Adventures In Cookery

Now that we have a fully functioning stove and refrigerator, I've spent a few days playing around with some new recipes. Of course, you can never tell what will work and what will be a total bust, so the proof is in experimentation. So far this week:

Spinach Mushroom Quiche- not too bad, all things considered. Next time I'll try putting in a bit more cheese, and maybe make a homemade crust instead of opting for the frozen kind. My test subjects didn't seem to mind, though.

Applesauce Brownies- totally gooey, and a lot less fat. What's not to love?

Spicy Chickpeas and Couscous- from now on, when I read the recipe and it says six servings, I'll be sure to cut it down. This tastes awesome, but we've had it for three meals already and there's still more in the fridge.

Brownie Biscotti- a bit of a bust. Wrong texture and not nearly crispy enough, though I guess I shouldn't have expected much from a pre-packaged mix. Next time is all Italy, baby.

I'm hoping to tackle tabouleh in a few days, and challah is on the list as well- not in a big rush, though, since the mooch has come down with a nasty sort of stomach flu. We made a short trip to the pediatrician's this afternoon, and while she was super good and charmed the pants off everyone in the place, the doc told us that her tummy's rebelling. Fortunately, it's just the bug that's been going around, so maybe by next week she'll be back to 100%. She helped me with the laundry today, and yesterday we took a long walk and enjoyed the sunshine, so all in all she's doing pretty well.

(Speaking of walks: I am totally in love with our new stroller. It's lightweight, travels through two inches of snow just as easily as bare pavement, and the mooch can nap while I'm getting some exercise. Woot.)

I really need to buckle down and start organizing my book collection so I don't have to dig every time I want something for my tutoring sessions, but I haven't been quite up to it yet. This led to an interesting conversation, though, since I ended up having to go to the local used bookstore to pick up a copy of Much Ado. The lady who runs the place commented on the fact that I always buy classics (I didn't realize until then that I was a regular!), and when I told her I was a private tutor we ended up chatting for about twenty minutes about the pros and cons of homeschooling and the difficulty of finding decent curricula. I think that conversation was the first time I've felt like any sort of a professional in my life. I've tutored on and off for about six years now, but in my current position I'm actually making up lesson plans and incorporating a lot of research and cross-study items, which is something I've only done in theory before. My college ed professors would be laughing right now.

Well, since I still have to do a write-up of the main components of mysteries and a breakdown of Elizabethan theatre I should probably wrap this up. The game is afoot!