day 28

day 28 on kitchen island. everyone has deserted me, and i am left to fend for myself. luck was on my side this evening, though, and i was able to spear a small fish.

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okay, so i'm not really stranded on an island, although when it comes to cooking i often feel that way. i'm giving it my best attempt, though, and with the friends i have and the knowledge they have i should be able to make at least 4 dishes come 2012.

on saturday i ate quinoa for the first time. people had boasted about this complete protein, and after eating it, i see what all the fuss was about. this dish had a basil-lemon dressing and was served cold with craisins and raspberries. tonight i was determined to recreate it, but dominicks had no quinoa to be found, so instead i bought cous cous. the end result was nothing like the dish from saturday, but considering i dumped all the ingredients for the cous cous into the pot at the same time as opposed to letting the liquid ones boil first then adding the cous cous, i'm pretty pleased it's even edible.

i truly did cook up a small fish--a salmon. that was terrifying. try cooking a meat that's the same color before it's prepared as it's supposed to be after it's prepared. these things should come with some kind of bell or light to indicate their ready. i think i cooked it in a little too much oil, but that's probably for the best as it helps mask the fish's overdone texture.

to add some green to the plate, i did up some broccoli and green beans very plain but tasty. they went well with the salmon unlike the cous cous which was sort of like eating peanut butter with bacon-- i've done it, but most wouldn't.

i paired this dish with a screw top red wine that had been allowed to breath for exactly 7 days. because this was a last minute discovery and a much needed drink, it was consumed at a slightly cooler temperature than typically recommended--refrigerator temperature.

no fires, no food poisoning, no trips to the hospital.
all in all, quite a success i'd say!