Always the Patron, Never the Chef...until Now

My passion for the finer things has often lead me to new and enticing restaurants, featuring great menus and even greater wine lists. Before my husband and I were married, we spent many dates at a highly-rated restaurant, wine bar, brunch locale, etc., eager to try out their fare. Lately, however, we have been practicing our culinary skills in our own little kitchen here in Mountain View. When I first started cooking for us, it would take me forever to even just do the prep work and often resulted in a minor cut or scrap to the hand. I was also concerned about needing to cook vegetarian, as Ashwin is mostly a veg eater. Sure, I could get by with baking a couple of chicken breasts in the oven and throwing a green salad together. I had also managed to bake a few items but nothing astounding.

I've managed to create some tasty dishes lately (husband-approved) and am getting more comfortable in the kitchen. I love the feeling of creating something myself from scratch in my own kitchen, albeit small. The smells, the tastes, and just the energy of the kitchen is sublime. We often have a great Pandora station going while we cook - usually Michael Buble or Madeline Peyroux - and open a great bottle of wine, which makes any occasion even better.

Last week's menu consisted of lots of yummies, the main ones being tofu parmigiana and kale and black bean tacos. Both of these recipes were found on allrecipes.com, which is a wonderful resource for all things food and cooking.

Kale and Black Bean Tacos

Tofu Parmigiana with green salad and my own balsamic vinaigrette

This week's menu features delights such as eggplant and almond enchiladas, Olan (Indian Pumpkin Curry) and a Persian stew made from spinach, sweet potatoes, and peaches. Yum!