Look, I Cooked a Real Dinner

First off, I love good food, and I even enjoy making it from time to time. But when our schedule gets busy (or I get lazy and bored), I find myself reverting back to simple pastas, stir frys, and maybe even the occasional pan of scrambled eggs. Whatever I can whip up in under a half hour. 

There was one day, however, that I spotted a bowl of unidentified something in the back of the refrigerator and realized that it was chicken stock…real, homemade chicken stock. Note: This was my first and probably last time making homemade chicken stock. Mostly because I never buy whole chickens, or really meat of any kind. And of course after all that effort I had forgotten completely about it. 

So, I decided to make soup and then also decided to use up the various other things in the kitchen that would soon be reaching their expiration date. I realize that doesn't sound very appetizing, but it worked out and no one got sick. Another side note: I do realize menu planning is economical and efficient, but there's something about me that likes the challenge of opening the refrigerator and creating a meal on the spot with the random ingredients I find there. I mean, the rush is basically like being on Chopped or Top Chef.

Anyway, I ended up with a hearty vegetable soup that included black beluga lentils, a favorite high-protein ingredient of mine. It was abnormally flavorful and I now realize why people use homemade chicken stock. Maybe I will make it again sometime.

I also had a butternut squash that had been hiding in the cupboard for a couple of months. It seemed a little dry inside after scooping out the seeds but OK. So I baked it until it was soft, mashed it, and combined it with roasted onions and brussels sprouts (another favorite ingredient) glazed in balsamic vinegar and topped everything with cranberries. That was pretty delicious too.

I'd say the meal took me a good hour and a half to make. Unfortunately, Bry ended up working late so I ate by myself at the kitchen counter before leaving for Bible study and by the time Bry was home the butternut squash/brussels sprout dish was no longer warm, and I don't recall any words of praise from him later about the meal. Kind of demotivating for the "making great dinners" cause.

I continued to persevere however, and a couple of nights ago ended up with another new meal that I was happy with. A revamped (and healthier) version of fish and chips. I cut parsnips to look like french fries and roasted them with olive oil and minced fresh garlic. Poppy was convinced they really were french fries, even after I told her they were parsnips. The fish was nice mild cod that I baked and topped with a crazy, muddled fresh basil concoction. I actually got out the mortar and pestle for this experiment, so go ahead and be impressed.

So that's the latest excitement in the kitchen. I thought a little blog post might help encourage me to put that extra bit of effort and creativity into our food. Meals are a lot more fun that way.