Adventures in Cooking

My family and some of my friends probably know that my attitude toward cooking has changed drastically in the past two years: despite my mother's attempts, I steadfastly refused to learn to cook during my early years (well, I could boil water). She wisely decided not to press the point and, knowing that I like food too much to starve, declared that "you'll learn when you have to." And so it was. But unfortunately, all good things must come to a close, and the day came when I not only could no longer frequent the beloved Tower Club, but also had to move halfway across the continent. Hence the summer of 2003 involved grudgingly learning a few basics and having to touch and slice raw meat. (All right, the latter I'll never enjoy.)

But somewhere amid the dreariness of 1L year (perhaps when I became convinced my professors were trying to wring out of me any creativity Princeton had tried to cultivate), there came an awakening: cooking was fun! It was creative! Most of all, cooking was liberating! Although I may not yet be earning the money to feed myself, I am in a small way providing for myself. (I'm not trying to be facetious or disrespectful, just pointing out that this is an area in which others had taken good care of me; now it's my turn to take over that area.) Plus, despite the fact that the vast majority of my cooking is highly experimental, it's pretty hard to fail entirely :) ...Baking from scratch is a different story, I suppose: there it is possible to fall flat...

The creation of which I continue to be most proud is last year's Chipotle and White Chocolate Liqueur Chocolate Sauce--equally good on white meat and brownies. Tonight's entry, though was inspired by a) procrastination (can't say I'm not honest) and b) a simple but tasty lemon pepper mango veggie 'n noodle dish. Briefly stir fry pieces of carrots and sugar snap peas, seasoning with a bit of olive oil, dash of lemon pepper seasoning, and mango dressing. Combine with whole wheat or other healthy-ish noodles & peas; reseason if necessary; and sprinkle a variety of cheese if you wish--tomato basil feta worked surprisingly well. Would also work well with chicken, if you remember to defrost it.