Trying New Things

My cooking adventures continue... One of my commitments to myself (does that sound more lasting than a "resolution" ?) is to keep exploring new recipes to find things I like and keep teaching myself new things to do in the kitchen. For years, I've had a half-dozen cookbooks sitting on my shelf, and I have finally cracked them open to start trying the different recipes they have inside. Plus, I've been looking for new recipes online both from friends' blogs and from other diet/food sites. My criteria are really just that the dishes be healthy, low-sodium, and VERY easy to make. I'm talking Rachael Ray style or easier here...dare I say it, I'm still at the Sandra Lee level in the kitchen? :-)

In the last few weeks, I have tried 3 new recipes -- 2 of which are keepers. From the American Heart Association's Quick and Easy Cookbook, I made a mustard-coated chicken breast (not a keeper) and spicy salsa chicken wraps (a keeper once I figure out better serving/portion math cuz it's a recipe for like 8 and I'm 1). Last night, I took a recipe off the Safeway site and made a baked tilapia filet with fresh garlic, lemon juice, lite butter and parsley flakes. It was really tasty -- and I had 2 new experiences: using a garlic press, and seeing for myself that garlic does actually turn blue sometimes. Yowza!

Trying new recipes is fun, and it gets me into new aisles in the grocery store and using different tools or settings in the kitchen. I'm working myself up to taking that cooking class, hopefully at the end of February. Good times.