Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Checking In

It's been almost six weeks since making my food New Year's resolutions. It seems like a good time to check in on my progress.

Make one new dish every week from our ever-growing and beloved collection of cookbooks.

Hmmm...I'd give myself a C on this one. We have made several new recipes but not six. It's sometimes easier to fall back on familiar favorites. When we do this, though, we miss out on finding new favorites. There's a triumph in trying a new dish and knowing that you'll be eating it for years to come.

Learn to make a killer spaghetti...maybe even with meatballs.

We haven't tried this resolution. It's a challenge because neither of us loves red sauces. If you have a great recipe, please share it.

Eat at least 2 super-vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, chard, kale, etc.) a week.

Solid B+. We actually do well in this category. Super-vegetables are super. We love roasted cauliflower, sauteed spinach and steamed broccoli. Thanks to an experiment with getting a surprise box of organic vegetables, we tried kale for the first time this winter. We are fans. We found a terrific kale soup recipe I'll be sharing very soon.

Learn to make a really good Asian noodle dish.

No luck here yet. Again, suggested recipes (or recommended Asian cookbooks) are very welcome.

Get better at photographing dishes for the blog.

I'll give myself an A for effort here. Sometimes things go well (see the quesadilla post); other times, not so much (see the rest). But, hey, practice makes perfect, right? I'm practicing. Any tips are appreciated.

Try at least 3 new restaurants (this would be more but it conflicts with last year's decision to eat out less).

We excel at this one (or fail at the decision to eat out less, but let's be positive, okay?). We tried Kuma's Corner with our friend Noelle. We had chocolate fondue at Ethel's with Noelle and our friend Scott. We plan to try Balanced Kitchen with our friend Melody soon. Ahh, if only all the resolutions were this easy.

Eliminate Diet Coke.

I'm most proud of myself for this one. I haven't completely ridded myself of the Diet Coke addication, but I'm made tremendous progess. I was drinking 4 DCs a day. I'm down to no more than two and usually one. I drink more if we eat meals geared traditionally toward soda pop--pizza, for example. Maybe I should switch to beer. I don't miss the DC when eating fresher foods like salad or sushi.

As an added plus, I've lost a couple of pounds just from this small change. It's not so much that anyone but me has noticed, but my pants are definitely looser.

That's Tiffany reporting in. More updates later.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you're sticking to your resolutions fairly well!

Here is my favorite spaghetti and meatballs recipe: http://chelley325.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/spaghetti-meatballs/

Also, tips for photography include taking pictures in as much natural light as possible, using the macro (or flower) setting, and turning off the flash. Have fun practicing! :)

Meegs said...

Spaghetti doesn't have to mean red sauce. Travis loves spaghetti and meatballs, but like you, I'm not a fan of red sauce. So I've started compromising and using Vodka sauce. Still works great with the meatballs, but in my eyes, its so damn much better then red sauce.

Here are two recipes... I normally do a combo (not a fan of the whole tomatoes in it, but do like the onion. don't feel the need for panchetta when I'm having the meatballs):
http://tinyurl.com/366hgb
http://tinyurl.com/gh6tm


As for the Asian Noodle Dish... I normally keep a package of Soba (Buckwheat Noodles) on hand. They are very tasty, and very easy. Boil them up, drain (save some of the noodle water to make a dipping sauce with garlic, soy, and a little ginger), rinse and serve warm or cold with chopped scallions. Dipping sauce on the side. You could also add some tofu or beef. Very tasty.


As for the photography... no suggestions, just keep practicing. I've starting blogging about food a bit more, and have starting taking pictures too. Its not as easy as it seems at first to get a great picture. But, just keep trying!

Tiffany said...

Chelley, Thanks for the recipe and photo tips.

Pictures are definitely better in natural light. The problem I'm running up against that in the winter, it's invariable dark outside when I'm done cooking (really, before I start). So, I keep experimenting with the camera and electric lights. Another reason to look forward to spring.


Meegs, Thanks for the recipes.

Kathryn said...

Today's New York Times Magazine features slow-cooked Italian ragus. I'm more a fan of these sauces than really sweet tomato sauces.

Deborah Dowd said...

You are doing pretty well with your resolutions. For an Asian noodle dish, I would give Pad Thai a try- easy and delicious!

Flann said...

Here you go! A couple of months ago a photographer on the food_porn community on LiveJournal posted two tutorials on photographing your food in an appealing way even if you live in a submarine. :)

http://community.livejournal.com/food_porn/tag/photo+advice