cdkitchen > cooking experts > pamela chester
Do you find your family eating the same foods, week after week? Each day of the week you have the same lineup of meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and after a while it begins to feel a bit like Groundhog’s Day. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut of cooking the same predictable kid friendly meals such as pasta, pizza, and soups. But while I’ll always love these choices, it’s nice to have some mealtime variety.
You know you’re in the middle of a bout of the winter doldrums with food if you can say what day it is based on what’s on the dinner table! It may be time to shake things up a bit with some new choices and give new life to some of your old favorites. In honor of our annual February tradition where the good old groundhog determines how much longer winter will last, I’d like to offer some ideas on how you can change up your weekly menu so it’s not the same-old, same-old the rest of this (six or more weeks to go) winter.
Brainstorming new choices for your family meals together is a great way to get your kids more involved in food. Of course, you may have to steer the ideas away from donuts and ice cream, which is what my son suggested when I asked what he most wanted for dinner! But if you ask for their opinions you may be surprised with what your kids come up with. They may have learned about something at school or seen a new and different food at a friend’s house that they would like to try eating that never would have occurred to you.
You can also try cooking foods that are different from your normal routine. If you tend to cook lots of meat and potato types of dishes, go meatless for a week with a vegetarian menu and see how you like it. Add color and vitamins to your meals with more fresh fruits and vegetables. Try out recipes from a new cookbook that’s been sitting on your bedside table, or from your favorite cooking website, CDKitchen.
Breakfast for dinner is a fun and easy way to shake up your normal routine. Kids really love breakfast foods, and I know my son was thrilled to see his favorite morning pancakes and turkey bacon on the table when I tried this out one night last week.
Another fun thing to do for dinner is offer a choice of appetizers. We have a tradition of having one restaurant meal consisting of all starters while on vacation and it’s always so much fun (I almost always like the appetizers better than the main courses at restaurants)! You can have an easy appetizer spread at home with a mix of proteins such as hummus spread and deviled eggs, healthy stuff like veggies and dip, and more decadent fried and cheesy foods. For an alternative to the boring old dinner table, try an indoor picnic on a blanket in the living room.
So hopefully some of these ideas will add some mealtime excitement to your usual routine. As we get ready for the fresher flavors of springtime, let’s also hope the groundhog comes out of his burrow, and we soon see an end to this long, cold winter!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1016-cooking-variety/
Groundhog's Day In The Kitchen
Do you find your family eating the same foods, week after week? Each day of the week you have the same lineup of meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and after a while it begins to feel a bit like Groundhog’s Day. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut of cooking the same predictable kid friendly meals such as pasta, pizza, and soups. But while I’ll always love these choices, it’s nice to have some mealtime variety.
You know you’re in the middle of a bout of the winter doldrums with food if you can say what day it is based on what’s on the dinner table! It may be time to shake things up a bit with some new choices and give new life to some of your old favorites. In honor of our annual February tradition where the good old groundhog determines how much longer winter will last, I’d like to offer some ideas on how you can change up your weekly menu so it’s not the same-old, same-old the rest of this (six or more weeks to go) winter.
Brainstorming new choices for your family meals together is a great way to get your kids more involved in food. Of course, you may have to steer the ideas away from donuts and ice cream, which is what my son suggested when I asked what he most wanted for dinner! But if you ask for their opinions you may be surprised with what your kids come up with. They may have learned about something at school or seen a new and different food at a friend’s house that they would like to try eating that never would have occurred to you.
You can also try cooking foods that are different from your normal routine. If you tend to cook lots of meat and potato types of dishes, go meatless for a week with a vegetarian menu and see how you like it. Add color and vitamins to your meals with more fresh fruits and vegetables. Try out recipes from a new cookbook that’s been sitting on your bedside table, or from your favorite cooking website, CDKitchen.
Breakfast for dinner is a fun and easy way to shake up your normal routine. Kids really love breakfast foods, and I know my son was thrilled to see his favorite morning pancakes and turkey bacon on the table when I tried this out one night last week.
Another fun thing to do for dinner is offer a choice of appetizers. We have a tradition of having one restaurant meal consisting of all starters while on vacation and it’s always so much fun (I almost always like the appetizers better than the main courses at restaurants)! You can have an easy appetizer spread at home with a mix of proteins such as hummus spread and deviled eggs, healthy stuff like veggies and dip, and more decadent fried and cheesy foods. For an alternative to the boring old dinner table, try an indoor picnic on a blanket in the living room.
So hopefully some of these ideas will add some mealtime excitement to your usual routine. As we get ready for the fresher flavors of springtime, let’s also hope the groundhog comes out of his burrow, and we soon see an end to this long, cold winter!
Classic Deviled Eggs
Made with paprika, salt and freshly ground black pepper, hard-cooked eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, vinegar, sweet pickle relish
Made with paprika, salt and freshly ground black pepper, hard-cooked eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, vinegar, sweet pickle relish
Serves/Makes: 12 pcs
- 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon mild vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, plus more for garnish, optional
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- paprika, for garnish, optional
Carefully remove the yolks from the hard cooked eggs. Set the whites aside, cut side up, on a platter.
Place the yolks in a bowl and mix with the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, relish, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Spoon the yolk mixture back into the egg whites. You can also use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip to pipe the mixture into the whites.
Garnish the filled eggs with a sprinkle of paprika and extra relish on top if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
share this article:
related articles
Write a comment:
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1016-cooking-variety/