I just scored a flank steak and made a marinade from scratch. "You did what to a flank steak?" says me from two weeks ago.
Alright, I'm not good enough to be that cocky, but I have to admit that I don't even recognize my kitchen identity anymore. I suppose I have realized a completely new side of myself, one who can cook, and enjoys it. I am completely surprised at how quickly this transition has taken place. I attribute my transformation to two things.
1. I wrote it in this blog. Any article, book, or DVD you read or watch about reaching your goals lists this simple step as necessary in your journey. Write it down. There is something very powerful about putting something into actual words, and I am now a firm believer that if there is an audience for those words, this step means even more.
2. Allrecipes.com is absolutely incredible. Let me elucidate:
I picked a recipe for London Broil because flank steak is on sale this week. I watched a video of the recipe. That exact recipe. It even quoted the authors original comments. The author who is another Allrecipe user. Do you have any idea how amazingly helpful this is? I used to watch Rachael Ray, back when M was a tiny tike and went down for his first nap just before 9, allowing me time to sit my pregnant belly down and watch some morning TV. I was always excited about her dishes - macaroni and cheese on a hamburger? Heck yeah! But inevitably, she used pots/utensils/ingredients that I just didn't have. If I had those things, watching her cook the meal would have been invaluable. At my fingertips, I now have access to recipes that I can pick based on my capabilities, then watch someone actually doing it. This is so great for a novice chef!
Members of the site also review the recipes, and give their tweaks. This is also very helpful; if there is a part of the recipe that doesn't fit my style, I can find input on how to alter it. Or, if it is just not for me, there are more recipes for the same dish that I can peruse. I am very impressed with what I am getting out of this site. My only complaint is that I only signed up for 6 months at the introductory rate instead of 2 years!
Here are a few recipes that I have made recently:
Spaghetti Carbonara - I had no idea what this was, but if I see it on a menu in the future I will order it just to see how it compares. The version I made was delicious; we all loved it, even M! I used linguini instead of spaghetti because it is easier for him to handle. So good!
Lemon Pepper Catfish - I bought frozen Swai, which I now know is a white fish similar to catfish. I had no idea when I bought it, I just knew it was white fish and my husband likes white fish. I actually cut the fish into 'sticks' and used this recipe for the coating. Again, this was a hit! M loved them, and I even ate leftovers, which is pretty unheard of for me and fish. Before kids, you would never catch me eating fish sticks, and certainly not making them from scratch! Who am I?
Meatball Nirvana - I made these the other day for lunch, then we had them tonight for dinner. Another success. I have made the meatball recipe from the BLW cookbook, and those were good as well.
Slow Cooker Pepper Steak - I only used one bell pepper because neither my husband nor I like them - or so we thought! It turns out if you cook them right, they are a great addition to a dish! Again, everyone liked this one. I really liked that I could prepare it all in the morning when I had time, then in the evening all I had to do was cook some brown rice. I may try it with egg noodles next time, though!
Chicken Enchiladas -I have made this twice already, we liked it so much! I never would have thought to make a sauce this way, but it is so delicious!
So you see, I have not been blogging because I have been a cooking fool. Pretty cool, right? My husband commented while eating the pepper steak the other night, "So, this website is working out for you, huh?" I said "You tell me!!" He is impressed, which makes me super happy :)
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