April/May resolution

Subtitled: Who says resolutions are only for January 1?

We have the following conversation a LOT in our house:

   "What do you want for dinner?"

   "I don't know, what do you want?"

   "I don't know. Nothing sounds good."

   "Yeah, me neither."

   <Collective sigh>

This is especially true since Jake started eating paleo ( = no pasta, no rice, no couscous = there goes a lot of my ideas). I have come to realize that even though I theoretically enjoy cooking, my repertoire is extremely limited. Besides a few standbys (fish tacos, chicken & veggie stir fry, standard soups, pizzas, mixed veggie salads with some sort of meat), I rarely cook anymore. 

So I decided in April and May to try something new: each week I'm going to pick a cookbook off the shelf and select four or five recipes to try throughout the week. The only rules are that I haven't made the recipe before and that I make an effort to follow the recipe exactly (which I don't usually do unless I'm baking). This will be easy, since although I love cookbooks and have many, I almost never actually use them after I've had them for a couple weeks (I have some I've never used at all). I enjoy reading the recipes and looking at the pictures, but when it comes time to actually cook, I think of something I want and google a recipe, hence the lack of variety. I'm giving myself bonus points (prize tbd) for using ingredients I already have in the house, since I hate wasting food.

This week's selection: Pillsbury's The Best of Classic Cookbooks

I like this one because I can imagine that I'm a 1950s housewife, a favorite pretending game of mine (minus the smoking and ennui, but with all the afternoon drinking)(when I'm not pregnant, of course). Also, most of the appetizer recipes, predictably but also hilariously to me, involve crescent rolls. My goal for the week is to use up the perishables that are in the fridge before I head to Michigan next week to meet my new nephew. 

Progress report later.