#4 - Read 35 Books

I read most days this year, but I didn't often have the energy to read a lot at a time. I still managed to read 23 books, including some great ones.

**1 - The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller
1/1/20, audiobook

2 - Holidays With Sugar and Booze
1/11/20, audiobook

*3 - Radical Candor by Kim Scott
1/21/20, read for the NIRSA School common read, selected by cofaculty, Larry Mellinger, Walter Kolis, Bridget, Heather, Wendy Winsor

**4 - No One Cares About Crazy People by Ron Powers
2/1/20, bought for me by Jerry Krone

5 - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
2/6/20, audiobook

6 - Letters to a Young Artist by Rainer Maria Rilke
2/17/20

**7 - Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut
2/19/20 (for the umpteenth time)

8 - The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
3/22/20, audiobook, recommended by Elizabeth Pearson

**9 - The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
3/23/20

10 - The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
4/13/20

*11 - The Stand by Stephen King
5/21/20, audiobook

12 - The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
6/12/20

**13 - World War Z by Max Brooks
6/16/20, loaned to me by Chris Zann

14 - White Fragility by Robin DeAngelo
6/20/20 with Delaney Cherveney

*15 - Best American Short Stories 2019, edited by Heidi Pitlor and Anthony Doerr
7/2/20

**16 - Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
7/2/20 for the second time

*17 - Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler

7/16/20

*18 - How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

8/9/20

**19 - How to Be Everything by Emilie Wapnick

9/26/20

**20 - Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

10/6/20

21 - Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

10/13/20, borrowed from Kathy Krone

22 - How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

11/11/20, book for the DePaul President's book club

**23 - The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

11/24/20, book for the DePaul Women's Network fall book club

#15 - Try all of Ruhlman's 20 Techniques (Fail)

This is my third year trying to knock off practicing these 20 techniques. I still have 2 to go! The only reason it seems to have taken so long is that this book has gotten me so into cooking that I can't stop learning and trying things, not wanting to stick solely to one book. I watch and read Serious Eats. I have bought and read several other technique-based cookbooks. I've tried other styles. I love cooking. And I eat damn well now.

I only had 5 left this year, so I put links to previous years where appropriate. The ones from this year are in bold.

1. THINK: 2017 

2. SALT: 2017 & 2018

3. WATER: 2017  & 2018

4. ONION

There are basically always onions in my kitchen nowadays, and I use them quite often. Somehow, though, it took me until this year to try one of the onion techniques in Ruhlman's book. I kept it easy and mascerated some shallots. It sounds fancy, but it's literally just chopping shallots and then soaking them in (red wine) vinegar. Done. While I haven't mascerated any shallots since my delicious first attempt, I do now often mascerate onions. In fact, I've been mascerating onions for years and calling it "marinating." The nice thing about masceration is that you get raw onion flavor but all of the harsh bite of the onion is soaked out, so they go great on salads for a bit of acidity. 

I should really try some of the other onion recipes, playing with this vegetable a bit more, as every new technique I learn with them expands my capacities as a cook!

Beautiful popovers!

5. ACID: 2017

6. EGG: 2017 

7. BUTTER: 2017

8. DOUGH: 2017 

9. BATTER

I've been wanting to try making popovers ever since K Rob introduced me to their airy, gooey, crispy, butteryness a few years ago. They come out of the pan with drama, puffed up with air and richness. The recipe in Ruhlman's book seemed to easy to be true. Good news: it's super easy. I tried them at one of our Sunday night dinners with Chris Zann and Holly Zann. Success. And a delightful complement to our lasagna soup and bright salad with lemon vinegrette. Yes. 

10. SUGAR: maybe next year

11. SAUCE: 2017  & 2018

12. VINAIGRETTE: 2017 

13. SOUP: 2017 

14. SAUTE: 2018

15. ROAST: 2017

16. BRAISE: maybe next year

17. POACH: 2018

18. GRILL: 2018

19. FRY

I finally used Ruhlman's rosemary-brined fried chicken. While I have to say that my modified K2FC sandwich was better, this recipe is effing awesome. I made the fried chicken for a dinner with international students at DePaul. DePaul offers faculty and staff the opportunity to host international students in their home for a dinner on Saturday or Sundays each quarter. I was lucky in that my budy Stephanie Souvenir agreed to be my cohost, which was important because (a) I needed to cook and I still haven't mastered the cook/entertain combo, and (b) I hate small talk. I mean, I will totally do it again, but it was awkward. I then made it more awkward by smoking up the apartment with my frying and the pieces warming in the oven dripping oil into the over and smoking more. L

Luckily, the fried chicken itself was well received, as was the orange-balsamic salad and the messed up pop overs (which still tasted great but weren't super impressively popped over). I was quite happy that I made too much chicken (as one student no showed) for leftovers and then was bummed that most of the thighs were eaten up, as they were clearly the best pieces. Note to self: More thighs, fewer breasts and wings, same amount of legs.

