get cooking

While down in Portland last month, I had a great conversation with pfarley about food, and I remembered that I really do love cooking, and meaning to do more really isn't the same as just doing it. My excuse for some time has been that I feel I've developed some social anxiety around cooking, linked into my frequently paralyzing fear of letting people down. But inspired by all the great food I ate while in Portland, and the realization that I have a ton of kitchen equipment that I either need to use or get rid of, I finally plunged back into to entertaining tonight.

Savory Cold Mango Soup - recommended by lord_whimsy
Beet Salad
Cod Satay - modified in that I did not bed on asparagus, but instead pea greens cooked with garlic. And, of course, I forgot to marinate it 24 hours, alas. But it was still tasty!

My friend Julie brought pina colada fixings, to which I added fresh chunks of pineapple, and my pals Ron and Margret brought some sort of delicious apple baked thing along with incredible Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream in two incredible flavors: Danish Vanilla and Ginger(!)

And then we watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which I think is one of the sexiest PG rated movies of all time.

Overall an excellent evening.  I need to do this a least once a month, if not once a week.

101 #81 - Cook 12 new recipes within a year

Well, this was originally cook one new thing a month for a year, and at this point I think I'm ready to call it good if I've just done 12 different recipes since I started the 101 list. So, here they are:

fajitas, chicken-mushroom-zucchini fried rice
chicken taco salad,
Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata
meatballs and spagetti
roasted root vegetables
ham!
Curried Cous Cous
Strawberry Mango Cobbler
Chocolate-Cornmeal Waffles
Savory Cold Mango Soup
Beet Salad
Cod Satay

Hopefully this will have me in the habit of trying new recipes out on a regular basis!