I don’t own any cookbooks. I figured out long ago that there were only one or two recipes in each cookbook that I ever really used, if that. They take up a lot of space that I don’t have, at least if I want to continue with my “Rachel Ray” cabinet. So, at some point, I copied the recipes I actually used and sold the books themselves. I still buy a cookbook from time to time, usually an impulse buy, with a promise that I’ll cook every meal in the crockpot from now on, or that all meals will come in pocket form, or have 5 ingredients or less. But it never matters, I only use one or two recipes from the book and move on.
I usually get my recipes and new ideas from various online sources, as you can see from my Recipes page. I am subscribed to a number of different recipe emails (a local newspaper column, Parents.com, Hungry-Girl.com, Kraft Recipes, etc.)
Introduce: THE BINDER
I have recipes organized into Breakfast, Appetizers, Sides, Vegetarian Entrees, Entrees, and Desserts. Recipes don’t get printed until they are on a set menu. If they pass the test, they get a coveted spot in the binder. If not, they are thrown out. I know I can easily flip through to find dinner ideas that my family actually enjoys, without getting bogged down with lofty recipes I hope to try one day. This is how I’ve been able to get out of the dinner rut that we used to find ourselves in all the time.
Menus of a Mom 
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July 11, 2012 at 9:15 pm
I really love this idea, I am an avid recipe searcher but I often don’t cook with recipes…I could see how this would be useful for me though anyway…just to keep in mind the “staple recipes” that we in my household like well enough to keep making.
July 11, 2012 at 9:29 pm
Exactly! I use recipes for inspiration and ideas. If you actually take a peak inside the binder, you’ll see handwritten notes on most of the sheets with what I’ve altered based on some trial and error.