I have actually gotten better at cooking over the last 3 months. Truly. Focusing has helped me a lot. I cook almost solely from the Bonne Femme cookbook by Winnie Moranville. I read some great reviews about this book – and the reviews ended up being absolutely right.
My favorite section (like many of the reviewers) is saute-deglaze-serve. It is a pattern for making different meats with yummy sauces. I have been doing mostly chicken, since these are “weeknight” cooking it seems that a “healthier” cut of meat is called for.
Here is my vision. I come home from a hard day at work, open a bottle of wine, and DH and I chat while I pull together a deliciously simple meal – without looking at a cookbook once.
I am far from there. But here is how I have improved:
1. The ingredients I need usually are in stock in the house.
2. I am better at timing.
3. And whisking!
4. I am excited, not overwhelmed, at the thought of putting together a meal.
Now I want to become flawless and memorized – that cooking becomes second nature while I unwind for the day. In that spirit, I am going to focus on cooking seven different meals over and over and over again until they are pretty darn perfect.
I am calling this The Seven Chickens Project. I have found seven chicken recipes from Bonne Femme that I know I like.
Those recipes are Pear Vodka Chicken, Fritalian Chicken, Devil Chicken, Swiss Chard Chicken Salad, Apple Brandy Chicken, Grape Chicken, and Cassolette Chicken.
Those aren’t the names in the cookbook, but that is how I remember them.
On the weekends I will do more “special” cooking – things that take a bit more time – more on those later.
I’ll keep you posted – good or bad!
weeknight quilting 