Sweet Tooth

Maybe THIS will finally satisfy my craving...

Freezer Meals

I've been thinking recently about making some freezer meals for us to eat after the kiddo arrives. I have a hard enough time now coming home after work and cooking, and I can only imagine what it will be like after he is born.  I know a lot of our family/friends want to bring us meals, and we greatly appreciate it!!  But I don't want to find ourselves depending on that graciousness. 

I've been scouring my cookbooks and various websites, looking for recipes.  One of my favorite sites is What's Cookin, Chicago?  I love that Joelen has a huge collection of recipes, how to freeze them, and various tips for storage of freezer meals.  None of the recipes are too complex, and I get hungry just searching through them. 

I'm going to try making a few of the recipes this weekend, since Josh will be working overtime and I'll be home by my lonesome (with the exception of the cat and dog).  This will give us a chance to see what we like, how well things freeze, and how big the portions are.  Plus, it means I won't have to do much cooking over the next week or so :) 

Doing things in preparation for his birth/after we're home really make me realize how close we're getting to delivery day!!

Things I Learned In My Kitchen

Yesterday, I spent the better part of the afternoon/evening in my kitchen, cooking and baking up a storm. Here is a brief list of the things I learned:

• If your main dish, plus both side dishes, contain garlic, you might just have a garlic addiction.
• Not everyone in the world shares my garlic addiction.
• Every kitchen really should come with double ovens.
• Doing dishes, after cooking, takes some of the fun out of cooking.
• Baked Alaska is a pain to make, and really isn't all that tasty.
• Angel food cake = amazing.
• A really good steak really isn't that hard to cook, and making my own marinade for said steak can yield great results! 
• Steel cut oatmeal is oh so yummy, and healthy too!

Spicy

I feel like I am turning a corner in my cooking. And boy, do I like it!

I have NEVER been someone to use spices, unless the recipe I am using specifically calls for it.  I was scared of spices.  Am I using too much?   Too little?  Do you flavors even go together?

Lately, however, I branched out.  I am trying to use spices more often, in my normal, day-to-day cooking.  Garlic is definitely my favorite thing to throw into dishes.  I feel like its an easy way for me to break the proverbial ice.  I'm learning how and when to spice things up, and which flavors go with what. 

I have my eye on a new book, The Flavor Bible, and hope to purchase it soon.  I think this will really help me to develop my confidence in my cooking.  My other dream is to learn to cook more with ratios, with the help of this book.  Not needing to rely on a recipe for every single thing I cook is a big goal of mine.

I feel like this year is going to be a big one for me, in many different ways.  Stay tuned!