The Art of Trying Something New

So, most of you who know me, know that I've ventured into scary territory.....I vowed on January 1st that I was going to cook my way through Martha Stewart's cookbooks.  100 recipes in 2010 (roughly 2 a week).  Original, right? Well, I've cooked a lot of dishes in the last 18 weeks--all but two have been lovely.  The Arroz Con Pollo and the Pasta Fagioli were pretty disappointing, despite following the recipe precisely.  Even Martha doesn't get it right every single time.  That's okay.

My goal was not to make the easiest recipes in the book, but rather to try new techniques, like poaching a whole salmon, and attack some intricate ethnic foods, like Enchiladas Verdes, which took over 6 hours to make.  The fun is in the process. 

The selection of the perfect poblano chile that took a trip to Plant City to find it. 

The feel of bread dough in your hands when you know you're making something that's going to be comfort food to people you love.  I'm learning that cooking makes memories.  It makes people want to be in your home for the way it smells and the way food makes them feel. 

I know that we live in a busy world.  I know we can't slave in the kitchen every night.  I get it.  I just don't want my children's lives to be all about Velveeta and casseroles.  From-scratch just tastes better!

Last night, I tackled homemade eggrolls.  What a difference from the ones you get with Chinese take-out!  They are surprisingly easy and inexpensive to make.  You should give them a whirl:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pork-egg-rolls

And the good news is that even if your meal is a disaster, if you've made it with love, the people that love YOU will say it's SPECTACULAR.