(no subject)

If any trans folks knows Linda or Cynthia Phillips or Tere Frederickson, could you tell them Jenn Dolari wants to thank them for everything?

(no subject)

If any trans folks knows Linda or Cynthia Phillips or Tere Frederickson, could you tell them Jenn Dolari wants to thank them for everything?

Not a paid advertisement, I promise. They just freaking worked.

I've often said I can't cook. I tried, but failed, often burning my food, undercooking and food poisoning myself, getting freaked out when I wasted any food from burning, undercooking, or just plain ruining.

I could go into the hows and whys, but I've talked about this in great detail - basically, I wasn't taught to cook as a kid. Paraphrasing Mom: that's woman's work, and if you want to eat well, you'll get a good woman who cooks for you.

So I never learned. And add to that some strict training on "NEVER WASTE FOOD" to the point that it causes me emotional distress when I do, I ate out. A Lot. Like every day. For 20 years.

That isn't to say I don't want to learn. I do. At the risk of not wasting food or ruining it, though, which, honestly, is how you start. But with such severe triggers in me, I put it off, and off and off and off....

I managed to pick up a Nintendo DSi for cheap, and decided, you know, they make a cooking program for it, why not give it a try. I looked around, saw that it was super easy, trained you on everything, and showed you absolute step by step instructions, pictures, techniques, and definitions as well as WHY you do such things as "pat a slab of meat dry with paper towels."

It's been six months. What have I made?

I'm glad you asked:

Pasta with Garlic and Oil
Chicken Piccata
Italian Chef's Salad
Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad (Twice!)
Braised Brisket
Sour Cream and Onion Smashed Potatoes
Greek Salad
Shrimp Jambalaya (with extra Shrimp :9 )
Broccoli with Toasted Garlic
Grilled Chicken Breast with Lemon
Bacon Braised Green Beans
Herbed Rice Pilaf (came out terrible)
Weeknight Skillet Fajitas
Mexican Rice (Mine is actually BETTER)
Guacamole
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Chinese Style Sticky Rice
Perfect Hamburgers (which weren't so perfect)
Mexican Salad
Linguine with Pesto
Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Chicken and Egg with Rice
Ginger Pork
Pork and Cabbage with Tian Mian Jiang Sauce
Chow mein
Potstickers (total fail)
Beef and Potato Gratin
Sauteed Green Beans with Butter
Sweet and Sour Pork
Chicken Teriyaki
Yang Zhou Friend Rice

And they came out damned good (well, most of them).

So can't cook? Wanna learn? Got a DS? Give 'em a try. They worked for me. :D

http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Test-Kitchen-Cooking-Nintendo-DS/dp/B0033BJS8S/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1281167445&sr=8-5

http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Trainer-Cooking-Nintendo-DS/dp/B001F62U4M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1281167445&sr=8-1

Not a paid advertisement, I promise. They just freaking worked.

I've often said I can't cook. I tried, but failed, often burning my food, undercooking and food poisoning myself, getting freaked out when I wasted any food from burning, undercooking, or just plain ruining.

I could go into the hows and whys, but I've talked about this in great detail - basically, I wasn't taught to cook as a kid. Paraphrasing Mom: that's woman's work, and if you want to eat well, you'll get a good woman who cooks for you.

So I never learned. And add to that some strict training on "NEVER WASTE FOOD" to the point that it causes me emotional distress when I do, I ate out. A Lot. Like every day. For 20 years.

That isn't to say I don't want to learn. I do. At the risk of not wasting food or ruining it, though, which, honestly, is how you start. But with such severe triggers in me, I put it off, and off and off and off....

I managed to pick up a Nintendo DSi for cheap, and decided, you know, they make a cooking program for it, why not give it a try. I looked around, saw that it was super easy, trained you on everything, and showed you absolute step by step instructions, pictures, techniques, and definitions as well as WHY you do such things as "pat a slab of meat dry with paper towels."

It's been six months. What have I made?

I'm glad you asked:

Pasta with Garlic and Oil
Chicken Piccata
Italian Chef's Salad
Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad (Twice!)
Braised Brisket
Sour Cream and Onion Smashed Potatoes
Greek Salad
Shrimp Jambalaya (with extra Shrimp :9 )
Broccoli with Toasted Garlic
Grilled Chicken Breast with Lemon
Bacon Braised Green Beans
Herbed Rice Pilaf (came out terrible)
Weeknight Skillet Fajitas
Mexican Rice (Mine is actually BETTER)
Guacamole
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Chinese Style Sticky Rice
Perfect Hamburgers (which weren't so perfect)
Mexican Salad
Linguine with Pesto
Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Chicken and Egg with Rice
Ginger Pork
Pork and Cabbage with Tian Mian Jiang Sauce
Chow mein
Potstickers (total fail)
Beef and Potato Gratin
Sauteed Green Beans with Butter
Sweet and Sour Pork
Chicken Teriyaki
Yang Zhou Friend Rice

And they came out damned good (well, most of them).

So can't cook? Wanna learn? Got a DS? Give 'em a try. They worked for me. :D

http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Test-Kitchen-Cooking-Nintendo-DS/dp/B0033BJS8S/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1281167445&sr=8-5

http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Trainer-Cooking-Nintendo-DS/dp/B001F62U4M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1281167445&sr=8-1

(no subject)

Had a disturbing dream this morning. Disturbing content and my reaction to it was disturbing.

(no subject)

Had a disturbing dream this morning. Disturbing content and my reaction to it was disturbing.