One of my favorite sources of inspiration for new recipes or cooking ideas is my friends.  Everyone has different backgrounds and tastes, so I find that I get some great ideas that I normally wouldn’t have thought of.  This was especially helpful when my kids were just starting to eat solid food, and I realized I was limiting what I gave them based on pre-conceived ideas of what I thought they would like.  Turned out once I opened up the options to things I thought only adults would eat, feeding my kids got a lot easier.  So, I consider my friends a goldmine for inspiration when it comes to feeding my family!  Here are a few of my favorites that are now staples in our house:

• Pumpkin Pancakes from Sharon.  This recipe makes flavorful pancakes that are great year-round.  The recipe is easy to double, so I have a bunch leftover in the freezer that we pop in the toaster for easy weekday breakfast options.
• Jenn’s famous Guacamole.  Jenn perfected this recipe after having it at a restaurant in Chicago.  Since we eat a lot of Mexican-inspired dishes, I love having guacamole on the side — it tastes great, and is packed with vitamins and nutrients I want my kids to get into their bodies.
• Italian Chicken Salad from Laurie.  Laurie graciously had us over for lunch one day, and she whipped up this chicken salad that instantly became a favorite of mine.  You can serve it in lettuce cups (as described in the recipe), or on rolls or croissants.  I have made it several times, for potlucks, teacher lunches, and picnics.

Asking people about their favorite recipes is one of my favorite things to do.  I’m always looking for inspiration.  Finding out what works well for others is a great way to learn new techniques, combinations, and meal ideas.  In fact, this is how Table365 started!  Kimberly and I noticed that playgroup discussions always turned to the question, “what are you making for dinner tonight?” as everyone in the group was  looking for fresh new ideas.  After weeks of this repeated discussion, we realized that everyone faced the same daily dilemma and decided that there must be an easier way to manage the constant task of feeding  our families.  We started meeting weekly and spent two years researching, writing, and creating the tools for the Feeding Your Family System.  Then we started the Table365 blog and website…and you know the rest of the story.  I still ask my friends and family for their favorite recipes and continue to learn and find new treasures.  It’s wonderful to have friends who cook different kinds of foods to expand your normal repertoire.  I’ve learned so much about Mexican and Indian cooking from Kimberly.  Here are three of our family favorite recipes that I got from friends:

• Tia Kimberly’s Cinnamon & Vanilla Oatmeal — this oatmeal recipe is so good that it has been adopted by my extended family, and now we all make our oatmeal this way.  *It can be made with Gluten Free oats too for a hearty GF breakfast.
• Joanne’s Steak and Arugula Salad — my good friends, Joanne and David, made this salad for dinner when they met Anthony (now my husband) for the first time. When I asked Joanne for the recipe, she sent it in an email with a note that “David thought Anthony was a very nice guy…”.    That email is in my recipe notebook and makes me smile every time I use it.  It’s an easy and delicious salad, and I serve it with roasted small potatoes.
• Jenn’s Not-So-Basic Vinaigrette — Jenn makes a mean salad from scratch.  She can take any combination of ingredients and create an entree salad that is held together with a delicious dressing.  I aspire to make salads like she does.