Vicky Learns to Cook

There are few foods as elevated in my heart as scallops. And these suckers were the size of softballs. I love New Year's day eating, because EVERYONE is eating seafood. The Kroger line for the cooked cold shrimp for shrimp cocktail was wrapped around the counter. (By the way, I learned that shrimp is good for 3 days only, so don't hang on to that stuff, eat up!) Next  to the shrimpapalooza, we saw the scallops just waiting for a new recipe. I love their sweet clean flavor. I always start with the main dish, do the sides, then the salad. The main dish is a shrimp and scallop stew, over a brown rice pilaf I took off of an Israeli couscous recipe, and a winter salad. Lets cook! Leeks have a great flavor, but you don't eat the dark green part. For this recipe, chop that off and also the root so you're left with pieces like this. Next cut them in half the long way, and then make 1/2 inch cuts the short way. Add these and some c...

Friday December 29... I'm beginning to realize what a crazy idea this is. There are a whole lot of new things to try in a year, and that means I have to try a new menu about every other day. Yikes. Not just one item but 3 or 4 new dishes per menu. I started looking them over this week. We are still on our diets so no pork and little beef, and no pasta, so you can imagine it cuts our choices down. And looking over some of them I changed them because I will not eat anything that tastes of licorice (fennel, anise). I just cant bring myself to do it. So theoretically, this week's menu includes: Arugula salad, Roasted wild striped Bass, and roasted celery root with tomatillo salsa verde. Roast chicken with onion gravy, broccoli hache (a french word meaning diced), mashed potatoes. Shrimp and scallop stew, israeli couscous (larger than regular), and winter salad. Turkey chili, cheesy pepper quesadillas, romaine and dried cherry salad Red wine pot roast with root veggies ...

I'd tried this recipe before. Only I must not have had half n half. Let me back up. I hate bitter foods. I 'm really a sweets person, I even want my chicken deep fried and dipped in honey. But I aim to learn new things, and I really want to try all the recipes in my cookbook to ensure they really are good. No "Joy of cooking" fiasco here. (Look into it, she didn't even try the recipes! Gasp!) So, because i read this really cool book about a lady who had an anyeurism or maybe a stroke? And she had to relearn to use her one side, including learning how to cook as therapy. She ended up being a caterer! I love stories like this, over coming obstacles. Any way, she made this recipe for Brussels sprouts for thanksgiving for her family and they love it, which lead to her doing more cooking. I have a few of her recipes actually and I told her I was really impressed. Shes a nice person. Anyway, so I got around to getting some Brussels sprouts and today I finally ...

I'm starting another project. I know what you're going to say, she never finishes any of these! Yeah, you are right about that. Except for sometimes, when things really seem to pan out, I end up finishing them. I can't explain why some things do and some don't. My brain is always full of ideas, and usually a new one seems better than the one I'm bogged down in, so I switch to the better idea. Maybe i'm just fickle? What makes the cookbook project special you might ask? Besides the fact that considering how to write a cookbook is overwhelmingly huge, given all the ideas I have around it, one of the appeals is that i have to try out and perfect every recipe. There are 120 of them just for dinners. I have a feeling that's going to take a while. And I get to try them all. That sounds exciting and sort of science-projecty. What makes me think I won't wander off to something else? Food is all encompassing in my life. I always come back around to it.  If...