Proud to Call Myself...

One of my very first posts when I started this blog was about cooking. (Food is a passion of mine, though I don't think I write about it enough!) Over the years, I have turned into a foodie but had never really been much of a cook, as I stated. Now that it's been a year since I really took a stab at cooking, I can happily say that I have improved! I have acquired a few cookbooks and tried a lot of recipes. And I'm also the proud owner of various kitchen gadgets, including a crock pot, food processor and my newly acquired rice cooker! :)

Some recipes have been flops, but others have made it into my rotation. These three are my favorite because are awesome as leftovers:

• Black Bean Burritos (courtesy of Stacking Pennies!)
• Sausage with Rotini Pasta (I use peas or zucchini for the veggie)
• Curried Coconut Chicken

There are also a few from my recipe books that I mix and match. For instance, earlier this week I used my rice cooker for the first time to make plain basmati rice. It comes with a veggie steamer on top, so I added some frozen green beans while the rice cooked. Then I quickly made some tilapia fillets in a pan and a really easy red curry sauce. The result was absolutely delicious! (And, as I love, gave me leftovers.)

Recently, I've been on a fish kick - maybe because it's summer, it's not really expensive and it's healthy! I buy mine individually frozen, which just makes life easier: tilapia, mahi mahi or salmon. It cooks in minutes, I can drown them in spices and fry them slightly with some flour to make all sorts of aromatic and yummy combinations!

However, I know I still have far to go. I always have to follow a recipe unless it's one of my staple meals or something easy that I'm just tossing together. Need to be more adventurous! Also, I have cooked for my roommates and ex-boyfriends, but I have never thrown a big dinner party with appetizers, entrees and desserts. (I am definitely not a baker.) Hmm... maybe that's something I should strive towards! :)

One of the best things about cooking? In pf terms, it can be very cheap! As a single person, my monthly grocery bill rarely tops $125. Good for myself and my budget!

Leave your own recipes and thoughts in the comments - or feel free to e-mail me!