Sooooo, I may have totally forgotten about my blog and have neglected it. Once again. I swear I go through cycles with this thing. I've been awfully busy, with two jobs and the volunteering, not that this is an excuse. I've been feeling more exhausted lately, and maybe it's the cold and the winter and the darkness greeting us so early. Gladly, I come to the end of January, and look forward to brighter things for the coming year.
My one goal for the year is to actually cook the recipes I have pinned on my Pinterest board. Yes, quite the endeavor because there are over 800 recipes currently on my board. Yep. 800 of them suckers. I'm still unsure just how I will pull this off, because that means almost two of these recipes a day for the next year. But I do believe I can cook a large chunk of them. Not all the recipes are meals, which helps, some are bread or cookies, things I can make in pair with another dish. But it's so exciting because it gives me something work on during the year. Cooking has become something I love to do, and I wish I had started sooner. I'm not wonder chef, but I believe I had a decent skill with it. I'm good at adding spices, although I usually go simple and have a select few that I enjoy using the most. Thyme, rosemary, and oregano are my main go-tos (you really can't tell I'm Italian, can you?).
So far, in January, I have read five books and cooked three of the Pinterest recipes. The first was chicken meatballs with a spicy peanut sauce (soooo good, like seriously, I could drink the sauce. Red curry is a dream). Here is the recipe for that one and I really recommend this one. It's really not that difficult, plus it doesn't take too much time. It's a great weekday meal. The sauce can also be used with other dishes, such as sautéed veggies or even cut up chicken. Whereas we cooked some rice, this could also be paired with noodles. I will definitely be making this again.
The second I made, I was not such a fan of. It's pasta shells with broccoli and chicken in a heavy cream sauce. It's a super hearty dish, so great for the cold winter months and doesn't take too much extra ingredients. It's going to be what you have around the kitchen for the most part. My one problem was the lack of flavoring in the dish. It could use some garlic, my plan is to add mushrooms if I ever feel so inclined to cook this again. Which I'm not totally sure about. It was very boring and plain, and that's just not my style in general. For the curious, here is that recipe. Very thick sauce. Also another quick recipe.
Lastly, the third recipe I dabbled with what not as fantastic as the first in my opinion, but still quite good was a sun dried tomato and mushroom pasta dish. Many of my meals center around pasta, partially because I like carbs and partially because pasta is super easy. I like easy dishes because after a long day of work, it's not on my list of things to do to spend three hours cooking a meal. I love food, but that's a bit much. Anyway, this dish was fairly easy, but you really needed to watch it the whole time. There was no just letting it simmer for a bit. Although the flavoring was there, it was lighter. I don't think it needed more, just something a bit bolder, but nevertheless, I thought it was good. And here is that recipe. I'll post a link to my Pinterest food board. I mark all the ones I've cooked, plus my thoughts because I cannot remain silent on anything, always need to add my two cents.
Anyway, I'm excited about this goal because it's something easy to follow through with, and although it will take steady work, it's not necessary for me to do something every day. Once or twice a week will definitely put a dent on my hoard of recipes.
Wish me luck!
My one goal for the year is to actually cook the recipes I have pinned on my Pinterest board. Yes, quite the endeavor because there are over 800 recipes currently on my board. Yep. 800 of them suckers. I'm still unsure just how I will pull this off, because that means almost two of these recipes a day for the next year. But I do believe I can cook a large chunk of them. Not all the recipes are meals, which helps, some are bread or cookies, things I can make in pair with another dish. But it's so exciting because it gives me something work on during the year. Cooking has become something I love to do, and I wish I had started sooner. I'm not wonder chef, but I believe I had a decent skill with it. I'm good at adding spices, although I usually go simple and have a select few that I enjoy using the most. Thyme, rosemary, and oregano are my main go-tos (you really can't tell I'm Italian, can you?).
So far, in January, I have read five books and cooked three of the Pinterest recipes. The first was chicken meatballs with a spicy peanut sauce (soooo good, like seriously, I could drink the sauce. Red curry is a dream). Here is the recipe for that one and I really recommend this one. It's really not that difficult, plus it doesn't take too much time. It's a great weekday meal. The sauce can also be used with other dishes, such as sautéed veggies or even cut up chicken. Whereas we cooked some rice, this could also be paired with noodles. I will definitely be making this again.
The second I made, I was not such a fan of. It's pasta shells with broccoli and chicken in a heavy cream sauce. It's a super hearty dish, so great for the cold winter months and doesn't take too much extra ingredients. It's going to be what you have around the kitchen for the most part. My one problem was the lack of flavoring in the dish. It could use some garlic, my plan is to add mushrooms if I ever feel so inclined to cook this again. Which I'm not totally sure about. It was very boring and plain, and that's just not my style in general. For the curious, here is that recipe. Very thick sauce. Also another quick recipe.
Lastly, the third recipe I dabbled with what not as fantastic as the first in my opinion, but still quite good was a sun dried tomato and mushroom pasta dish. Many of my meals center around pasta, partially because I like carbs and partially because pasta is super easy. I like easy dishes because after a long day of work, it's not on my list of things to do to spend three hours cooking a meal. I love food, but that's a bit much. Anyway, this dish was fairly easy, but you really needed to watch it the whole time. There was no just letting it simmer for a bit. Although the flavoring was there, it was lighter. I don't think it needed more, just something a bit bolder, but nevertheless, I thought it was good. And here is that recipe. I'll post a link to my Pinterest food board. I mark all the ones I've cooked, plus my thoughts because I cannot remain silent on anything, always need to add my two cents.
Anyway, I'm excited about this goal because it's something easy to follow through with, and although it will take steady work, it's not necessary for me to do something every day. Once or twice a week will definitely put a dent on my hoard of recipes.
Wish me luck!
