New Failures and Successes in 2011

Oh, 2011.  You've held some good food and some not good food for me in the short time you've been here. 

So, one of my goals in 2011 is getting healthier.  Yes, I am trying to lose weight (cliche New Year's resolution), but I'm trying to make it an all-around health plan.  I want to lose weight, but I also want to focus on eating things with more nutritional value.  So, I will choose the whole grain bread that is higher in calories rather than the light bread that I'm eating just to get skinny.  I'm hoping that focusing on more whole foods that have nutritional value that losing weight will be a side effect.  Yes, I am going to be throwing exercise into the mix as well, and I have cut out alcohol during the month of January (with the exception of using it in my cooking!). 

Highlights so far? 

Proscuitto and Goat Cheese stuffed Chicken, Parmesan "risotto", and roasted asparagus. 

Indian Spiced Beans with Jasmine Rice

And the lowlights? 

There was last night's dinner that I didn't photograph, but I made a smoky pan-grilled pork chop, steamed artichokes, and goat cheese mashed potatoes.  The cumin totally overwhelmed the pork chops, and I couldn't taste enough of the sweetness from the brown sugar in the dry rub.  I evaporated all of the water while steaming the artichokes, so the bottom of the pan burned horribly, and the artichokes just tasted like "burn" even though they were cooked fine.  And my goat cheese mashed potatoes just didn't measure up to the bacon and blue cheese mashed potatoes I made a few weeks ago.  Oh well, you live, you learn, you move on and cook more. 

My friend (or at least I'd like to think she would be) Ina Garten rarely leads me astray.  I tried her recipe for Weeknight Bolognese, and it just came out.... blech.  It called for wine, and I just don't think the sauce had enough time to cook the wine out.  It just tasted bitter and wine-y.  I used the same bottle of wine that I use for all of my cooking, so I don't think that was the issue, but I generally use it in my long-cooking stews and pot roasts.  I just don't think I want wine in my quick bolognese sauces.  I managed to get some down, husband opted for the leftover Indian spiced beans and rice. 

Tonight I'm going to repeat the chicken with prosciutto and goat cheese.  Husband actually gave me a complement last night that I keep our meals interesting by adding new meals to the mix all the time, which is probably true.  In an effort to stretch my groceries, I will be reusing some favorites of ours.  I have everything we need, husband loved it, and the goat cheese and prosciutto won't go bad.  Plus, an easy Monday night meal!