Vicky Learns to Cook

 I've had to compromise. I certainly bit off more than I could chew with this project, which you probably figured out. Even with easy dinners like chicken fried rice and a few nights of take out, I was too busy then too tired to bake much. Part of the reason was that I was practicing for a test in Martial Arts - sword on this past Weds and then one or two more tests with sword and staff next Weds and maybe even the next. We have a lot to cover.  I'm sore all over by now, having really worked hard to get to the point where I could test.  Today the boys are in Ohio, looking at cars in the hot hot sun. I just fried, myself, doing my Tai Chi classes, but am cooling off and trying to explain to the dog why a walk would be a very bad idea. He has shed enough fur to turn the carpet white, so there will be vacuuming as soon as lunch is delivered.  I'm not sure if I'm being careful staying home and ordering lunch or if I'm also lazy. I think some of both :)  Then the things

 One thing Julie Powell never had to do during her project was to setup a grocery pick up and wait for a day to get her ingredients! I didnt think of that.  I forgot shopping in person is no fun for me anymore with the high aisles and crazy cart drivers coming around the corners all the time. Plus I'm lazy and they offer it for free. So I ordered what I need for this week, and of course I waited too long and now cant pick them up til tomorrow. Duh.  Also so much for making stuff with what I had. I didnt have much of anything turns out. Ha! I think I need a cow and some chickens for all the butter and eggs I'm using.  This delays my Almond Pastry, darn it. I certainly dont have enough almond paste.  I do have some cookies to make, however, for my Cookie Charity at work, now that I'm stepping back into the office on Wednesdays. I also did this thing where I ordered tee shirts for the team I'm on and mentioned that in the meeting today. I heard crickets, but I did get aske

 Ok I'm gonna do it! I'm a fan of the idea of going through an entire cookbook in a year and making everything in it, a la Julie Powell in Julie & Julia. I wonder how many of foodies have done this since the movie came out? Get this book, see this movie! I picked the Professional Baking cookbook (5th edition) by Wayne Gisslen since that was from one of my classes at OCC. There are 803 recipes, which comes to about 2 1/4 recipes per day. Some of them are things like sauces and glazes, so on those days I can make a few in a day. There will always be sick days, vacations with no kitchen, and such, but I am embarking on a journey that will leave me a smarter and more experienced baker. And doing my best to get done in a year.  As Julie Powell tells us, it's a "loony undertaking". (See her original blog below) I've decided since I already got my groceries and fruit/veg orders in for the week, we shall dub this week "week 0" and continue on with what I

Today is Friday July 2nd. We dont leave til on our trip to drive Route 66 until Sunday but I can't help it, I have to start doing things.  Being a cook/chef that likes to buy fresh, I now have a bunch of things to "process" before we can leave: Peppers will be roasted.  Carrots, Onions, and Celery will become Mirepoix and frozen.  Zucchini will be cut up and frozen.  Cucumbers will become pickles.  Strawberries will become some kind of dessert along with the rhubarb.  Mango, kiwi, peaches will be eaten Lemons will be zested and juiced and then frozen Grape Tomatoes will be used in dinner along with the mushrooms and one pkg of sausage left.  Apples and pears will become apple/pear sauce. Why not? Brussels sprouts.  Hm... I didnt know how to do this but I'm guessing they need to be frozen... I found this blog on freezing them [https://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2016/08/25/how-to-properly-freeze-brussels-sprouts/ ] The process is really simple: Boil for 4 minutes Strai