So thrilled to have this recipe in my arsenal, particularly for smaller groups!

20. CHILL: 2018

#4 - Read 36 Books (Fail)

13 books short, but still quite a lovely reading list this year!

**1 - Becoming by Michelle Obama
1/2/19 (audiobook)

2 - Duma Key by Stephen King
1/12/19 (audiobook)

**3 - Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
1/13/19

*4 - I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
1/21/19

5 - The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
2/26/19 (audiobook)

*6 - The Humans by Matt Haig
3/6/19, lended to me by Kathleeen Krone and Jerry Krone

*7 - Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
3/11/19 (audiobook)

**8 - Educated by Tara Westover
3/12/19

9 - Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon
3/13/19 (audiobook)

**10 - Different Seasons by Steven King
4/20/19 (for the 2nd time since high school)

*11 - Missoula by Jon Krakauer
6/1/19

**12 - GMorning GNight! Little Pep Talks for You and Me by Lin Manuel Miranda
6/19/19

*13 - Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut 
6/22/19 (for the 2nd time)

**14 - The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
8/12/19

*15 - Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
8/8/19

**16 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
8/15/19, loaned to me by Chris Zann

17 - Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
8/16/19

**18 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Sephen Chobosky
9/13/19, for the second time

19 - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
(audiobook), 9/14/19

*20 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
10/6/19, gifted to me by Jerry Krone and Kathy Krone

21 - The Wrong Way to Save a Life by Megan Stielstra
10/6/19

**22 - Circe by Meredith Miller
11/6/19 (audiobook), recommended by Chris Zann and Elizabeth Pearson

**23 - The Best American Short Stories, 2018, edited by Roxane Gay
12/21/19

#21 - Try 12 New Restaurants in Chicago

**1 - Summer House Santa Monica
1/7/19 with Nicole Garton

I managed to grab lunch with Nicole for Chicago Restaurant Week at Summer House, a gorgeous, space that I've always wanted to try but didn't want to spend the money. Well, thank you Restaurant Week because I learned that Summer House is really reasonable. While my $24 Restaurant Week lunch included an amazing butternut squash soup (I know, so basic, but I'm a sucker for soup), a great turkey burger with shoestring fries, and dessert, I could have gotten the soup and turkey burger for under $24, which means that an actual, one-course lunch only would have been around $15, with tip. Plus, the staff is cheerful, the space is bright and summery, and it just has a nice vibe. Can't wait to go back!

Goat dumplings
I LOVE DUMPLINGS

**2 - Duck Duck Goat
1/9/19 with Elizabeth Pearson and Michael Bigelow

As soon as I realized Restaurant Week was coming up, I found a list of the best places to try, and there I read, Duck Duck Goat was doing a $24 dim sum menu on the weekends. Um... WHAT. I LOVE Stephanie Izard and I LOVE dim sum. I made reservations immediately. I After amazing experiences at Girl and the Goat and Little Goat, plus my love of Asian flavors, I was SO stoked to try Duck Duck Goat. I was getting back from a conference the night before, so I could be sure to get plenty of sleep and then enjoy some dim sum with 3 other lucky people.

And then I checked my schedule. I was getting back from my conference THAT day. I panicked. I went to change my reservation. NO MORE AVAILABLE. Nooooooooooooooo!

Then, something happened. That something was the polar vortex. You didn't know a polar vortex could do good, did you? But it did. Due to the terrible cold in Chicago this year, Restaurant Week extended a week. And my delightful coworker, scratch that, REAL FRIEND, Stephanie Souvenir snapped up a reservation for me... but she made it for 1:30pm. And that day, I had the Whaddayaknow Trivia Tournament of Champions. At 1:00pm. I went to find another reservation. No luck. This was not meant to be.

