Ok, all you cooks out there. Cumin is probably a staple in your cupboard, but for someone who is bewildered by anything more exotic than basil or cinnamon, this discovery is HUGE! I even found something called 'Cream of Tartar', but is it any good after 12 years? (I wish I were kidding, but I'm not).
In an effort to slash the grocery bill (all that pre-washed, pre-sliced produce adds up quick!), I've been forced to stand at the stovetop that I am so allergic to. I'll ignore those itchy patches on my legs & soldier on as bravely as I can (winter dry skin? never heard of it!). You should have seen me today, hitting 3 different grocery stores armed with a bona fide
shopping list. I found a bunch of recipes at the
Cooking Light website & actually fixed the amazing
Beef & Bok Choy Hot Pot for dinner tonight!
It even
survived a couple mistakes I made (somehow after simmering, all the liquid disappeared entirely) & my husband loved it so much that he ate a 2nd helping. It's a very economical recipe & I subbed in cabbage & spaghetti to
cheapen it even further (of course any recipe I touch is bound to be devalued a bit, eh?)
As I'm blogging, I have 2 nights worth of
White Bean Soup w/ Peppers & Bacon stored in the freezer & I'm waiting for the
Springfield Chilli to finish simmering. It's so sad I have to trade in those surefire canned beans for the boring bag of dry ones that you have to
soak-so-long-that-your-hair's-returned-to-its-natural-color(!).
That chili is smelling sooo good. It must be potent because I'm still all stuffed up from this sinus thing. This is what it looked like after the meat was browned & the beer added (Hubby walked in at this point & laughed at my photo-journalling. I threatened to clean his Man-Room. He called my bluff, but left anyway.)
Yes, those are chopsticks. Even though my grandmother is all the way up in Canada & can't see what I'm doing, years of her saying, "Real cooks use chopsticks!" has traumatized me from reaching for a wooden spoon. Well, if I owned one.
2009 has barely started, but I think it's a realistic expectation that I can stick to this cooking- from-scratch-thing for at least until after my brother's visit. He is a massive foodie & will be flying in next week from NYC. I'm going to hide the case of Spaghetti-O's (bought those in 2008) & impress him with my culinary abilities. And when he asks for a 2nd helping, I'll hand him the phone & say, "Call Grandma first & tell her I can SO cook!"
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