Feb 28

Readers,
Well, this is the end of the second month of the great cooking extravaganza of 2010 and I have made some improvements. I no longer burn things as much, and I no longer guess at how much oil to put in a pan for sauteeing. I'm almost afraid to say this, but I haven't cut myself with a knife yet. Did I just jinx myself? 

I tried the corn chowder again and again I failed. I'm 0 for 2. Either the recipe in the America's Test Kitchen cookbook (the reference manual for my project) or I'm just not following it closely enough. If anyone has a better or reliable recipe, please let me know. Alternatively, I did make it right and I just don't like corn chowder. That is always a possibility. 

And, there is no reason for me to doubt the ATK cookbook, it hasn't let me down otherwise. 

Tonight I tried something new that I really was unsure about: Cajun chicken and corn. This was a bit of a departure for me, and you'll probably find the reason pretty funny. This recipe was one of the few recipes in the book without a picture. Now, all of you out there who actually cook can stop laughing now, but seriously, that's why they put pictures in cookbooks! To inspire, yes, but mostly to instruct what the thing is supposed to look like!

The best improvement I've seen is in my increased use of fresh herbs (and not dried) and I have actually improved the flavor of things coming out of the kitchen. At first, my creations were pretty lacking in flavor and I realized developing flavors was going to be a challenge. 

Next up? Continuing to test new waters (or broths as the case may be). Later, I'll work on developing consistency-something that obviously eludes me still!

Happy cooking to you all.

Jo