Things for me are so different from in Fargo. The main difference is not working. In Fargo, I would spend my off time usually at home. Lounging on the couch, doing laundry and occasionally doing some good cooking. I do plenty of lounging on the couch here as well as laundry, but I'm doing more than the occasionally cooking.
It's no secret that since Ryan and I have been together, my kitchen has been expanding. It still is. Our recent purchase has been a sandwich press. It has reversible plates. One side is a grill and the other is a griddle. Ryan made us Cuban Sandwiches. (P.S. I don't like Cuban Sandwiches. It's the pickle... it's just weird!) We can also flatten it out and use it as a cooking surface for things like eggs, bacon and things you would cook on a griddle or a grill.
The expanding kitchen isn't what has motivated me to start cooking more, but it has helped. Ryan always wanted a Chicago Style Pizza Pan. He got himself one. We have been making Chicago style pizza. Since we want to do things right, cook books keep showing up. "The Great Chicago-Style Pizza Cookbook" has been our guide to learn how to do this. One of my favorite things to make is a red sauce. Turns out my red sauce works great as a pizza sauce. The only issue is Ryan and I have very different preferences to what makes a good red sauce. Can you imagine that I'm the one who likes the sauce spicy?!? Ryan likes it more simple. We have been trying to find a good balance of sauce plus toppings. We used fresh mozzarella. The mozzarella tastes great, but it is so wet that it's making the pie too wet. It's still a work in progress but it's delicious trying!!
For some reason I have been craving chicken. More specifically southern style deep fried chicken. I wanted to learn how to make this and make it good. Unfortunately, Ryan was not interested in helping me. Cooking has always been something we do together, so I put the crispy, deep fried deliciousness in the back of my mind. I was still determined to give a fix to my chicken cravings. I picked up a roaster chicken at the grocery store (after all they were on sale!). Ryan helped me to take the wishbone out. I rinsed it out and let it get closer to room temperature. Ryan helped me truss it. We seasoned with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Stuck a thermometer in the bird and popped it in the oven. Once it hit 165 degrees I pulled it out and let it rest. We chopped that thing in half after 10 minutes and it was the best chicken of my life. I have been dreaming about that chicken ever since (as Ryan... he'll tell ya!). Tomorrow we are having chicken for supper!
One of our next recipes I want to perfect is Chile Colorado. We have a couple pork butts in the freezer (unfortunately they are frozen together. Not sure how how to resolve that.). Ryan has made this for me a couple of times. The first time I could not eat it. There was not enough sour cream in this world to cool it down enough for my palate. The second time it was milder but still a little too spicy. We'll figure it out. I know we will.
Cooking is one thing I have become good at and I enjoy it.
Do me a favor... what is your favorite dish to cook or to eat? What is your specialty? What kind of challenge can you share with me to try to perfect?
