Now we're cookin'!

After an overindulgent winter holiday filled with big fancy dinners and travel, I decided to get back into more affordable cooking at home.

Luckily I just bought this great book called Solo Suppers that includes simple recipes portioned for one person. My boyfriend and I are trying to eat less anyway, so I just put a little bit extra of everything in, and then it's enough for two! Plus it includes tips on how to keep a reasonable pantry of staples vs. fresh foods for one person.

The first recipe we made from the book was Spaghetti Carbonara, which is super easy. It's basically spaghetti and a little bit of egg, parmesan, peas (or other veggie of your choice) and pancetta, which is basically italian bacon. You can't go wrong with bacon!

The next one we made was Risotto with Peas, Mushrooms, and Gremolata, which is essentially lemon zest mixed with parmesan and parsley. i think i put too much lemon in this one.

Yesterday I whipped up good ol' mac 'n' cheese from a box and baked beans from a can, because sometimes I just get those little-kid-food cravings. And I like cheese and sugar.

And today I celebrated getting out of jury duty by cooking up Farro with Butternut and Chestnuts (also from the book) and having some Fat Bastard Chardonnay with it. Farro is a barley-like grain from Italy, with a nice nutty flavor. It's a bit like a nutty brown rice. This grain was hard to find; I only spotted it at A.G. Ferrari. I love butternut squash and chestnuts. This was a yummy, hearty meal.

I guess it's been a little carb-heavy. But I love carbs!

In other news, Todd found my Lemony Snicket books! It's a delightful little book series, and I really like the illustrations.

But I still haven't found my umbrellas. I must have left them somewhere public because I can't find them anywhere. :( One was my nice big Chococat umbrella, and the other was my little fold-up MoMA umbrella which is black but on the inside it's sky blue with cloud images. Let me know if you've spotted one of these!