cooking endeavors

My mother and I were shopping for kitchen things for college. We were at Big Lots and a cookbook caught our eye.

“The New Basic Cookbook.”

We decided learning to cook meals for college would be a good thing for me. The book has sections for breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides and sauces, and desserts, along with pictures for most of the recipes. It has “beginners tips” throughout. Things like…

**Chicken should be 165 degrees or more in the middle.**

**When tossing a salad with a basic vinaigrette, always make the vinaigrette at least 1/2 hour ahead of time and let the mixture sit to allow the flavors to marry. Pour the vinaigrette down the side of the bowl, not directly on the greens, for a more evenly dressed salad.**

Etc etc...

My first meal was "salsa chicken." This didn't come from the cookbook, it came from Sean, but it still counts! Boneless/skinless chicken breasts coated in taco seasoning, salsa poured on top, and baked in the oven on 375 for 30-40 minutes. Put cheese on the top when it's done, and there you go. It's really easy to make, and can feed a lot of people.

Second was breakfast. Scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee. Mmm.... You may think scrambled eggs are a basic thing that most people just know how to make. I, apparently, didn't know how before I got the cookbook.

Next was...I don't even remember. We’ll skip this invisible meal…

Tonight, I made “herb roasted chicken.” I didn’t have any of the ingredients it called for (lemons, rosemary, thyme…) so instead I used garlic and herb powder, and garlic instead. It was a just a normal 3-4 pound chicken glazed (right word?) with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and herb powder, and garlic. It actually turned out really well I think. I served it with rice and rosemary bread.

I am so excited to see Vampires Suck. I just had to throw that in there…I’m watching Raising Helen and there was a commercial for it.

ANYWAY. I’m excited to try out some more recipes. I’m becoming a domestic delight (bahahaha.). I got a recipe for teriyaki chicken today from Alex, who works in the kitchen at Millcreek. He’s 16 and is already a cookin’ fool. I’m jealous…. Are you?

On a different note, I have a week left at Millcreek, and I move to Logan in 10 days. Oh my! I’ve been waiting to move there since June, and now I can’t believe it’s actually here.