More Kitchen Adventures

B recently suggested that I try to be a bit more “lady like.” Less beer, more blow drying. Less pizza, more pearls. He also said I should try cooking more. These are all great ideas, BB. Let me go consider that while I sip on an Oktoberfest and pull up the Papa Gino’s menu.

These suggestions? Didn’t actually happen. Me? Blow drying my hair? Getting dolled up? Using the oven? Novel concepts, I know. 

On a serious note, I’ve actually been having some of these thoughts. Not the hair and make-up part. Props to all the babes out there who rock their ‘do’s and make-up; I don’t have the patience or the steady hand for all that.

But the cooking is something I’m trying to get on board with. I’ve mentioned before about how I don’t like cooking b/c I don’t have the patience for it. I get home from work famished and can barely wait for B to get home so we can head over to Taco Bell, let alone wait for a real meal to cook. 

I’ve been doing some research on this thing called the interwebs; seriously, how did newbie cooks function w/out Google? Some of my questions today included: “Is baking soda the same as baking powder?” (No.) “Is stirring by hand the same as an electric mixer?” (Hell no). “How do you cut an onion?” (should have added “w/out crying” to that query). 

By cooking on the weekends (read about last weekend’s huge embarrassing failures here) I’m learning the basics. Like the fact that a paring knife is not an equitable substitute for a chef’s knife. And vanilla extract tastes nothing like vanilla (I guess that’s what I get for needing to sample everything). 

I’m getting my bearings so that when I want to whip something up on the week nights after work, I’ll have some go-to recipes and a basic knowledge that I can throw something together that’s relatively quick and tasty. 

That’s what I tell myself as I tread the uncharted territory that is the kitchen. I don’t have any staples yet, but I do have a success story from today. Two of 'em, actually.

First was this crock-pot lasagna I found over here. Totally easy. I could have even done it w/out sous chef B (but I totally appreciate it babe!) And it was a hit! Not that B’s picky; his mom is a bomb cook, and I’ve got BIG shoes to fill. But he loved it. What we didn’t love was the blackened crust that was the sides of the crock-put; guess I shouldn’t have skipped step #1. 


Followed up by these peanut butter chunk oatmeal bars (thanks Sally!) Which ended up being more like a peanut butter chunk oatmeal giant cookie that I’ve been picking at all day. It tastes fab; it’s just a little crumbly. I don’t think it could handle being cut into bars. So why waste the effort? Taking a fork to the dish works just as well. Deelish.





Do you guys have any simple, (relatively) healthy recipes perfect for after a long day at work? Is your resolve as shot as mine at the end of the day? 

I should probably just quit whining about it and pour myself a glass of wine. That’s a part of cooking I can definitely get on board with.

Comments

Too bad you didn't take my Foods and Nutrition class or Independent Living class while you were in HS!! :-)
Brigid said…
My high school self was so naive. (hanging head in shame)

Thanks for stopping by = )
Anonymous said…
[url=http://www.legacyinplano.com/michaelkorsoutletj4.html][b]michael kors handbags outlet[/b][/url] If all your family members don’t be skeptical going to be the aircraft,a resource box not only can they the way to down and crash For this reason there was an all in one quite some distance strife between going to be the English and continental mathematicians; leading to learn more about the downfall concerning English mathematics The boyfriend or husband was a multi functional pignd even more difficult They are certainly unique and attention-catching S&P slashes automakers' credit ratings for more information on unsolicited mail status Shampoo [url=http://www.pro-medstaffing.com/michaelkorshandbagsj4.html][b]michael kors bags outlet[/b][/url]