New at blogging

I'm new at blogging, so forgive me if I don't use proper blog-etiquette. I'll learn as I go, like everything else. It's sorta weird writing a blog. It's part journal for myself, but I always have in the back of my head that someone else might read it. Anyone else. Weird to think about that.

My blog is inspired by friend and neighbor, Ruth, who faithfully blogged everyday for a year and a half when she moved to Ecuador (movingtoecuador.blogspot). Unfortunately, "movingtoseattle" was already taken so I had to use "2" instead of "to" in my title. Anyway, I'm using this blog to journal my adventure in Seattle. My husband is "on sabbatical" at the University of Washington. Six months ago he suggested I quit my fantastic part-time job that paid well and we move to Seattle for a year. Was I stupid to agree? Yes, probably, but I guess we all learn from mistakes.

Unlike Ruth who started blogging six months before her actual move (also, for her husband's sabbatical), my blog is starting three months after I've already been in Seattle.

So, instead of painstakingly documenting the past three months, much of which I don't wish to recount anyway (!), I'll sum it up: Being a stay-at-home mom in a drab, rainy city with a 4-year old in preschool school and a 22-month-old constantly in-tow is boring. It is so boring that if I start thinking about how bored I am, I'll get depressed. So, to distract me from my boredom, I've decided to teach myself a new skill: cooking! I've always liked to cook, but I've never been particularly outstanding at it. Yes, there are a few fairly simple dishes that I can do well, homemade pizza, pesto, tenderloin, a few of those high-calorie appetizers, but I don't have a large repertoire of varied meals that are really showstoppers. I love to eat at wonderful restaurants with creative chefs. In fact, the last time I ate at one (Refectory - Columbus, OH), it really made me feel bad about my own cooking. How could lamb chops and duck taste so much better than anything I could every make? Yes, the chef had years of training, but if I spent all day preparing just a single serving of lamb, I don't think I could even come close to what I ate that night. My goal is to be able to make just a few meals that could really stand up next to one of my favorite trained chef's meals. Did I mention Ruth was fabulous cook?

My duck from the restaurant

Alpaca terrine. I didn't know anybody ate alpaca. 

Step 1: Library.
Since I refuse to buy books anymore, except in rare cases. I went to the library last week to get some books on cooking. My favorite of the pack: Cooking New American - 200 Recipes from the Editors of Fine Cooking.

Last week's menu:
Sunday - Salmon with lemon ginger butter and chives, mashed potatoes and green beans. This was just okay. I think I like my honey-lemon-dijon sauce for salmon is a little better and it has about a fifth of the calories. Never quite got to make the green beans. Kids were screaming for food and didn't have time.

Wednesday - Orange marmalade chicken with rice - this is weightwatchers recipe and pretty good. Nothing to "write home about," but I can't make a super-high calorie, gourmet meal every night.

Tuesday - Blood orange salad with shaved onions, basil and pomegranates (for which I had to substitute cherries since pomegranates are out of season). Pork chops with reduction sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans, yes the beans that were supposed to be made on Sunday. The blood orange salad was "okay." I might try it again when blood oranges and pomegranates are in season. The pork chops were too think to fry. Noah had to step on and save the day by cutting them in half, length-wise. The sauce was outstanding. I will definitely make this again. This is one of the meals that I will be perfecting over the next few months. I learned was "deglazing" is, did it, added some butter and made a fabulous sauce.

Wednesday - warm Chinese chicken salad, rice, fresh homemade bread. The chicken salad was very good. I will be perfecting this dish over the next few months. I needed to use fresh ginger and scallions, but next time it will be better. The bread was "okay" - typical homemade bread. Noah said it tasted good, but like a giant drop biscuit. I'm considering taking a bread class at a local cooking school/store. I should do it.

Thursday - homemade tomato bisque and grilled cheese sandwiches on the homemade bread. The tomato bisque was "okay." I did not use the carrots as the recipe stated because we didn't have them. After reading the recipe reviews, the carrots were necessary to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. I'm not sure if I'll make this again.

I started out just making vegetarian dishes. This didn't work very well. I don't think the cookbook I was using was very good and the kids really did not like all the spices in the food. I'll try to work in more vegetarian dishes.

Well. There it is. My first blog. My husband just said he wasn't going to read my blog. Good.