Not from a Box

I married a chef. Yes, he's a soldier, but also an amazing chef. So cooking for him has always been a little intimidating. I'm the first to admit that I'm a very basic cook. Brandon would be the second to admit it. (Not in a mean way, just a realistic way.) The first three years of our marriage he ate a lot of slightly strange or improperly cooked meals. During the fourth year I think I gave up on cooking. If recipes had certain words in them I got intimidated. Poach, broil, julienne... yikes. Food from a box is more my speed. If it comes in a box I can usually handle it. Anytime I've tried to make anything even remotely ambitious it's taken me hours and every pan in the kitchen. And it's never quite right.

This week I started my meal makeover adventure. Cooking for one can be tricky, but I think it's actually going to work out great. If I mess up, I'm not ruining anyone else's dinner but my own. No big deal. I can always fall back on the box.

Here are some images from my first week of meals.





Clockwise from the top left:

1) Healthy Recipe: Easy Bruschetta
2) Basil Pesto Tortellini: Pasta Buitoni, Basil Pesto from Grace's mom's recipe!
3) Turkey Sandwich with sprouts, lettuce, and pesto mayonnaise
4) Crispy Pesto Potatoes
5) Caprese Grilled Cheese
6) Marinated Mahi Mahi

Such a delicious week!