Back in the Kitchen.

Things are finally starting to slow down at school and I am definitely shifting into summer mode. The mode in which I make time to do things I love. First on the list: spend more time in the kitchen. I managed to try three new recipes in the past week -- woohoo! Always brings me such great satisfaction. And I would say that all three were successes.

We had Chicken Tetrazzini at the beginning of the week. It's a creamy spaghetti dish with chicken and mushrooms. We added red pepper and broccoli and it was lovely. On Tuesday we made black bean burgers. They were so easy! And tasty too. Wednesday we had leftover pasta. Thursday we went to see The Secret World of Arrietty at 6:20 and by the time we got home didn't feel like doing anything other than throwing a frozen pizza in the toaster oven. Steven worked on Friday, and I went out to dinner with my family to celebrate Amanda's graduation from SPU. Yesterday, we made Cheeseburger Soup. Kind of has a weird name but it was pretty good. Celery, carrots, jalapeno, ground beef, chicken broth, potatoes, cheddar cheese... yum, right? We added Tapatillo for good measure.

The soup we had last night was my second failed attempt at using a crockpot. I've been holding on to my "Slow Cooker" edition of Cuisine for months and had decided that it was time to fall in love with my crockpot. After nearly 4 hours sitting in the crockpot (that was both plugged in and turned on!) the soup was colder than when I had put it in. At 7:30 I transferred it to a pot on the stove to finish cooking it so that we could eat. This situation has been more than a little perplexing for me. I mean, let's be honest, I think we can all agree that I know my way around a kitchen, right? In fact, I would even go so far as to say that the kitchen is the one place where I can count on success almost every single time. So why the heck can't I work a crockpot???

As it turns out, I don't think it actually functions. I plugged it in and turned it on high and touched it every couple of minutes and it stayed cold the whole time. Not a good sign, right? It was a wedding gift and I have no idea where it came from but it has a three year warranty so I might just call the crockpot people this week. Not that I have to have one but everyone else always talks about how much they love their crockpots and how much easier they make life and I might want to be a part of that. I suppose it doesn't matter so much now that I'm almost out of school though.

At this point, I'm looking for recipes that are anything but easy. I was trying to decide what to make when we have company over on Friday and Steven suggested salmon and rice. Always a marvelous meal but it doesn't take a whole lot of effort. I told Steven, "No. That's too easy. I want a production. I want something complicated. I want to make a mess. I want to have fun!" And it's true, I do. I want to try new recipes and wear all of my different aprons and take pictures of the food I make and just enjoy my tiny little kitchen. This is going to be a good summer.

Last day of school is on THURSDAY! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...