Thursday, May 29, 2008

Delusions of Grandeur

I've been watching too much of the Food Network...

I am tired of making the same old dinners, and eating the same old PB&J for lunch. I've recently started having little sparks of ideas regarding my cooking. There are so many foods out there that I've never even heard of, let alone tried to cook! I'm thinking my next hobby is going to be cooking.

It's a little scary. Over the years, I've grown quite confident--maybe too confident--in my ability to bake (especially cookies - see today's endeavor, Exhibit A). I've just never thought of myself as a good cook! I struggle when it comes to making dinner every night. I can follow a recipe, though, and I think this is what will help me in my new goal.

Exhibit A: (Doesn't it make you want a tall glass of milk? :) )


I'm going to start small. Starting next week (we've already got meals planned for the rest of this week), I'm going to choose a new recipe I've never made before that challenges me in some way and teaches me a new skill. I'm especially going to look for recipes that involve things I've never cooked before...like fish, for example. I'm now officially a 'stay-at-home-mom', so I can even try meals that take a long time to cook, because, for once, I have time! It will be exciting! Don't worry, I'll keep you all updated with how things go here on the blog. I may have monumental failures, but if anything, it will be amusing.

Speaking of food, Paul reminded me that I promised to let you know how his hayashi rice was. It was delicious! It's very tame as far as Japanese food goes (in Japan it's known as "kid food"), so I didn't have to be brave this time. :) It's very similar to Paul's curry in both texture and taste. It's not spicy like curry, though. The thinly sliced beef we bought at Uwajimaya was very good. I told him it could use more potatoes (you know me and potatoes) and less meat as far as proportions go, but it was very, very yummy! With Uwajimaya this close, Paul is going to make a Japanese dinner once a week now. He's thrilled about it. And even though I'm apprehensive, I'm excited to try new things, too. Once again, I'll keep you all updated. :)

And finally, before I post this, I must share this cute picture of James that I took today. :) He's starting to like being on his tummy a little more. He still hasn't figured out how to roll back over once he's on his tummy, though.


I'm sad because all the cute pictures I take seem to be a bit blurry. Maybe my next undertaking will be to learn more about photography!

4 comments:

Paula said...

James already looks different than when I last saw him! SO cute! Sounds like a very fun hobby as well! I've always enjoyed cooking. I don't like picking what's for dinner, but I like cooking.

Paula said...

Oh and I forgot to say that those cookies look amazing! I must admit, I'm not very good at making cookies. I think I just don't have the patience for it. I'm always impressed that your cookies are all the same size!

Kristina said...

i ventured and tried a new recipe on wednesday myself...it was an orange-honey chicken that used the panko bread crumbs too...it was pretty tasty. I need to be more adventurous like you and try a new recipe everyday...

Lisa said...

Cookies . . . mmm.

Two NYT stories for you:

http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/05/beyond_buttercream_cutting-edge_cupcakes.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/dining/28flavor.html?_r=1&em&ex=1212120000&en=274b68f15762bf52&ei=5087_&oref=slogin