2012

Although I haven't historically made New Year's resolutions, there are two things I'd like to do in 2012: become a better cook and also complete a triathlon. One requires a lot more work than the other, particularly because my awesome friend Jena bought me a slow cooker for Christmas. Over Christmas break, I made a new cookbook by cutting out recipes from the last six months of Cooking Light. My sister asserted that I wouldn't make any of these recipes, but rather that this was just a project to keep me busy over the holidays.

I am determined to prove to her that I will cook and also become a very talented cook. I've made about four things in the past two days and will lead off with what's been my favorite thus far, Guinness Lamb Stew. The recipe can be found here: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/guinness-lamb-stew-50400000109599/



There are a couple things I've learned thus far in my new found cooking career. At first I was hopeful that I was going to save a bunch of money by cooking my own meals rather than ordering from Seamless and/or stopping on my way home for dinner every night. However, I've learned you have to be very careful to manage your input costs. The lamb in this stew is amazing. However, it also cost $12.99 a pound at Citarella, which means my cost for 7 servings of this stew, including all items, is about $35 (I used two pounds of lamb). That equates to about $5 per serving, which isn't horrible, but is also not too much cheaper than the $8-10 for daily lunch. Hmmm.

I've also learned some new ingredients. This lamb stew is the first time I purchased and consumed turnips, which are kind of similar to radishes. I had to go to several stores to find them. Further, I learned that Guinness is not only good for drinking, but can also be used to make a very flavorful stew. I'm proud to be executing one of my goals for 2012 and I still have a couple of days before the New Year's begins. Hooray!