Sunday Night Dinners

Many of you know that I am not much of a cook. It's not something I particularly enjoy, mainly because I don't care that much about food. Haha. It's true; it just seems like too much work to cook for myself. Plus, then I have to eat whatever I make for 10 days straight so I don't waste anything. It's just hard to cook for one.

But recently, I have been wanting to cook a little more and try new recipes. And my brother has complained about being a poor college student who can't cook. So I decided to institute Sunday Night Dinners. This is going to give me an opportunity to practice my culinary skills, while also feeding my brother! I asked him what he wanted, and he picked Chinese food. Of course, I would agree to start with something hard, something I have never made before. But that was the deal: he picks the cuisine, I pick the menu and go from there. And I was determined. So I headed over to Central Market to gather my ingredients...can I just say that I am a HUGE fan of Central Market? It's the kind of place where you can't help but be inspired to cook.

I have to say that I am very proud of myself on successfully cooking my first Chinese meal! I made (from scratch) sesame chicken, orange chicken, and spicy lo mein noodles. I cheated with the rice and egg rolls...those came from a box. Haha. Oh well. But I had rave reviews from my first 2 guinea pigs (my brother brought his roommate). Woohoo! Check out this presentation:

Of course, my cooking experience would not be complete without a little excitement...I did manage to start a small grease fire, fill the apartment with smoke, and set off the fire alarm. Other than the fact that there was a scary fire in my kitchen, it was kind of funny. I was running back and forth between the fire and the smoke alarm, trying to extinguish the fire, and trying to fan a towel to stop the alarm from screeching. I had all the windows and doors open before the event was over. Needless to say, my next kitchen purchase will be a deep fryer. I would not recommend trying to deep fry anything without one. Sasha decided she would stay as far away from the kitchen as she could...she wasn't too confident in my cooking skills.

So here are some tidbits of wisdom from my first Sunday Night Dinner:

How to extinguish a grease fire: DO NOT USE WATER ON A GREASE FIRE. Smother/choke the fire. Use a pot lid or baking soda. If the fire grows larger than the one I experienced, get everyone out and call 911. And if the recipe says to use a deep fryer, use a deep fryer, not your frying pan.

Make sure to test your smoke alarm often: It's important to feel confident it will work for you when you need it. The batteries do go dead from time to time, so make sure to test the alarm at least once a month to make sure it will work when you need it the most.

Don't be afraid to make a mess: Has anyone ever heard that the best cooks are the ones who are messy? I agree with that thought. I tend to make a lot of messes...and what's the point in cleaning as you go if you are only going to make a mess all over again. It's better to concentrate on the cooking (and making sure your kitchen is not catching on fire) and worry about the cleaning later. Just be prepared for the potential disaster you might find when you are done...