Pepperplate

Hi Everyone!

My husband and I purchased our new home a year and a half ago and I absolutely LOVE IT!  However, to say that I loved it initially would be a huge lie.  After much persuasion from Katie to look past the previous owner’s decor, and focus on the layout, backyard, and location, I started to see what she envisioned.  I am sure Katie will write multiple blogs about the amazing job she has done during this past year and a half to lighten, brighten, and turn our home into a warm, cozy and entertaining family home.  I am so truly appreciative of her decorating talents.  Recently, I wanted to do something for Katie to repay her for her hard work on our home.  Lets just say that while Katie is very talented at home decor, pediatrics, and mommy-hood,  she lacks cooking and organizational skills.  Katie is typical of the old cliché, “if her head was not attached by her neck she would lose it.”  Sorry Katie but it’s true! What I wanted to do for Katie was organize her meals for the week and teach her how to cook 4 weeknight meals with only one trip to the grocery store on Sunday. In trying to find the easiest and most efficient way to do this for her, I came across an amazing app, Pepperplate.com, that Katie, my sister-in-law, Jamie and I now use regularly.

There are a lot of these type of apps. What I love about this one is that you can upload recipes from any website you like (ie. Foodnetwork, Cookinglight, Epicurious), and create your own recipe index with all the different meals that you and your family enjoy.  This option was particularly perfect for Katie because I am teaching her how to cook and we are able to pick very simple meals to make for her family that even she can make.  Although I must be honest, this simple act of appreciation in return for Katie designing my home ended up being one of my most challenging life experiences.  It was easier to build and run an animal hospital than to teach Katie how to organize and cook weeknight dinners!

I pick 4 recipes for the week, transfer them onto the shopping cart, and the app creates an organized shopping list that you can either print or view from your phone.  I then go to the market on Sunday to get all my food for the week.  Initially I went with Katie, and helped her pick out and cook the meals, but now my little student has mastered my class and is going off on her own (so proud of you Katie)!

So everyone try it out and tell me what you think.  I would love to hear your comments and if you like the app.  Happy cooking 🙂