Family Chow Hall

List-Making 201

December 1st, 2005

Okay, hopefully you now have a list of meals you are planning to cook next week. Mine is usually made of a lot of old favorites and one or two “experiments.” If you are lost, scroll back a couple of posts to “List-Making 101.”

Next you will make a long list of every item you need to make these meals. Obviously, you don’t need to write the staples that you always have on hand anyway. (Like salt — Duh!) Now’s the time to also add side dishes.

My list looks like this now:

Beef Stew (and biscuits) - canned beef, canned tomatoes, V-8, mixed vegetables, barley, flour, shortening
Meatball Subs (and green beans) - ground beef, spaghetti sauce (or tomatoes, tomato paste, and herbs) mozzarella cheese, sub buns, green beans
Sausage & Macaroni Casserole (and corn) - Sausage, macaroni, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, corn
Chicken & Dumplings - canned chicken, chicken broth, celery, carrot, onion, flour, shortening
Reuben sandwiches (and peas) - corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, rye bread, peas
Baked Steak (with mashed potatoes and maybe some carrots) - round steak or cubed steak, canned mushroom soup, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, carrots
Grilled Smoked Sausage Kabobs - smoked sausage, onions, mushrooms, pineapple, green peppers

Now, there are a lot of repeats on my list, as well as stuff I already have because I shop in bulk, so it’s easy to condense into something like this:

canned tomatoes - 3
V-8
barley
tomato paste
sub buns - 2
green beans
bulk sausage
macaroni
canned chicken
celery
carrots
onions
corned beef
swiss
sauerkraut
rye bread
peas
cubed steak
mushrooms
potatoes
smoked sausage
green pepper

Congratulations! You have made the first of three portions of your grocery list. Check in tomorrow…

Entry Filed under: Mixed bag, Philosophy