I attended a baby shower this week. Besides the fun of seeing all the adorable baby gifts, I was intrigued by the process carried out by the gift recorder. The efficient way of keeping track of the gift-giver and the gifts in order to write thank you cards was ingenious. The gift recorder was armed with:
• Guest name and address labels in alphabetical order 
• Envelopes for thank you cards
• Sticky notes
• Thank you cards
As each card was opened and the gift-giver announced, the gift recorder pulled an address label from the alphabetical list and stuck it on an envelope. (I later found out that when the invitations were ready to send, two sets of address labels were printed. One set was used for the invitations and one set was saved for the thank you cards.) 

As the gifts were opened, the gift recorder kept track of the gifts on a sticky note. One or more sticky notes were used for each person, depending on the number of gifts given. The sticky note(s) was placed inside a thank you card. The thank you card was then placed inside the corresponding envelope with the gift-givers name and address. This way, the mother-to-be (and father-to-be) could write personal thank you cards by referring to the sticky notes. With the envelopes already addressed, they would save time and energy. 

Use this process for bridal showers, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries—anytime you need to keep track of gifts. It’s so much better than the old pen and paper record (even if you’ve updated to a computer). No more tracking down the correct way to spell a last name or the guest’s street address. This is an extra gift you can give the person whose special event you are celebrating!

Hello,
Following is a preview of my new cookbook, “Mealtime Magic: Delicious Dinners in Half the Time.” One reason I wrote this book was because I wanted to spend less time in the kitchen. Another reason was I wanted to spend less money on food. I was also concerned about the food I was throwing away. Most importantly, I wanted to serve home-cooked meals that my husband and our two daughters would enjoy. 

I thought of the concept for "Mealtime Magic" long before I decided to write it down. I developed my cooking strategy over a number of years. Combining my educational background (at the Culinary Institute of America) and practical knowledge from 43 years of cooking, I've created time-saving main dishes that have been requested by my family again and again. My strategy, which employs intentional planning of leftovers to create completely new meals, worked. One dinner became the basis of two additional meals. And with little food waste, I saved money, too. Now I can share my method with you and other busy families through “Mealtime Magic.” 

Following is one of my favorite "Three-Day Plans" from the book. I have so many favorites, it was hard to decide which one to include. I settled on Meatball Heroes. Use leftovers from the Heroes for Easy Lasagna the next night and Meatball Stew the following night. For side-dish recipes suggested to go with the main dishes in "Mealtime Magic," click "View Recipes" above.

Enjoy!
~ Amy
( If viewing from a mobile device, please select the web version to view the recipe.)