And then, Stephanie said she looked again and there WERE earlier reservations. Once last try, and, SUCCESS! 11:00am! I texted my trivia team, and Elizabeth and Michael, were all like, HELL YES (or something like that).

So we went to brunch fully expecting to study over our delightful meal. But no. We could barely speak to each other the food was so good. And it felt like it wouldn't be enough, but then, somehow, it was. It was the perfect amount of tasty bites. We took our time, enjoyed our meal, and then quizzed each other on musicals on the Lyft ride to the tournament.

Delightful.

Possibly the best dessert I've ever had:
Seasame doughnuts with a seasame whipped cream

**3 - Dancen
1/9/19 with Ashley Russell and Chris Zann

So I did the Duck Duck Goat thing and then the Whaddayaknow Trivia of Champs thing and then some post-tourney celebrations and socializing, and then Ashley demanded food, and he wanted Korean food, and specifically Korean food at this spot he'd heard about. It was quite out of the way, but damn, thank you, Ashley!

We entered this weird little spot with a huge bar/grill and a few tables with a few people at them. Ashley and I both had eyes bigger than our stomachs and ordered food enough for five people, some of it too spicy for Zann, so it was like two people trying to eat four meals. It. Was. Good. All of it.

I went home with plenty of leftovers and was curious if it had been the drinks in my system that made the food so good. I warmed them up the next day for lunch, and nope, even leftover, everything was awesome. I will definitely be going back.

*4 - Two Lights Seafood & Oyster
4/11/19 with Laura Masters

It's hard to give this place an honest rating because I had a frustrating day, and all of that was relieved by the company. I was so happy to spend some time with my friend after many months of only seeing each other in groups or not at all.

We had some nice, light cocktails and split a few different dishes: some octopus, a crab dip, and a lobster roll. All were nice.

The rest of my joy of this night was lots of time catching up with my dear friend!

5 - Labriola
7/17/19 with Stephanie Punda, Sarah Hardin, Shaun Cooley, Danielle Arens, Maureen McGonagle, John Washo, Scott Vandermoon, Sabrina Wilson, Leanne Surmin, Stephanie Souvenir, and Gale Stewart

Another lovely staff retreat with DePaul! This time Stephanie Punda made a reservation to have us try the real "best deep dish in Chicago." Turns out, I think I really  just don't like deep dish. I like Lou's the best because it's the least deep dishy. Gimme dat Detroit style, New York style, or woodfired any day. But enough with the deep dish. It's heavy. It's bready. It's not that flavorful.

I said what I said.

Other than that, the salads were tasty and the ambiance was much nicer than most of the deep dish chains in the city. It was fine.

*6 - Francois Frankie
8/1/19 with Laura Masters

Laura made us another fun reservation prior to a show (Come From Away--HIGHLY recommend) at a very new restaurant in town, Francois Frankie. It's a playful French restaurant with a carousel bar, which rotates incredibly slowly, making a full revolution every 88 minutes.

I had some great wine and Laura and I both tried the French onion soup and then shared a few smaller plates. The French onion soup was soooo good. The broth was flavorful and soaked into the croutons perfectly. The melted cheese on top was toasted just enough and was the most creamy cheese I've ever had on a soup. Then, we shared the hummus platter, which was presented like a seafood tower and actually had more crisp veggies than we needed. The garlic shrimp was quite a delight, arriving in a hot skillet and brimming with crispy garlic goodness.

Everything was great and just in soup and sharing two other small plates, were were stuffed.

We did, however, come back after the show for more drinks and were lucky enough to meet the owner. It was fun to be able to rave about our whole experience, including the servers by name.

I will totally come back.

*7 - Cochon Volant
8/19/19 with Chris Zann

We'll, I'm free now. I work wherever, whenever, so that also means I can go whenever, wherever, which means I can lunch wherever, whenever, with whomever, so I had my first remote working lunch with my best of buddies, Zann. We classed it up and went to Cochon in the Loop. I had a fantastic BLT and ice tea. Zann had a Cuban. It was the perfect lunch to set the tone for my new, free life. He even pointed me to a cool spot to work for the afternoon: Revival Food Hall. I'm pretty stoked to connect with friends and explore new places in this very delightful city of ours.

