I want to be the next food network star!

...just kidding! Although I love that show and I'm watching it right now. FN is definitely one of my favorite channels...I get so inspired every time I watch it!  Now I just want my own kitchen to cook in. Today for dinner we had--get ready for it--mac and cheese and hot dogs. Pathetic, right? After making that tonight, I realized how much I have regressed in my food preparation over the past six months. I used to not know how to cook; boiling pasta was the extent of my abilities. And then we moved into our condo and I had a baby and wanted to be all "housewife-y" and had time to watch Food Network all day while I had a nursing newborn acting as an additional limb of my body. I started experimenting with food, boiling, baking, frying, stewing, slow cooking, and sauteeing. I found that cooking brought me a lot of joy and relaxation, and I especially felt satisfaction in knowing that I would be able to put a home-cooked meal on the table for my working man. 

I made braised short ribs (with gnocci, my favorite recipe!)...

 And fresh, homemade lemon bars...

And lots of fresh salads...

I loved experimenting with new spices and foods once I started to understand how different flavors worked together. All of that cooking I was doing counteracted all of that breastfeeding I was doing, but it was so worth it! We ate some really yummy food. Moving forward I'd like to get inspired by magazines such as Cooking Light and some of the Weight Watchers recipes. I'd really like to start building a recipe box to save some of the more successful recipes I've made and to have something to hand down to my own kids someday, Velveeta and hot dogs not included! Anyway, when we move into our house the next two weeks, look forward to some successful and not-so-successful cooking stories :)