Last year, I resolved to lose the rest of the baby weight I put on while pregnant with my son- I gained a total of 55 pounds. With a lot of running, working out/lifting weights, and better food choices, I reached my goal in the middle of the year!!! And happily, I'm maintaining my new weight. You can read about my journey here, here and here.
This year, I want to become a better cook. And I want to start cooking more in general. This last year I have felt quite guilty that I didn't cook more for my family. And when I did cook, I don't think my food was all that great. So I want to change that. I want my family to crave the meals I prepare and have "favorites"! Wouldn't that be something?! I have plenty of cookbooks, tools and equipment, and lots of recorded food shows on t.v., I just need to decide what I'm going to cook and try new things.
I recently came across the America's Test Kitchen Magazines/Cookbooks and LOVE them! They are so informative, providing essential information about ingredients and the cooking process, things that work and the explanation behind it. It's become essential reading for me.
I've planned to choose a variety of dishes that I want to learn to cook and practice on those dishes. I've made a little spreadsheet of the ingredients for our favorite meals to make grocery shopping easier.
We've had some extra family staying with us lately so it's been great to be able to prepare meals for everyone and then all sit down together to eat. I know they enjoy it and I feel good at having shown love through food. Such a nice thing. I've even been cooking lunches on the weekends, something I never usually did.
So far, the dishes that have been successful are:
Thai Steak Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw (I eliminated the tortilla for mine, but the rest of the family ate the theirs)
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Crab Cakes (Americas Test Kitchen recipe)
How did you learn to cook? I think most people are taught as children from their parents, which is what I want to do with my son. He already loves cooking so I'm hoping that my cooking journey will rub off on him and he will acquire a love and skill for preparing food.
I'd also be interested in your go-to recipes. I'm planning to cook about 3-4 meals a week, and grocery shop on Saturday mornings. Is that what you do? I like to have a fridge full of food for the weekend so I don't get that blank look from my hubby when he opens the fridge door:)
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*If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might have noticed that I haven't posted in a while. We have a family member who needs prayer for healing, so if you are the praying kind, I would really appreciate it.