*8 - Chicago Q
8/21/19 with Clint Ruch

Yep, two lunch dates with two good buddies in one week! This time I met up with Clint at a nice barbeque spot on the near north side. I had a delightful pulled pork sandwich and coleslaw, snacked on the homemade chips, and pickles, and had yet another delightful iced tea. I certainly shouldn't make it a habit to have my lunches at such nice places, but goodness, was it ever nice to splurge on good food and good company in the middle of a work day twice in one week.

*9 - Cafe Kanela
11/7/19 with Nicole Garton

As Nicole has a new work space in Old Town, we tried out a new lunch spot in Old Town. Cafe Kanela is rumored to be the best breakfast in Chicago. I can't vouch for that (Tweet is pretty spectacular), but I did have a fantastic lox-bagel breakfast, and Nicole loved her food too. Plus, it was pretty laid back for a late lunch on a weekday. Definitely worth going back!

#19 - Try All of Ruhlman's 20 Techniques (Fail)

When I finished my PhD program, K Rob gifted me with the book Ruhlman's 20, which walks through 20 essential techniques for cooking and includes recipes to practice each one. I did 12 of the 20 last year. I managed to knock 5 more out this year. It's a little weird I can't quite seem to finish it up. Some of the techniques and recipes left are very doable. I think what's actually happened is that I've gotten so into cooking that I've been reading a variety of cooking sources and trying all kinds of things, inspired my my new skills gained from practicing with Ruhlman. I'm sure I'll finally knock these last three out next year!

Many thanks to my perpetual taste testers, Chris Zann, Holly Zann, Elizabeth Pearson, and Michael Bigelow! I'm so happy to have a gang that regularly gathers together to enjoy each other's company and cooking!

The ones from this year are in bold.

1. THINK

Last year. Game changer.

2. SALT

I did this one last year, and I still get requests for the raw zucchini salad and make it often.

I also made lemon confit, a type of preserved lemon peel. I don't quite get it. Either it rotted or I don't enjoy the taste or I'm using it wrong. I still don't know.

Coq au vin simmering

3. WATER

The fanciest of chicken thighs

I made a meatloaf cooked in a water bath last year. This year I did a weeknight coq au vin. Like literally on a weeknight when I just happened to have (most of) the ingredients. It definitely wasn't as picture perfect as the book, but it was incredibly flavorful. I will definitely give this a go again. And so easy!

4. ONION

Maybe next year!

5. ACID

I made it for the first time last year, but I'm so stoked to have this pulled pork recipe in my repetoire. So easy to make, plenty to share, so flavorful.

6. EGG

Practiced only last year with a tart.

7. BUTTER

All these experiments were last year, but I have definitely not been shy about the butter lately.

8. DOUGH

Yum. Snickerdoodles, but also last year.

9. BATTER

10. SUGAR

11. SAUCE

I love the sauce chapter. I did some sauce last year and now I make versions of that sauce (including lots with butter) often.

12. VINAIGRETTE

Last year I made a light vinaigrette for a salad at the Zann's.

This year I did an endive with vinegrette. It was super easy, definitely not as pretty or easy to eat as in the book, but it was super tasty.

13. SOUP

I need to make more soup. I can't wait to try variations from the sweet bell pepper soup I did last year.

Sauteed chicken breasts
with tarragon butter sauce

14. SAUTE

I generally grill or bake chicken breasts, but Ruhlman said to give sauteing a try, so I did. Whoa. So moist. (That's for you, Holly.) This recipe was sauteed chicken breasts with tarragon butter sauce, which called for the simple butter sauce described above, with tarragon. As we ate these, Zann declared, "It turns out I like tarragon." But really I think he might just like butter and the tarragon was inoffensive.


15. ROAST

I have always been comfortable roasting, but I am thankful to this book for stepping up my roasting game. I did my experimenting with roasting last year.

16. BRAISE

17. POACH

I tried a couple poaching recipes.

It wasn't in the book, but after reading about poaching I decided to give it ago with my own concoction. I was craving a version of lemon-pepper chicken, and I decided to mix that up with poaching. Instead of just water, I used homemade chicken stock, lemon, garlic, and pepper and poached a single chicken breast, just for my dinner. Poached chicken always looks so bland, but this was likely the best chicken breast I have ever cooked myself, possibly one of the best chicken breasts I've ever eaten. I'd say I still prefer grilled chicken, but this was way, way better than any baked or broiled chicken I've had. I'm stoked to have this new technique in my repetoire.

