A Simple Binder

Nothing makes a home feel as cozy and welcoming as a good meal. While we definitely have regulars that tend to appear on my husband's meal request list, I don't like to get stuck in a cooking rut. If you're like me, you're always on the hunt for a new favorite recipe. I often visit the Food Network website for ideas, but my favorite place to find my dream dinners is in Cooking Light.

I recognize that subscribing to a magazine may not be the most eco-friendly thing to do. But, my recipe saving system has limited my guilt about that. For a long time, I saved my issues of Real Simple and Cooking Light, knowing that the information and recipes in them were too valuable to recycle after a single use.

I found a simple, three-ring binder in my basement. I bought a couple packages of page covers. Then, I sat down with a stack of magazines. I used an exacto knife to slice out the recipes that I loved or really meant to try. Then, I sorted them into piles based on the type of dish they would create--dessert, pasta, soup, bread, side dish, breakfast, etc. (Use as many categories as your heart desires.) Now, whenever I am planning a dinner party, brunch or family dinner and feel stumped for ideas, I simply open my binder. And, since it keeps me from buying new cookbooks, I guess it is a little green after all.

*In the end, I recycled the portions of the magazines that I did not save for the binder.