Food is good.
Most of my cooking is done by finding a recipe online, or taking a recipe and making small changes to it. This is great, and since I am by no means a qualifier for Top Chef I am usually quite pleased with what I make. Danny and I have really been trying hard to stick to budgets lately. We use Mint.com to track all of our spending and our bills. It works pretty well but there are a few things that are hard to stick to, one of them is food for which I blame myself mostly. Cooking is a hobby to me- I like to try new things and these recipes sometimes involve food that may be slightly out of our budget. We also like to do happy hour with friends, or just grab dinner with them. It is fun to go out and since we are all "growing up" we are no longer in the same neighborhood. Traffic in Seattle is always terrible so it is easiest to meet in the middle and catch up with friends. We are not really into going out to bars anymore. Basically, we are old and get tired too early to drink much or stay out late.
One dinner I made recently with absolutely no recipe was an orange honey ginger glazed pork loin (See? I am getting better). And it was delicious. I served it with a spinach pear feta salad and a home made poppy seed dressing- so good! I realized that that we can save money by making our own dressings. They are so easy and most of the ingredients consist of things we already have. I am REALLY trying to work with what we have on hand- it saves us money and makes me a better cook (or at least I like to THINK it does. Danny may just be an awesome husband and tells me to food tastes great- thanks!).
We are taking a Cajun cooking class at some point in Seattle just need to schedule it. I am a huge fan of southern food and culture, so this class will be right up my ally. One of our favorites is jambalaya. It is pretty easy to make and great for lunches the following day. Another fun recipe is bacon wrapped shrimp and grits with a spicy poblano pepper sauce. Sooooo good, and I am not big on spicy food by my love for southern food surpasses this. This recipe is a lot of work but worth it in every way.
I will try to get better at writing recipes down...I am normally adding here and there and spontaneous about it all so it is tough while I am cooking. But someday :)
Most of my cooking is done by finding a recipe online, or taking a recipe and making small changes to it. This is great, and since I am by no means a qualifier for Top Chef I am usually quite pleased with what I make. Danny and I have really been trying hard to stick to budgets lately. We use Mint.com to track all of our spending and our bills. It works pretty well but there are a few things that are hard to stick to, one of them is food for which I blame myself mostly. Cooking is a hobby to me- I like to try new things and these recipes sometimes involve food that may be slightly out of our budget. We also like to do happy hour with friends, or just grab dinner with them. It is fun to go out and since we are all "growing up" we are no longer in the same neighborhood. Traffic in Seattle is always terrible so it is easiest to meet in the middle and catch up with friends. We are not really into going out to bars anymore. Basically, we are old and get tired too early to drink much or stay out late.
One dinner I made recently with absolutely no recipe was an orange honey ginger glazed pork loin (See? I am getting better). And it was delicious. I served it with a spinach pear feta salad and a home made poppy seed dressing- so good! I realized that that we can save money by making our own dressings. They are so easy and most of the ingredients consist of things we already have. I am REALLY trying to work with what we have on hand- it saves us money and makes me a better cook (or at least I like to THINK it does. Danny may just be an awesome husband and tells me to food tastes great- thanks!).
We are taking a Cajun cooking class at some point in Seattle just need to schedule it. I am a huge fan of southern food and culture, so this class will be right up my ally. One of our favorites is jambalaya. It is pretty easy to make and great for lunches the following day. Another fun recipe is bacon wrapped shrimp and grits with a spicy poblano pepper sauce. Sooooo good, and I am not big on spicy food by my love for southern food surpasses this. This recipe is a lot of work but worth it in every way.
I will try to get better at writing recipes down...I am normally adding here and there and spontaneous about it all so it is tough while I am cooking. But someday :)
