Cooking Up a Storm

Feb 12

MeredithUncategorized cooking is actually kind of fun, dishpan hands, don't worry one of those pies is for work, still learning to love leftovers, Taking the kitchen by storm, tired of doing dishes, wearing out my pots and pans 1 Comment

As I write this, I’m peering at the screen through a haze of smoke, courtesy of the potato and artichoke lasagnas that have overflown in the oven. They look good, and I’m hoping they’ll be as tasty as they appear, but this bit of cooking (the “oops” moments like the overflowing dish, the burned or cut finger) is not my favorite. But I’ve made up my mind that cooking needs to be a bigger part of my life, and so I’ve thrown open the window and turned on the fan, and I’m thinking about how the cold seeping in will help when I’m making up my pie crust (the colder the better, or so I’m told).

Since my last post, I’ve been practicing my cooking skills. I whipped up some roasted garlic and tomato soup which I divided up portions to eat right away and to freeze. I’d never roasted tomatoes before–it’s surprisingly easy. And in the spirit of making my cooking my own, I added in basil (because tomato and basil soup is pretty heavenly). When the soup was all finished, I made up a grilled cheese sandwich and then sat down to a delicious meal.

I continued my soup making with the tasty “spicy hot pot with noodles.” With ginger and plenty of red pepper, it was delicious way to clear out my sinuses while delighting my taste buds. I do think if I make it again I’ll use rice noodles instead of the fettuccine it called for.

The rest of the last week or so saw me chopping, grilling, baking, and cooking up a storm (with plenty of help from Ave). Our menu has included lazy baked Greek chicken, meatballs and minestra, maduros con queso (a Costa Rican dish) grilled chicken and roast tomato salad, stuffing seasoned chicken cutlets with pear sauce, crab rangoons (a Super Bowl tradition), mushroom and marsala pappardelle, and that beeping will be the potato and artichoke lasagna coming out of the oven. Cooking is a lot of work, but the results are delicious. And up tomorrow? Two pies: strawberry and blackberry.