confidence

Finally, feel beter (confident) in the kitchen.

It's only taken me this long.

I suppose I have been spoiled--parents, Brian, even roommates. Sara was handy with tomatoes. As such, I never had to confront my lack of knife skills or food prep knowledge. Instead, I could rely on others. Yes, my mom was a fan of the casserole, or as Brian referred to it--hot dish. Anyone from the midwest can identify with this particular meal. Noodles or rice topped with vegetables, some sort of meat, cream of mushroom soup and cheese. What can you not like about this? Cheese makes everything taste better. Can you say nachos?
Instead of hot dish, I made pasta with garlic, basil, onions, tomatoes, black olives and tuna. I experimented with the addition of tomato paste. The original recipe calls for tomato paste. The sauce was thicker due to the paste. I liked it, but prefer the lighter pasta.
I think my friends enjoyed the meal. I plied them with alcohol and light conversation. I am too comfortable at adapting to my friend's living spaces. When I visited Michaela in Oregon, I let her plan the meals. I didn't want to disrupt her space. I even vacuumed, one afternoon, while she was out for a run. I wanted to save her that chore. My sister has OCD when it comes to vacuuming, I have found. While living in Lawrence, she would come home on her lunch breaks to vacuum the house. I think she skipped the substenance to make sure her space was pure.
Anyways, I am enjoying cooking. I feel at ease without too much wine to inspire creativity and/or confidence in attempting new things.
Happy Sunday! I am off to contemplate tonight's meal....