The next week, I tried Ruhlman's warm arugula sad with bacon and poached eggs. I had to fudge a bit as my local grocery store didn't have arugula. I got an arugula-spinach blend instead. I also missed the part where I was supposed to get thick bacon, not regular pre-packaged bacon. While I hope to try the full recipe someday, I'm proud that I can improvise so easily now. The salad was very hearty and tasty. I will definitely make it again.

Oh right, the poaching part! I love eggs and have always wanted to learn to poach them. Turns out, I should have just Googled it years ago. Ruhlman offers a similar technique to Serious Eats. I went for the Serious Eats technique because it seemed easier to just use a strainer than a perforated spoon. I did take his suggestion of using water that is not bubbling. I think I might try it with a simmer next time because it seemed like the whites weren't as pretty as I would have liked. But everything turned out great and I will be poaching eggs on the regular thanks to this book.

18. GRILL

My next living space definitely needs access to a grill. I used to grill regularly in San Diego (where grilling season is year round), and I miss being able to cook flavorful, healthy food quickly.

I feel a bit like I'm cheating at this one, but it's going to have to do for now. Most of the technique Ruhlman teaches about grilling is about open flame and direct and indirect heat. I don't currently have a grill and the Zann's have a gas grill, so the charcoal techniques he offers are wasted on me.

For one of our Sunday dinners, I was asked to do the main dish and then I just couldn't decide between the Rip's own marinade for steak and the basic white wine marinade for chicken. So I did both. With the cut of steak, I should have cooked it on lower heat for a bit longer, but the chicken, I nailed the chicken. Perfectly cooked and very flavorful. Both marinades were foolproof and delicious. I've already done a version of the Rip's own to make sloppy joe's with some ground beef I needed to use up. No, that has nothing to do with grilling, but I'm stoked that I'm starting to understand how to combine flavors enough that I can apply these recipes to whatever I happen to have in my fridge.

19. FRY

20. CHILL

I did my best to make my version of a tasty "dessert" (read: after-dinner thing that might have a hint of sweetness) for one of our Sunday night dinners. I tried making granita. Grapefruit granita, to be exact. It's a simple recipe: just grapefruit juice, sugar, and white wine. It takes some commitment as it requires stirring every 30 minutes to break up the ice crystals, but I figured I could do that. It's supposed to take about 2-2.5 hours. So I made it about 3 hours in advance. I stirred it after 30 minutes--still pretty liquidy. I stirred again after an hour--didn't look any different. Again after another 30 minutes--still no change... and this continued until I headed with my slush to dinner. I put it in the freezer there, where it stayed for probably another 2 hours. Still just liquid with a few ice crystals.

My dear friends the Zanns assured me it was okay and we spooned out some of the liquid. It was tart. Really tart. I dug it. But it certainly wasn't a dessert. I took it home and froze it fully. I truly liked it. I even mixed a little with some vodka for a vodka slushie. Very tasty. For me, at least!

#18 - Learn to Poach an Egg

I love eggs. I particularly love a runny yolk but do not love a runny white, so I tend to favor over-medium eggs thinking poached eggs were beyond my skill set.

They are not.

Thanks to Serious Eats, I found a pretty simple step-by-step process for poached eggs, which was very similar to Ruhlman's suggestions. Basically, the issue with poaching eggs is that the protein in the whites isn't consistent, so if you just break an egg into the water, there are stringy bits that get in the way of the perfect poached egg. And no need for vinegar.

Serious Eats recommended using a mesh strainer, getting out that watery material before poaching the egg. Ruhlman's technique was similar, but the mesh strainer was easier, particularly as it could be used to place the eggs in the water and pull them out again.

I gave it a go when making a warm salad from the "Poached" chapter of Ruhlman's 20 Techniques at a Sunday night dinner with the Zanns and co.

I'll need a little practice getting the egg consistently how I want it, but overall, no issues. Poached eggs. Yum!

#61 - Learn All of the Techniques in Ruhlman's 20 (Fail)

Apparently dissertation gifts are a thing... and they are
glorious!

I'm sure I've bragged to you, but K Rob, who was my roommate for four years in San Diego, is a ridiculously fantastic cook. I was really lucky that he shared his cooking/baking/etc. with me so often. He also inspired me to step up my own game in the kitchen. 

