Dinner Co-op

Am I the only one running around like a chicken with her head cut off this time of year?  Between buying presents, trimming the tree, singing with Bing, baking cookies, and signing cards, there's barely time for the little things...like working, for example.  Needless to say, cooking hot dinner has dropped a few pegs on my priority list.

On days like this I'm particularly grateful for dinner co-op.  Now I'm sure you're asking yourself, "Dinner co-op?  What in the world is that?"  Well, I'll let you in on this genius idea.

My friend and co-worker, Therese, and I both enjoy cooking.  For years we've swapped recipes and tips.  Then one day, we decided to start a dinner co-op.  It's a pretty simple concept: Therese and I both cook twice as much as we need one night a week, and then swap the leftovers.  Typically, we both cook the double dinner on Mondays and bring the leftovers to work on Tuesday.  So, the husband and I have a new-to-us meal on Tuesday night, and I don't have to cook a thing!

In addition to saving time, dinner co-op is fun because it gives you the opportunity to try new dishes.  Therese has some delish recipes that my belly has benefitted from.  Chicken curry, Indian lasagna, mini burgers, mac n' cheese...  I'm getting hungry just thinking about some of these meals!

So, if you have a friend who enjoys cooking, consider proposing a dinner co-op.  Once a week, month, quarter, or year, it's a fun project that will save you money and time.  Oh, and if you do start a co-op, I'd love to hear about it!  Comment, send an e-mail, or visit our Facebook page to let me know.