The Top 10 Places to Find Great Recipes

Are you tired of your weekly dinner "routine"? If you've been cooking for a decade or longer, then you'll know what I mean. You start out with a set of good recipes that you and your family enjoy. Soon, these recipes become a tired habit. Here is a list of resources to help you break free of the cooking rut that plagues all of us from time to time.

1. Your family and friends: I've gained several recipes from my mother as well as my mother-in-law. A couple of years ago, I went to a friend's party and pigged out on a fabulous shrimp cocktail dip. Of course, I got the recipe, which is so simple that you don't even need to write it down.

2. Cookbooks: I started a cookbook collection without realizing what I was doing until it was too late. Fifteen years and a full cupboard later, I was forced to give most of them away when we moved. The funny thing was, this didn't bother me at all because I never used them. If I did, it was for one or two recipes.

You're better off going to the library, where you can photocopy the recipes that whet your appetite. Or, borrow them from your friends and family.

3. Food, fitness, and women's magazines:Women's Day and Family Circle are good resources to find recipes for your family.

4. Newspapers: check your dining/food section in the Sunday paper. Every July, my newspaper printed recipes from our annual Garlic Festival, listing the winning recipe as well as the runners up. Also check the online version of newspapers in your country.

5. Supermarkets: My supermarket has cookbooks placed in strategic locations - between the bakery and deli section, the book and magazine section, and the checkout counters.

6. Food packages: I've found some great recipes on the backs of cans and packages. The Chicken Paprika recipe is an example of that.

7. Mail-in offers: Some food companies will mail you a small book of recipes when you send in a proof of purchase for one of their products.

8. Small cooking appliances: My slow cooker came with a small recipe booklet.

9. TV cooking shows and cooking classes: I've never sat through a cooking show on TV, but I have taken a class in school. The visual and hands-on approach is a great way for beginning cooks to learn new techniques.

10. The Internet: You'll find an exhausting supply of recipe and cooking sites on the web.