Someone asked where I get meal ideas. They come from many different places. Cookbooks, Pinterest, and menus are some of my favorite places to find inspiration. I have been known to snap pictures or descriptions of menus and my family’s food in restaurants.
Once a week my daughter and I go out to lunch/dinner. We are away from home all day so it is just easier to eat out one meal a week. This has proved to be a great source of inspiration.
Last week we went to Red Robin for burgers. I ordered the Southern Charm burger (above). It was pretty good. Bacon candied with brown sugar, honey BBQ sauce, sharp cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce on a ciabatta bun. My daughter ordered the Sautéed ‘Shroom Burger. This is her absolute favorite burger. Tons of sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese on a burger is her idea of the perfect burger (below).
So what does this have to do with meal ideas? Find something you like and turn it into something else! Start with the original and then make it different. Maybe a Southern Charm pizza with candied bacon and caramelized onions on a pizza with barbecue sauce. Or how about a Sautéed ‘Shroom hamburger in a pita or a casserole with Swiss Cheese sauce with mushrooms and hamburger over pasta? Find the flavors you love and make it your own.
I have turned appetizers into casseroles and sandwiches into pizzas. Make pizzas into sandwiches and casseroles into pizzas. Mix it up and have FUN!
I am sure you will be seeing some of these ideas coming up in the next few weeks for our dinners.
What's for Dinner Moms? 
Oh dear that mushroom swiss burger looks GOOD!
I
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I am thinking of turning into a casserole with lots of mushrooms and Swiss cheese. 😉
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YESSSSs
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Yumm sounds great! It is fun to get ideas from eating at special places!
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Just thinking about where we ate heading today for more “inspiration.” 🙂
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yes that is always fun!
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Great advice for creating new and interesting dishes.
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Thank you!
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Wow mushrooms galore on that burger! My daughter loves the fries at that place.
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They are good!
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Looks delicious ! 😃I get quite a lot of new recipes from Pinterest as well and so far so good! Enjoy your cooking
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Thank you so very much!
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Reblogged this on Katherine Wikoff and commented:
I love the creativity this blogger brings to her meal planning! She not only draws inspiration from the usual sources (like Pinterest and cookbooks) but she also takes ingredients and flavors she likes and uses them in new “formats.” Very creative and fun!
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Thank you so very much for your kind words!
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You’re welcome. And thank you for making me feel excited about cooking again! It can become such a chore sometimes. I’ve been in a rut, feeling really blah and fatigued by the very thought of having to make dinner. Wanting something tasty but just completely out of ideas. I assume I can’t be alone in feeling this way😄
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Not at all! That is exactly what I hope people see this blog as – you are not alone and we all struggle from time to time with this. 😉
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I love your idea of turning the inspired meal into another food idea. I just blogged about a similar thing..love your blog site
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Thank you so very much!
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