Depending on the circumstances of the moment, the statements “life is short” and “life is long” are both true. However, what’s pertinent to either philosophy, is to beware the dangers of falling into a rut.  

We understand the comfort of a routine, and, sure, it’s fine to have the same breakfast every day or go to a coffee shop where they greet you with, “Hey, how ya doin’ today? The usual?” We get it. But for life to have piquancy, you need to mix in a little change all the time. It doesn’t have to be big; you don’t have to move to Paris or buy a boat. Just do something to prove you’re brave enough to, say, use something different on your hot dog than the same yellow mustard you’ve used since you were a kid.

We can help with that. If you haven’t spent some time browsing through our recipe collection, you should know it’s a good way to find different ways of doing some things you might have fallen into a rut about. For example, we show you how to add a spicy twist to old standbys like grilled corn on the cob, beef stroganoff, deviled eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches and barbecued chicken. We give you several different takes on standard salmon recipes and pasta dishes, and introduce you to the Bees Knees, a gin-citrus-honey cocktail, with a history dating back to the bathtub gin of the Roaring Twenties.

Here’s a suggestion for getting out of ruts like sugar and French’s mustard and adding a depth and richness to your everyday life. Every week, pick something from our recipe collection to try. It’s not a big change, just something a little different. If you like it, hallelujah; if you don’t, it’s not your last meal.

And for a follow-up, you can always take a different path when you walk the dog.