Step #1 (find a cute apron) Step #2 (google ingredients)....

First let me start off by saying I'm a nerd and yes I am thinking of taking on a goal that I totally stole from a movie that I watched a couple weeks ago. If any of you have ever seen Julie & Julia then you know where I am coming from. If you haven't seen the movie yet then go rent it I'll wait for you.................................................................................Back yet? All right good! So, I thought the move Julie & Julia was adorable and I especially liked the goal Julie had which was to cook all of the recipes in Julia Child's cookbook in one year. There were over 500 recipes and only 365 days in a year. While I am not as ambitious as Julie is, I am however thinking of doing my own "cooking project" and making a recipe each week from my Biltmore cookbook I received this year for my birthday. Sorry Julie, I am not ready to commit to cooking EVERY night a different recipe but I think I can handle one per week. The reason for this goal of mine is because I actually like to cook-shocking to some of you I know. However, it's true! Jon and I's schedule these past 6 years has left little time for real cooking so I have mastered the art of breakfast for dinner (Thank you Lord for my griddle!), grilled cheese and soup and the dollar menu at various fast food locations. I am not proud of this track record but I am willing to improve on it one recipe at a time. I chose the Biltmore Cookbook because it will be challenging (tons of ingredients I can barely pronounce let alone find in a grocery store) and the recipes all seem to be fancy yet practical. Are you ready? I know I am! Lets get cooking!!!

P.S. I have four projects due in school this week so I will start my cooking project next week ha ha :) I want to set myself up for success!...In case you have already read my "pizza post" I do not think this project will have the same fate and the fact that I want to take on this cooking project has nothing to do with me trying to redeem myself and my frozen pizza epic failure....don't judge me! :-P

frozen pizza...epic failure (UGH)

Each week Jon and I do our grocery shopping for the week and try very hard to never return again during the week (it's amazing how much money you save by only making ONE trip to WalMart). Well, I always try to throw in one "simple" dinner that is quick and easy since Jon has to leave for church early on Wedensday for practice. Last night was our 'simple" dinner night and we had frozen pizza. I wish I could say it went well and it indeed made dinner simple.....however.....that was not the case. I would first like to point blame at the pizza and take no responsiblility for myself. With that being said, the pizza box said to place the pizza on the rack inside of the oven. Not rocket science but still a direction so I chose to follow it. After placing the pizza in the oven and setting the timer I walked away in confidence that dinner would be ready in approx. 24 minutes. After about 10 minutes Jon said he smelled smoke and thought the pizza was burning. Of course I quickly say, "Oh no my love that cant' be....it still has at least 14 minutes left-you're so silly! Just let me cook dinner and you get ready for practice" (what a good wife I am right?!?!) Well, just as I'm saying all this Jon opens the oven door and a HUGE cloud of smoke comes drifting from it and fills my kitchen, which then fills the great room...and the rest of the house (sometimes a very open floor plan is NOT a good idea). You must be thinking, What happened to the pizza??? Apparently, the frozen pizza is juicey and now those juices have leaked onto the bottom of my oven and are creating a big burnt mess! UGH! A note to the pizza people: Please do not instruct me to place the pizza on the rack in the oven if it is only go to OOOZ with juicey pizzaness all over it. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. Although there was now smoke filling my house and I had to open all windows in order to let it escape...we stil couldn't eat because the pizza had not finished cooking. Oh frozen people what a web of trouble you have spun for me! At last the timer goes off and I hurry and remove the pizza from the oven only to find it is now a little crispy around the edges-Oh my! So, to recap, last night, our simple dinner turned into a smoke invested, crispy edged frozen pizza that has left me no choice but to deep clean my oven today. Thank you pizza and thank you pizza making people for this simple frozen dinner that has now taken me longer to prepare and clean up after then a three course meal. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH