Finding the joy in cooking

Jason is definitely the head chef in our family. He knows what he's doing and can just kind of "figure things out" when it's time for dinner. I am a recipe girl. I know how to cook, but I like to have a plan. Specific ingredients to buy. Tips to help me along the way. 

So I'm kind of killing 2 new year's resolutions in 1 with my new cookbook - What's Gaby Cooking? recommended by one of Susie's friends. It's giving me the inspiration I need to cook more and help Jason out ... and it's helping us eat a little healthier with California-style recipes. Nothing in this cookbook has been too difficult to make - the trick seems to be brightening everything up with a yummy sauce at the end.

Here are a few pics of what I've made so far:

Forbidden Rice and Roasted Mushroom Bowl.
In a perfect world, it would have had avocado slices on top, but I didn't hit the timing right on our avocados. Still, this was absolutely delicious, with some kind of lovely herb-y garnish on top and a big hit of lemon with the mushrooms.

Winter Cobb Salad with Pomegranates.
Jason was out of town last week and I probably made this salad 3 of 4 days for lunch until my pomegranate seeds ran out. So good!

Chocolate, Cashew, and Date Smoothie.
What's easier than throwing a bunch of ingredients in a blender?

Tonight's masterpiece - Chicken Enchiladas with Cumin Crema

Not pictured - Chicken Parmesan Pappardelle that Molly claimed was "too cheesy" :)

My other favorite cookbook? The O'Grady Quarantine Cookbook, put together by Jon and Adina to document all the recipes we made over video chat in 2020/2021. Every other Sunday(ish), we would pick a recipe, set up the iPad in the kitchen, and then cook and chat together over video. Molly would usually join for dinner, and then we would typically end up talking after dinner until my iPad battery ran out. I absolutely LOVE having this record of how we made Michelin star memories in the middle of a pandemic.

Last Sunday, we started from the beginning and made Arugula Pesto Pasta together. A lovely evening, as always. Looking forward to cooking with Jon and Adina in person ... hopefully this Spring or Summer!