Not-Quite-Top-Chef

So shocker - I've been doing some experimental cooking lately.  Those of you that know me well know that I am not much of a chef.  I can cook all right.  Although I didn't really learn until after I was married (the first time).  It's true.  Coli taught me a few things in college - you know, the necessities like chicken on the George Foremen, nachos, and tuna baked potatoes.  Cara was my scrambled eggs educator in NZ.  (Seriously, I didn't know how to make scrambled eggs until I was 24 years old.)  But when I moved in with Matt, he did all of the cooking.  But when we moved back to the US, my domestic side (sort of) came out.  I became interested in learning how to cook, and I bought myself some cookbooks and tried out a few things.  I was actually okay.  Not a great cook, but not bad either.  I'm pretty good at following directions.  I very rarely stray from recipes though, and I would not call myself inventive.  Definitely not experimental. 

But now that has all changed.  Sort of. 

I made a white bean chicken soup, egg white salad, and chicken salad last week.  All without recipes.  And all with considerable success. 

The soup was chicken broth, tomato basil pasta sauce, white beans, chopped roasted chicken, and spinach.  I also used a decent amount of crushed red pepper.  I added fresh basil and parmasean when serving.  Tim told me it was the best soup I've ever made.  (I am both flattered and irritated by this statement as many other soups I've made required much more blood, sweat and tears.)

The egg white salad consisted of egg whites (duh), celery, red pepper, red onion, mayo, mustard, and dill.  I am obsessed with TJ's egg white salad, but at $3.99 for a teeny tub, I have been forced to take matters into my own hand.  Hizzah - great results!  I recommend tucking it into a toasted wheat pita with a little Baconaisse.

Finally, I created a little combo with the leftover ingredients from the soup and the egg white salad.  Combine the leftover chopped roasted chicken with celery, red onion, a little mayo, and the secred ingredient, PESTO.  Presto - a fabulous chicken salad. 

Yes, I realize that none of these recipes were that creative or that different or that amazing.  But still.  For me, it was a big day.