For graduation, K Rob gave me a couple gifts, and lately, I have really been digging on Ruhlman's 20, a "cookbook" that is more of a guide to being a better person in the kitchen. Ruhlman discusses 20 essential chef techniques, giving a thorough explanation of each and why it is important. Then, he provides several recipes for each technique for practice. It's a really great cookbook that is really much more than a cookbook.

I thought I'd make it all the way through, but busy schedules, Polish cooking, and excuses got in the way. While my plan was to go chronologically by recipe, that also didn't work out. Sometimes ingredients were out of season. Often, I didn't have the proper kitchen equipment. Sometimes I wanted to experiment with something simpler or easier to transport (to be explained later). 

Ruhlman starts with very rudimentary and extremely important techniques. For example, the first technique is "THINK," where you literally learn to think about what you're about to do and to best prepare so things go smoothly with any attempt. I haven't taken pictures of all of the cooking I've done. I'd like to blame that on doing proper thinking and being mindful in my kitchen, but it's probably just as much that I have the worst short-term memory of all time and forgot. Here are my Ruhlman-inspired adventures:

1. THINK

I don't have any pictures for this one, but I now practice it anytime I cook anything. I read through the recipe thoroughly and note any steps that take a lot of prep or a lot of time. I then pull out all ingredients, pots, pans, bowls, utensils, appliances. Do I forget things? Yes. All the time. But the point in doing this is that when I forget one thing, I have time to grab it. I'm not also trying to keep something from overcooking and grab three things and figure out where I left the oven mitt. I've even gotten to the point where I pull out ramekins and pre-measure herbs, spices, and chopped/diced/etc. ingredients. Everything is prepped and ready to throw in at the right time. It also makes it much easier to clean up as I go. When something needs to bake for 8 minutes on each side, I take all the empty ramekins and have 8 minutes to clean them knowing the next step is all ready to go. Game changing approach to cooking.

SALT: Raw Zucchini Salad

2. SALT

When I was younger, I was anti-salt. I didn't salt anything and was proud of myself for it. Boy, I was an idiot. Salt = flavor. While the U.S. certainly uses too much salt, particularly as a preservative to make foods last longer, when you cook from scratch, you get to choose exactly how much salt to ingest and can add flavor without overdoing the sodium.

I learned a bit more about the importance of seasoning food while living with K Rob. However, Ruhlman really breaks down not only the importance of salt in seasoning food but how salt can affect different types of foods differently: vegetables, meats, fish, etc. I can't want to experiment more with how to draw water out or how to pull flavors in using salt. So fascinating.

Back when I was trying to work my way through the recipes in the book chronologically, my timing was fantastic as the first recipe was a raw zucchini salad and it was early fall. It turned out fantastic. I was amazed and how the salt made the zucchini into a fresh, almost pasta-like salad. I've already made it several times. Angelia Mioglionico tried it too, and she at least said she liked it.

The other salt recipe I tried was lemon confit, which is basically lemons, cut in half, covered in salt and sugar, and placed in a dark cupboard for three months. Then, once preserved, they get cut into smaller pieces and used to amp of the flavor of, well, anything. I can't quite figure out what to use them in though, so they're just chilling in my cabinet.

3. WATER

I had not considered all of the ways water is used in cooking and how unique it is compared to other liquids in the kitchen. My first attempt at a recipe intentionally using water as a technique was a meatloaf cooked in a water bath. Dang, this meatloaf and the from-scratch chipotle ketchup certainly required a lot of labor, but the water bath really kept the loaf moist (there's that word, Holly). It was a successful first dish for my Sunday night dinners with the Zanns (though I took no pictures).

4. ONION: Maybe next year

ACID: Apple Cider Vinegar Tarts

5. ACID

This was a technique that was totally new to me. I mean, I'd obviously used acid in my food before but I'd never thought of it as "adding acid." So interesting. After some practice, I am excited to balance out heavier recipes with adding the appropriate acid.

My first experiment with acid was an apple cider vinegar tart, which became mini tarts. I thought the concept was interesting, and they were perfect for bringing to Sunday night dinners with the Zanns because I could prep them whenever as long as I gave them enough time to set. Apparently I can use the same recipe and switch out apple cider vinegar for lemon juice, which I'm psyched about because I love lemon tarts. The only issue was that I didn't have a tart pan, so making the tart dough would have required buying a tart pan, and after all the spending I'd done that week for a chili cookoff  at work (enamel pot, immersion blender, dried chilies, whole spaces, a space grinder, and then the rest of the chili ingredients), I couldn't justify a tart pan for one tart. But now that the recipe went so well, I will definitely look into a tart pan. Delightful.

