Try a new recipe each week

Today, I bought a Mastering Pasta cookbook by Williams Sonoma… and I found a ‘light’ pasta that looked perfect for the heat we’ve been having this summer. It had garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley, and olive oil served over linguine. I grilled up some chicken to throw in with it, and voila! Dinner.

It was excellent. Not too heavy, just exactly what I needed tonight. Something light and not too filling.

Tonight, I fixed a pork with prosciutto with a garlic sauce from the America’s Test Kitchen magazine. I added capers to the sauce, and I thought it was incredible. I’m not usually a prosciutto person, but it was really, really good on this. I think the meat was a bit too salty, but that can be fixed.

Last week, I took another cooking class at Central Market. It was a NY vs. Chicago Style pizza class, including calzones. Everything we made was INCREDIBLE. I suppose my personal favorite was a light tomato and herb sauce, because I final most pizza sauces overpowering. Anyway, it was a great class, and I came away with a lot of new ideas and recipes. I also tried a number of things that I don’t normally eat and hadn’t tried. :)

This week, I made a carrot cake from scratch to celebrate my stepdad’s birthday. I hadn’t ever made or had one, but everyone raved about it, so it must have turned out alright.

Last night, my mom and I took a ‘fajitas’ class at the Central Market Cooking School. We made a myraid of things, including a seafood cocktail, salsa, guacamole, spicy coleslaw, as well as beef and chicken fajitas. It was a very interesting class, and I learned a lot of new things – including new recipes!

Next week, I’m going to take a pizza and calzone class. I learned to make calzones while I was living in Italy, but I haven’t made them much since returning to the US. Hopefully this class will give me some new perspectives!

Central Market is AMAZING.

Tonight, in honor of Father’s Day, I made pork chops with a caper and fennel sauce and roasted garlic pasta tossed with various olives in chili oil. My dad really liked the pork chops, while I thought they were alright. Perhaps they were a bit overcooked. I got the recipe from the Food Network’s every day Italian. I really enjoyed the pasta though, and I will be taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Hoorah for new things.

Thursday, I am taking a cooking class, so I will undoubtedly learn new things!!

I haven’t been able to do much on this goal lately, but I began again this week. I have a friend who is leaving for Ireland on Sunday, so I made her some cookies to take on her carry-on. I made Cinnamon Chocolate Chip cookies (from Williams Sonoma Cookies and Biscotti). They came out excellent… they practically melt in your mouth. I also got to use my new Kitchenaid hand grater, because the recipe called for orange zest. It’s fabulous! I’m going to have my cousin over for dinner next week, so I’m going to try something new, I think.

Tonight was a Chicken Piccata dish—chicken with a wine and capers sauce. I thought it was exceptional, and I liked the subtle flavors much more than the Lemon Garlic Chicken with Green Olives I fixed a few weeks ago.

It was absolutely delish—and another great ‘light’ meal.

Last night, I made a pretzel crusted chicken breast, a recipe taken from Rachel Ray’s 365 Meals cookbook. It was pretty good—although the pretzels were so finely ground, the flavor was strangled. Either way, it was a decent, new meal. :) I’d probably make it again.

Last night, I made a chicken dish I found in this month’s edition of Everyday Food. (I wholeheartedly suggest this magazine to any cook!) I made Lemon Garlic Chicken with Green Olives served over white rice, and it was good—it had a very different flavor.

It was fabulous. :)

Tonight, I tried a recipe for Beef with Broccoli with Oyster Sauce from the Williams Sonoma Asian cookbook. It was incredible! Everything had such a rich, wonderful flavor. I also fixed some pan fried noodles (like they have a PF Chang’s!) to go with it—also good. I am so pleased with myself. :-D