Should I be embarrassed that it's so simple to make that my mom - in her inimitable fashion - calls it "Stupid Cake", After all, as she says "any stupid fool can make it."  I don't care.  The cake is delicious and I'm not ashamed of it.  If my confession gets me thrown out of the always-from-scratch club, so be it.

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Is your honey pure and sweet?

I'm not asking about your love life.  I mean the sweetener in your cereal, tea, baked goods, cranberry and apple sauce, and so much more.  For those who celebrate Jewish holidays, honey is especially on our minds  - and palates - this week as part of the traditional way to (literally) sweeten the new year.

How do you know if your honey is pure or adulterated?  Short of performing a chemical analysis, you are not likely to find out if there is something in your honey that shouldn't be there.  Lead, antibiotics banned in the U.S. and even other sweeteners used to "extend" the honey have been found in some honey imported from China.  And the original source country is not always clear when honey is imported, as it may come through another one or more countries during shipping. 

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