learn to cook. Really cook.

Broccoli cheddar soup. Oh. My. Gosh. It was amazing.

Before cooking. Tasty meal and a fun project to assemble. :D

Lasagna
Risotto
Chicken soup
Some sort of fish
Enchiladas

and trying new things lately. I’m not sure when or how I will ever check this goal off, as it seems sort of vague, but I’m enjoying cooking and plan to keep it up. I’ve started baking bread (granted, in a bread machine), I helped with Thanksgiving this year, I just fixed up a butternut squash today. Mmmmmmmmm.

Last night I was looking through a cupboard and found a bag of foreign grain. I called a roommate who recently moved out and asked what it was, she told me it was called Quinoa. I looked it up, and learned how to cook it, then went to the kitchen and experimented! It cooks like rice, but you need to rinse it well first. It has the strangest texture when cooked! I ate some of it plain, enjoying the nutty flavor of it, then added in some garlic, butter, and soy sauce. Delicious. I think it’d be wonderful with chicken and mushrooms, or anything else you’d eat with rice.

I would love to be sufficient in the kitchen. I can make some pretty basic dishes right now – any kind of pasta/sauce, chili (won an award at a camp site!), chicken and dumplings last night – but I think it would be great to be able to make all kinds of fun and tasty meals for myself and friends and family.