learn how to cook

I tried this one out at lunch the other day. My daughter and I loved it!
It’s very simple and easy to make and GOOD for you!

Avocado Salad Lettuce Wraps
1 1/3 very ripe avocados
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4-1/3 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 1/3 tablespoons red onions, diced
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2/3 ear of corn, kernels cut off
1 1/3 teaspoons fresh lime juice
4 -5 1/3 large romaine lettuce leaves (or lettuce of choice)

Directions:
1 In a medium sized bowl, mash the avocado.
2 Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed.
3 Spread 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture onto lettuce leaves and wrap. I like to use butter lettuce or red leaf lettuce.
4 Enjoy!

Try it out!

I think I did pretty well at preparing a lot of meals from scratch. There’s always room for improvement.. like eye balling measurements instead of measuring every single thing with the measuring cups. I tried tons of new recipes.. some which will become a staple in my family dinners like Spicy Black Bean Tacos and a Chicken Parmesan recipe that I sort of made up.

I’ve been cooking a lot more lately and trying to avoid fast food stops. So far so good. I have my shopping list all ready for my big shopping day tomorrow. In the next week I will be preparing all our meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner from scratch. If it works out I may mark this off done! Although I really would love to take a cooking class before doing so..just to make absolutely sure that I do KNOW how to cook.

It’s simple and realllllly good! It’s for chicken tacos and charred tomatoes.

ingredients:
* 2 plum tomatoes, cored
* 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
* 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
* 2 teaspoons lime juice, plus lime wedges for garnish
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 scallions, chopped
* 6 small corn tortillas, heated

Directions:
Heat a medium skillet over high heat until very hot. Add tomatoes and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until charred on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise; squeeze to discard seeds. Remove cores and chop the remaining pulp and skin.

Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pan and heat over high heat until very hot. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add lime juice, the chicken and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and scallions. Divide the chicken mixture among tortillas. Serve with lime wedges.

Wrap tortillas in barely damp paper towels and microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds.

I got this from the food network, i think they have TONS of great recipes and easy ones as well for us people who are just learning how to cook. :)

I am making out our families meals for the upcoming week. This is my first time doing this, but I think it will help me keep on track and it’s introducing me to NEW recipes! I’m almost there in learning how to cook, would like to cook more advanced dishes in the upcoming weeks.

I’m so proud to say that every night for the past week or so I’ve been making dinner (from scratch, with no help!) and everyone just loves it. I think I’m on the right path to accomplish this very soon! I have tons of recipe books now and even experiment a lot with my own ingredients. :)

I’ve been experimenting a lot lately with cooking. I think it’s fun when I do get a chance to cook dinner and feel great when everyone I’m cooking for loves it! I want to learn a lot more recipes.