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Thinking about what I'm making and how the ingrediants will combine is a big one. Salt is also big--knowing when to use it and other seasonings. I'm big on tasting as you go. It amazes me on competitive food shows when the chef doesn't realize that his or her dish is either bland or terribly over-seasoned because they didn't taste it during and after preparation.

I have a chicken pasta recipe that includes velveeta and Rotel, along with cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup! Talk about a guilty pleasure, it's an awesome creation and always a hit. Savory with just enough Rotel to spice it up but still keep even the folks who "don't like hot" happy. As for dip, I'm a Rotel Dip purist. Just give me the Velveeta, the Rotel (original or Mexican with lime and cilantro) and good tortilla chips and I'm happy, although I will occasionally use it as queso for nachos when I'm in the mood to pile on taco meat, refried beans, diced onions, black olives, avocado, etc.

I wrap it around blanched asparagus and then sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar. I also love it in a grown up version of a BLT--good bread, prosciutto, a juicy home grown tomato slice and a nice strong cheese. Yum!

I have two memorable tacos to share. The first was the fish taco back when Flaco's Tacos was a locally-owned chain in St. Louis, MO. Flaco was well ahead of the curve when it came to bringing the fish taco to St. Louis! Loved, loved, loved the lightly breaded and fried fish, great shredded cabbage dressing. To. Die. For. Unfortunately, Flaco's Tacos mysteriously shut down in St. Louis many years ago. There was a resurgence recently with the opening of Flaco's Cantina but foodies in the know tell me it isn't quite the same baja bliss that we knew and loved.

My second memorable taco is one I eat about three times a month! El Caporal in St. Charles, MO, makes the best lengua tacos I've ever had. They are spartan, double corn tortillas, a scoop of lengua and onion and cilantro, served with a lime wedge and two different salsas on the side. Amazing and wonderful creations and the best part is that you can also have the lengua as a torta! Makes me want to make a taco run right now.

I am a busy working Mom and have found that life goes much easier if I plan out an entire month's worth of dinner menus at once. I use a freebie calendar program I found on the 'net. I look at a week at a time and plan out all the dinners. We have some dinners we like to eat more than once a month so those get scattered about. It takes me about half an hour to get the whole month done but then it's done and I don't have to think about "what's for dinner?" again.

I grocery shop twice a week and I can sit down with the calendar and make out my list, adding whatever else is needed for breakfasts and lunches or household items. If we don't feel like having that night's meal, I'll swap it for one of the other nights. If we go out unexpectedly (some meals out are scheduled!) and I've already purchased the items for that meal, I cross out a meal further in the week and cook what I've got on hand.

One meal that we try to keep the ingredients on hand for at all times is tacos. I keep an extra pound of ground beef in the freezer and have a can of refried beans, taco shells, and salsa on hand. I almost always have lettuce, tomato and cilantro in the fridge, too. Shredded sharp cheddar cheese is a staple in my fridge, so that's there as well. When the kids decide to have a group of friends over immediately after school, they are usually hungry. Brown the ground beef and season generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin. Put taco shells in oven to warm. Heat up refried beans in microwave with a little garlic and cumin and some diced cilantro and shredded cheese to liven it up. I put the beans in the taco shells as a base. It adds protein and stretches the ground beef. Finish with the beef, cheese, lettuce and tomato and you're done.