Do I Know How to Cook Now?

Reading back at my first blog entry there are a few things my pre-revolution self thought I should be able to do. If someone asked me "What do you mean you can't cook?" These are the examples I would give as to things I thought a "good" cook should be able to do.


1. Make something without a recipe. I think my exact words were "there is no way I’d be able to browse the aisles and come up with something without a recipe."

2. Have a go-to meal that I made to give away. Like when your friend is sick, has had a loved one die or to welcome home a new baby. I remember having this conversation with two friends in particular and I was baffled and felt like this was something I needed to be able to do.

3. Know how to roast a chicken.

4. Have a couple of dishes that I just know how to do that don't involve a jar of pasta sauce or tortilla shells and taco seasoning.

So, I decided to test out #1. I went to the grocery store with no list, no recipe and the baby in tow. I picked up chicken breast, a butternut squash (something I never would have bought pre-revolution) and some broccoli.

When I got home, I cubed the butternut squash, tossed it with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, two cloves of garlic, a dash of cinnamon a little bit of brown sugar. I put them on a baking sheet, put them in a very hot oven (400 I think) and roasted them for about 20-30 minutes.

For the chicken I cut them into tenderloins, rubbed them with sea salt, pepper, and squirted a little lemon juice on top. Then I grilled them in my awesome grill pan.

I served the squash and chicken with some steamed broccoli and it tasted really good. It wasn't a super fancy meal but I made it up and it tasted great. I would never have been able to do that a year ago.