Anyone can cook...

I was at Costco the other day, and came across a new cookbook put out by the wonderful folks at Better Homes and Gardens called "Anyone Can Cook." It caught my eye with its beautiful pictures, but it is very informative about how to handle everything in the kitchen. There are pictures of how to break down almost every type of vegetable, what to do with herbs, and even shots of what different cuts of meat look like. Especially helpful in grocery stores that, for some horribly twisted reason, feel the need to call cuts of meat by different names. Mostly, I feel this cookbook gives me the confidence I have been lacking in the kitchen. My mother was kind enough to teach me cooking skills, for which I am very thankful. However, Northwest cuisine is a bit different from where I grew up, and I have found the need to branch out in my culinary vocabulary. This provides a wonderful result, but getting there has been quite the uphill battle. It also doesn't help that I married into a family of chefs and "foodies".

Last night I made Honey-Balsamic Glazed Beef Stir Fry, which was heavenly. It tasted like a meal from a restaurant, and it was so easy to make! My biggest accomplishment was that I remembered to do my mise en place first! Thank you, cookbook :) Tonight I will be attempting Asian Glazed Salmon with roasted sweet potatoes, green beans, and fococcia breadsticks. Yummy.

I hope that after a few months of this being domestic will come a bit more naturally...