Learning to Cook

So for the past few weeks I've been trying to balance 1) looking for work, 2) writing my thesis, and 3) being far away from all my friends in Indiana. To safeguard from going crazy, I've decided to learn how to cook. Now many of you have tried to assure me that cooking is easy, it doesn't take much effort, and I just need to try. But for most of you, you realize this is an incredibly feat! Especially since my dad is such a wonderful cook, and I don't like it when my father can do things better than me! (It's a continual feud that will never end). Last week, the man bought $60 worth of crab and proceeded to make several dishes with said crab for the following week. He made baked crab, fresh crab sandwiches, crab fettuccine, and crab enchiladas-all of which were absolutely incredible.  Being the stubborn woman that I am, I decided NO MORE! I was going to learn how to cook, and blow him away with my incredible talent! (Yea, this is probably going to take a while...)

I didn't exactly get off to a great start. While at the store, I inadvertently purchased a Cooking Light magazine for $12.99! I didn't realize magazines at the checkout were so expensive! That's how they get you though, I was flipping through it as the man before me was paying, and I didn't want to be rude and just stick the half read magazine back on the rack, so I threw it in with my groceries-HUGE mistake. Se la vie.

For my first experiment, I decided to try a simple tomato soup to stay aligned with my healthy eating kick! Followed by these delectable cheesecake brownies, found also on tastespotting  website. Both experiments turned out fabulously. For the brownies, I would recommend just using a packaged brownie mix. It would be way more simple, and taste exactly the same. I would also recommend a light raspberry glaze on top to make it even more decadent!


These delicious treats will be the birthday gift for none other than the fabulous Loralie Baum! We are going to a cute little restaurant in the Mission called Bar Bambino. It should be fun, and absolutely delicious!