I have finally found the way to make use of all those recipe books. You know what I'm talking about, that collection of beautiful recipe books that you were given at Christmas time. The ones that sit on your shelf in a state of disuse...
Sure, you read them when they were given to you, your intentions were good...but you have never really used them have you?

The Solution!
It's so easy! Go through them methodically putting a piece of scrap paper to mark the recipes you would actually make. Then go through them again - are there any special ingredients you need to buy? Realisitically, will you buy them?
Now that your initial bunch of intentions is reduced to a managable number, write the necessary items on your shopping list.
The next step is to commit to this simple task:
I WILL make one new recipe every week.
After a few weeks, review your choices. Will they become part of your recipe repertoire? Or were they just too hard. Cull again until you have a recipe book marked with practical, delicious, healthy meals.
Congratulations! You get to keep them! Otherwise, practice non-attachment and pass them on to friends or donate them to your local charity.

_People are always asking me which digital camera to buy. I am not expert on the matter as being a photographer and a technology expert are entirely different things - but I can provide links to good information.

DP Review (funny name, but great site) has pretty much all the info you need and the ability to create side-by-side comparisons of your favourite cameras.

Should you buy a DSLR or Point and Shoot Digital Camera?
The first thing to determine is whether to go for a DSLR or a point and shoot digital camera. Everyone thinks they need a DSLR, but do you really? Sometimes they are more of a hindrance than anything - heavy, cumbersome, expensive so you spend all night looking after it instead of enjoying yourself! Sometimes a point and shoot digital camera is all you need. Assess your needs and find the camera to match.
Here is an article that discusses this very topic:
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/should-you-buy-a-dslr-or-point-and-shoot-digital-camera

One quick suggestion is do not buy a Panasonic Lumix anything! The photo quality is about as good as a toy camera - blurry, pixelated and ugly. Awful cameras!

"On ALL compact cameras with MORE than 10MP (that is less than about $600 e.g. Lumix LX3, Powershot G10), you will get a tiny sensor and you WILL get lots of noise and loss of detail. I have many A4 sized prints from my old 3MP Canon A40 that are stunning."
[Source]

LINKS:
http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/PhotographyEquipReviews
http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-reviews/