start cooking again

I’ve been surviving on raw fruit and vegetables, cereal, and simple, bad-for-you things like grilled cheese sandwiches.

I got out some beef strips to thaw. Making stirfry with multicolor peppers when I get home.

Today I am going to plan some menus for the rest of the week and go buy groceries. It’s been so long since I have really cooked, I know I need to take small steps—planning anything too big will end in disaster. But I can do this a little at a time. I can.

• Salad of red leaf lettuce with a red raspberry / paprika vinaigrette; then Spaghetti Carbonara
• Deviled eggs with a veggie snack plate

I think I can mark this goal completed… I’m really enjoying cooking again :o)

... So my husband’s vegetarian stint didn’t last long. I have, however, rediscovered my passion for cooking, largely because of a deal I made with my husband—he’s working on getting a promotion and in return I’m cooking more :o)

• Pasta casserole with tomatoes, feta cheese, and olives
• Spinach crostini appetizers, then chicken breast in balsamic vinegar sauce and spinach salad with a bacon vinaigrette
• and a pizza with broccoli, chicken, sundried tomatoes, olives, and bacon

Yeah, there’s some repetition because most things aren’t sold in small enough packages for two people… but, as we work our way through the boxes and bags new menu items will be added ;o)

Day one: chicken, pasta and tomato, basil, garlic sauce.
Day two:Hand crumbed schnitzel, sautéd potatoes w/ garlic, basil, rosemary and tomatoes, and stirfried vegetables.
Day three: Pizza, and potato wedges w/ bacon, onion, cheese, sour cream and sweet chili sauce.
Day Four:Black bean beef & rice
Day Five: Malaysian satay chicken & rice
Day six: tasty steak, salad, baked potatoes etc

and so oonnnn

This week i’ve actually got some money, so i’ll be making bagels, breads, lots of ginger slices and biscuits and sauces and all sorts.

My kitchen is working really well except for my fridge which doesn’t fit in the fridge hole so i have to go into the office to get anything from the fridge. My dishwasher is a godsend, so is my waste disposal unit. I need another frying pan but i’m thinking a wok instead.

It does feel really good to be cooking again, especially now that i’m better at it and also not having to do shitloads of dishes is encouraging.

I just placed an order from FreshDirect that will result in my beginning to cook meals again after spending the past few months noshing on takeout. This will not only help my goal of eating more healthily, but it will also result in my spending less money on eating out/ ordering in, which will allow me to pay off my Visa bill more quickly.

My husband decided to try to go vegetarian. I love veggie dishes so this is an inspiration for me. The other day I baked veggies (asparagus, yellow peppers, tomatoes) and potatoes in a casserole dish with lots of garlic and some other spices. Oh, was that ever yummy. Now to keep on cookin’.

Made a batch of chicken noodle soup, it is absolutely yummy and I can’t get enough of it. I think I am getting the hang of this again. Soon I’ll be able to mark this goal completed :o)

It seems that I am cursed as far as cooking goes. That yummy potato soup I made is nasty once it’s been frozen and reheated. Of course we now have a huge amount of that soup in the freezer! Last night I wanted to make phyllo dough packets with brie… got everything ready and then the oven broke. Go figure.