Cooking up a storm, literally

Tonight I made curried wild Alaskan Pollock with apples and a side of jeweled rice. That is an awful lot of words, especially compared to my normal specialty dishes, a.k.a. "spaghetti" and "quesadillas." This dish had fancy stuff in it like cilantro and cranberries. I also made pudding with homemade whipped cream, blueberries and bananas for dessert.

I can't say that the main dish was spectacular. But it wasn't bad either. I have had disasters in the kitchen, and this one doesn't count. Plus, I have a theory that any main dish with apples in it is automatically gourmet.

One thing I need to get a handle on if I really am going to start cooking is the mess I make when I do it. My kitchen is out of control. I used 36 spoons, dumped cut up cilantro on the floor and filled my sink to the brim with dishes.

Luckily, I have left overs, so tomorrow night I won't have to cook.

Lessons learned: I think I'm starting to like onions. Weird.

Domesticating

I have been particularly domestic this week.

I finally planted my flowers on Monday, after they sat forlornly in their trays for about four days.

I also decided to make good on my New Year's resolution to branch out on my cooking and baking. On Tuesday, I made instant pudding. On Wednesday, I cooked tacos, with ground beef and everything. Friday, I made cornbread muffins from a mix.

I know. Baby steps.

To make the cornbread, I had to buy a carton of 18 eggs, from which I only needed one. So my next move is something with a lot of eggs. Any suggestions? Think something that requires two or three other ingredients and take five minutes.

Lesson learned: I'm no Martha Stewart, but I make great instant pudding.