Cooking up a storm.

I cooked a lot this past weekend. Lots of good food. And I didn't burn anything. I must be getting good at this or something. On Friday I cooked some individual meat loaves, and they were surprisingly good. I modified the recipe a bit - used Italian-flavored breadcrumbs instead of plain, added garlic, some cheese - and was pleased by the outcome. That's something that you can do when you cook - be a bit creative with the ingredients. Not enough salt? Add some more. More spices? Toss some more in. Don't like breadcrumbs? Leave them out or substitute some oatmeal. That kind of thing. With baking, you can't really improvise as much. It's not like you can just leave out the flour if you don't happen to have any, or substitute some breadcrumbs for oatmeal in an oatmeal raisin cookie. It's no secret that I like to bake more than I like to cook, and this is really because I tend not to burn what I bake (and I'm also addicted to carbohydrates), but I do appreciate cooking. And the more practice the better I get at it.

I don't have a photo of the mini-meat loaves, but I do have a photo of Wyatt helping me cook the mini-meat loaves. The cats love it when I cook. They perch all around the stove. Yes, this means that there are about a pound of cat hairs in our food, but if the cats are happy being near us while we cook then so be it. A little ruffage is good for you.

I do have a photo of the chicken enchiladas that I made on Sunday night:I highly recommend the recipe (came from Real Simple, a magazine I've been pretty regularly reading lately), as it's quick and simple, and the enchiladas actually have flavor. The corn and zucchini are a nice combo, and there is plenty of Monterey Jack cheese. The cheese could have been the best part.

I also have a couple of photos of the apple brown betty I made from this great new baking cookbook that I got from Chris. She sure knows what I like, that's for sure, and it's new recipes for sweet baked goods. Apple brown betty is really simple, and it's a dessert that can probably be made a bunch of different ways. This one used breadcrumbs, butter, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and lots of apples. Called for walnuts, too, but I left those out because I only had enough to use in the blondies recipe that I plan to make later this week. Plus, yesterday while I was riding in the car with Doug I was thinking about how much I like him, so I decided to make him something appley for dessert, and since he's not a huge nut fan I thought I'd leave them out. He can enjoy his special Doug desserts (the pumpkin beer is a nice fall touch) and I'll savor the less-fruity-more-nutty ones.

Speaking of thinking about how much you like someone, I want to send out some happy anniversary wishes to Chris and Chris, who are celebrating their second anniversary tomorrow. Today my parents, tomorrow Chris & Chris. November is a great month for weddings. My mother said that her wedding day was beautiful - unseasonably warm and bright sun. Chris and Chris had a memorable day, too - rainy and a bit of a hurricane. Very fitting weather, I thought, for their beautiful fall-themed day. Made everything feel that much more cozy and intimate inside their fantastic location. In looking back through some photos that I have of the day, I thought this one was particularly fun: Chris looks so happy to show off his ring, and soon he'll have his daughter to show off. My, how time flies! Happy anniversary, guys.