Cooking for six

Today, I am trying to plan meals.

That sounds like a straightforward task, but appearances are often deceptive.

When deciding what to feed the six of us, here is a list of all of the things I have to consider:

- Some of us (and by "some of us" I mean "I") have a palate with the sophistication of a six-year-old living in a poor house. This translates into "Please, feed me Cheerios and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I don't want that fancy schmancy stuff they're making on TV."

- Some of us look at Cheerios and want to choke. And crave dishes with complex layers and textures that you just can't find in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

- Some of us are meat-phobic. Particularly beef phobic. It's not that we won't ever eat it, it's just not our preference. And it makes us gag sometimes. Steaks are the enemy above all others.

- Others of us can make a meal out of meat. Would even eat a whole cow if given the chance.

- Whatever it is that we eat, none of us want to consume masses of junk.

- Add to the top of all of that, our budget is of the ramen noodle/cereal variety.

I'm looking at making a lot of rice.