Getting to know you through your cooking habits

The Headmistress at The Common Room tagged me to participate in this
wonderful little "get to know you" activity. I doubt too many folks will
read this but here goes!

1. How many meals does most of your family eat at home each week? How many
are in your family?

21 meals; nine people. Clankeeper eats our leftovers for lunch the next day
at work.

2. How many cookbooks do you own?

About 20, but I currently have a dozen checked out from the library.

3. How often do you refer to a cookbook each week?

Recently I have been coming up with new recipes due to new dietary
restrictions in our house, but normally we only do something new once a week
or so.

4. Do you collect recipes from other sources? If so, what are some of your
favorite sources (relatives, friends, magazines, advertisements, packages,
the internet, etc)

Blogs (one of my favorite as these are real recipes made and enjoyed by real
people!), library books, the internet and Cooks Illustrated magazine.

5. How do you store those recipes?

Whenever possible I put them on the computer and sort them into files by
type: main dishes, breakfasts, etc. I do have a pile of manila envelopes
sorted in the same categories with recipes I cut out of magazines and
newspapers in the past. If we try those and enjoy them, we type them into
the computer. Hopefully, someday all our recipes will be on the computer
and our children will be able to leave home with all of our family recipes
in a cookbook of their own.

6. When you cook, do you follow the recipe pretty closely, or do you use
recipes primarily to give you ideas?

We usually start out following the recipe (except for leaving out yucky
ingredients like green peppers!) but will adjust and tweak it after we make
it. Merry K is more a free spirit, though, and much more creative than I!

7. Is there a particular ethnic style or flavor that predominates in your
cooking? If so, what is it?

No, we mix lots of styles. I think more Mexican than anything else, though.

8. What's your favorite kitchen task related to meal planning and
preparation? (eating the finished product does not count)

I love the food processor...it's so cool!

9. What's your least favorite part?

Stirring...boring.

10. Do you plan menus before you shop?

Yes, most of the time.

11. What are your three favorite kitchen tools or appliances?

Food processor, stand mixer, tongs.

12. If you could buy one new thing for your kitchen, money was no object,
and space not an issue, what would you most like to have?

A food mill that was quiet and would make large chunks instead of just
flour.

13. Since money and space probably are objects, what are you most likely to
buy next?

A Micro grater

14. Do you have a separate freezer for storage?

Yes. And an extra refrigerator in the carport.

15. Grocery shop alone or with others?

Sometimes alone, but usually I take one child (or recently the Clankeeper)
as a way to spend one on one time with them.

16. How many meatless main dish meals do you fix in a week?

One or two.

17. If you have a decorating theme in your kitchen, what is it? Favorite
kitchen colors?

Blue.

18. What's the first thing you ever learned to cook, and how old were you?

I remember making a cake when I was young...perhaps 12 or so.

19. How did you learn to cook?

I watched my mom cook and learned quite a lot by osmosis. I really learned
how to cook once I got married and had to actually cook!

20. Tag two other people to play.

Well, gee, I think the Headmistress tagged just about everyone I know except

From Redding Mountain