Last night, when I told my wife I would be home to cook dinner this evening, she made a simple request. “I’d be really happy with just a salad.” So the wheels began turning.

At first, I thought about what I had at home, and started making a list of all my usual, favored salad fixings. Then I headed off to work. Chatting with a coworker led me to an idea. I reviewed the salads we offer at work, to see if any inspired me, based on the ingredients I wanted to use.

As a result, I made a delightful mixed green chicken salad with avocado, almonds, dried cherries, grape tomatoes and crumbled blue cheese, topped with a honey mustard dressing.  It turned out great, and we were both very happy with the results! From now on, I’m going to pay more attention to what’s on the menu at my favorite restaurants, since it just might inspire what’s on the menu at home. Enjoy!

Cathy and I hosted Jamie and Lindsey Bougher tonight for dinner. She commented on a recent post that she wanted to be next to enjoy one of my efforts in the kitchen, and according to her and her husband, I did not disappoint.

I modified a recipe for Italian-style country ribs to give it more substance, by adding grilled bell peppers and onions, and we served it over corn/quinoa pasta, with a mixed green side salad tossed in pear-lime vinaigrette. Appetizers were gourmet cheeses and chips with homemade guacamole.

It was a bit time-consuming but rewarding to hand dice and chop everything. (I just need to learn how to dice jalapeño so that my finger tips don’t tingle for a couple hours afterwards.) I also did a better job of planning than usual, anticipating shared ingredients between appetizer, salad and dinner, to decrease the chance of waste later on. It was always challenging to cook for one when I was single. Now, I have the benefit of cooking for two, and that has made purchasing and using fresh ingredients more enjoyable and less wasteful than in the past.

Obviously, I still have plenty to learn. I’m getting better with each new endeavor, though, so I look forward to the next time I can host friends for dinner. So who’s next? Besides having more mouths to feed to rate my efforts, having guests over forces me to keep the apartment cleaner than normal. So drop me a line and give me a reason for one of my next “Kitchen Feats.” Enjoy!

Last night, I whipped up another stovetop dinner from scratch. While the wife and I were enjoying it, I asked her if she realized she’d married a cook. She countered by asking if I realized I was a cook. “Not a clue!” I replied, and it’s true. This whole blind cooking, successfully, really started to happen in just the last six months.

I could always use recipes before (though not always perfectly), and often still do. Yet I’m becoming very skilled at just whipping things up. Give me a protein, a starch, and a few odds and ends and I’m making tasty dinners for two, with a little leftover for Cathy’s lunch, consistently. Plus, they are getting better, simply by what I’m learning about flavor combinations from following other recipes. For example, I was making a dish last night, and knowing what I knew from a recent recipe, I added a proper amount of properly reduced tequila and butter to add that extra wow factor.

Tonight, I followed a recipe, with a few adjustments based on ingredients at hand, and made a killer shrimp and avocado salad, with pear lime vinaigrette. I didn’t have “sweet onions”, so I grilled the chopped onion a bit to make it sweeter. So very “yumptious”. That’s right, it was good enough for me to invent a new word.

I have no idea what doors this new ability will open up. I want to keep growing and trying new things. For now, I have a happy wife. Maybe soon, my friends will get to taste what I’m doing in the kitchen and be happy, too. Either way, I know I never ate this good at home when I let Hamburger Helper decide what went in the pot. I’m actually excited to get into the kitchen. I can’t wait to experience what I discover next. Enjoy!

… Or, Man, I’ve got to remember to take a picture!

In-laws came over for dinner today at our apartment. Cathy wanted to make Shrimp & Scallop Scampi, so I jumped at the chance to finally try making Mexican Drunken Shrimp at home. For those who don’t know the appetizer from Cooper’s Hawk, you’ve no idea what you are missing. (The only change I made to the recipe from their Celebration cookbook was leaving out the jalapeños in deference to sensitive stomachs.)

I now have a new found respect for our line cooks at the restaurant. Cooking time alone was easily 20 minutes, but they manage to churn this dish out in 10-12. Beyond that, my version was a big hit with everyone. Probably could have made a double batch and they would have still been gobbled up.

It was fun putting the elements together, successfully. The dish is a bit pricy to make at home more than occasionally, takes almost as long to prep as to cook, and makes a mess of a more than a fair amount of dishes. I can’t wait to make it again. This one actually called for a double reduction and i pulled it off. Maybe next time I’ll remember to take a picture.

On a side note, I helped Cathy with her prep since she helped me with mine. If you’ve never minced shallots before, be prepared for a new level of crying. Holy shallot, those things had me bawling! Enjoy!