It's a worthy goal – perhaps essential – to reduce the cost of food in our households. But before we save a dime or a dollar, we first need to wrap our heads around some basics. Here are some ideas to consider. I hope they'll provoke hard thinking in a money-saving endeavor. If you're new here, you may want to start at the beginning of this series, see How to Save Money on Groceries: The Introduction .

Some lucky summers, it can be all about the peaches, a veritable "Peach Festival"! Here are four of my very favorite peach recipes. First up, a luscious peach pie, a recipe I've been making for many years, kissed with a little orange that somehow makes the peaches just a little bit more "peachy". I call it "Fresh Peach Pie" because the peaches are aren't even really cooked, they're sweet and slightly firm, so so fresh! Then three simple summer recipes, a chilled Peach & Cantaloupe Soup (or wait, isn't that kind of a peach smoothie? you decide), a savory Peach Appetizer, and the oh-so-luscious Roasted Peaches, one of my favorite simple summer desserts. Oh, do you know the muffin man, the one that lives on Drury Lane? You may recognize this old nursery rhyme but do you know the peaches man, the one at Kirkwood Market? My nearby "peach man" lives at CJ’s Produce where he sells sun-blushed Eckert peaches from now ti

Who knew that dinner inspiration could be as close as a bundle of fresh leeks? Some may find the idea of this easy weeknight pasta dinner unusual (I did, at first) but tastewise, it's comforting and familiar, almost a mac 'n' cheese for grownups, just warm pasta draped in a gentle puréed leek sauce. Dreamy stuff, this ... Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Just Five Ingredients. Just One Pot. Somethin' Special, a Mac 'n' Cheese for Grownups. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Vegetarian. High Protein. Rave Reviews.

Just Turn on the Oven. You'll Be Bakin' Bacon Too! How to cook bacon in the oven, easy and unattended, especially good for crispy bacon for BLTs, especially good for cooking bacon for a crowd. That said? This is how we cook breakfast bacon nearly every day! ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~ COMPLIMENTS! "For me it's the only way to cook bacon now." ~ Michaela "... it was amazing! The bacon came out evenly crisp, and not greasy." ~ Gudrun "I have used this technique for years and it's never failed me." ~ Alex "... it works very well, good tasting bacon without all the fat." ~ Ross Add yours, just leave a comment! BEST RECIPES! Baked Bacon Made the Big List! Kitchen Parade’s Best-Ever “Most Useful” Recipes , just one select recipe per year since 2002 Dad Talk. With Bacon. Every once in awhile, the phone will ring early. It's my dad. "I'm sitting down with a cup of tea," he'll s