ACID: Pulled Pork

I also tried out a pulled pork recipe. And... damn, this sucker is good. I first made it for dinner with Zann and Holly and then again for my housewarming party just a week later. We ate it as mini sandwiches with BBQ and homemade coleslaw. However, after my housewarming party I used it to make pulled pork nachos. Hell yes.

6. EGG

My first egg experiment was aioli (a.k.a. mayonaisse with garlic). As I blended the 5 ingredients, slowly pouring in the oil as directed, I marveled at how easy it was. And then it turned from an aioli texture to a liquid. I tried to follow the directions for broken mayo. Nope. So I washed everything and started over, and this time I was successful. And it was delicious. I doubt I'll ever buy any version of mayo again. It took about 5 minutes start to finish, was way tastier than anything that comes in a bottle, is easy to flavor, and has no preservatives or extra chemicals.

7. BUTTER

I have several techniques in here to try. The easiest was to make compound butter. I didn't even have the right ingredients. I subbed green onions for chives because the grocery store by me is a little weird. I used the butter on the steak and baked potato. DAMN. ESCALATED MY GAME, SON. Seriously, "learn" how to make compound butter. It's so easy and it makes everything taste SO MUCH GOOD.

8. DOUGH

I learned so much in this chapter. Technically, pancakes fall under batter (the following chapter), but after reading the dough chapter, I made pancakes. The first one was super cakey. So cakey it was thick and not cooking all the way through. I knew why and how to fix it. I mean. Gluten and fats, man. Mind blown.

I then decided to make the Snickerdoodle recipe as a thank you to my lovely coworkers who were super supportive at my first big event in my "new" job.

9. BATTER: Maybe next year

10. SUGAR: Maybe next year

11. SAUCE: Maybe next year

Impatience got the better of me with this one. I made a rustic pan sauce for a roast chicken, but I was also hungry and impatient at how long it was taking to reduce. So I reduced the wine, prematurely poured in the water, and didn't reduce it enough. So it was a pretty watery sauce. Despite the time it takes to reduce, this was pretty simple, and I'll definitely try my hand at more sauces.

12. VINAIGRETTE

Definitely didn't take a picture of the lemon pepper vinaigrette I made for a salad for another lovely dinner at the Zann's. It was tangy, light, and outrageously easy. I will certainly be making this again. It's silly to say, but salads are so much more fun when I can change up tasty dressings so often and so easily. I will never again buy a bottled vinaigrette. Making them yourself is easier, cheaper, tastier, healthier, and less of a commitment.

13. SOUP

SOUP: Red Pepper Soup

In the book, there was this outrageously simple soup recipe that Ruhlman claimed came from the French Laundry: red pepper soup. So, I gave it a try with the Zann clan. It was good, and I'll make it again, but there have to be better options if one were actually dining at the French Laundry. It did make me want to try it again, this time without straining it as the texture might have been nice, and it also made me want to try other versions with vegetables, like squash.

14. SAUTE: Maybe next year

15. ROAST

I've always been a bit of a roaster. Neither roasting nor pan roasting was new to me. But it was awesome to learn some techniques and how to use butter well with these two recipes, made for me, by me, just because I wanted to try them. It's really fun to eat well on the regular, especially when I can't really afford to eat out at the moment.

Roast Pork Loan

Brown Butter Roast Cauliflower

I did two roasts for one meal for this one: roast cauliflower with brown butter and roast pork loin. The roast cauliflower was so easy and incredibly good. I can't wait to let this be my special contribution to dinners. The brown butter complimented the vegetable so well and left it with a rich, warm flavor. Incredible. The pork loin was more of a typical marinade, sear, roast, and baste. Still incredibly easy and really tasty. It was a fantastic winter meal that I'll certainly have again.

I did another roast a few weeks later at a Zann dinner. This was just a simple roast whole chicken, something I've made several times before. I think I actually like my usual recipe a bit better. I also made a pan sauce, which I was too impatient to finish properly (described above).

16. BRAISE: Maybe next year

17. POACH: Maybe next year

18. GRILL: Maybe next year

19. FRY: Maybe next year

20. CHILL: Maybe next year