Guys… I got the BEST gift from my in-laws for Christmas: the official Thug Kitchen cookbook.
OMG! I have followed Thug Kitchen on Facebook for about a year and am so excited to finally have the cookbook. All of their recipes sound sooooo scrumptious and healthy.
This week I tried three new recipes. Two from Thug Kitchen, and one from Pinterest.
I’ve probably mentioned here earlier that I am culinarily challenged. I REALLY lack confidence in the kitchen, but I LOVE to eat good food.
I think part of my lack of confidence comes from my depression/anxiety and not believing in myself enough. I have always convinced myself that I suck at cooking, and I usually approach new recipes with a lot of anxiety. I think my belief that I suck at cooking became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
This week I realized that I don’t suck at cooking. When I actually try and stop worrying about it, I’m not bad at all.
The Thug Kitchen cookbook aptly begins with the following quote from Julia Child:
So I figured that from now forward I would approach cooking with a similar “what-the-hell” attitude. Sometimes recipes don’t come out right. Sometimes you just need more practice. WHO CARES. Don’t apologize. Ever.
The first thing I made this week was quinoa and broccoli burritos. I was expecting my husband to dislike them, because they don’t have meat and had the potential to be spicy (he can’t handle much spice). In fact, they turned out great and we both loved them.
BAM! Sticking a tab on that recipe. Here’s a link to it if you’re interested. These burritos aren’t only delicious, they’re filling as fuck (now I’m slipping into Thug Kitchen speak!).
On New Year’s Day I made spiced apple waffles, which were posted on the Thug Kitchen Facebook page (they’re not in the cookbook, FYI).
These turned out okay, but the consistency wasn’t perfect. I might have mixed them a little too much, or I didn’t cook them enough. Oh well… they were still good and worth a shot.
The third thing I made this week was Crockpot Chicken Parmesan soup, a recipe I found on Pinterest. I wanted to make this because ever since we moved back to the Boston area, my husband has made it his mission to try Chicken Parmesan from every Italian restaurant we visit or order from (those who are not from the Boston area: we have A LOT of authentic Italian restaurants and it is the best stuff on this side of the Atlantic. If you visit this area, be sure to get some amazing Italian food and pastries in the historic North End of Boston).
I made this slow cooker Chicken Parmesan soup for Greg, my sister-in-law Bailey, and her boyfriend Steve. We ate nearly the entire pot between the four of us! I think it turned out well, and the three of them seemed to think so too. This is a great recipe to prepare for a cold day, or for a day of watching football on TV with friends. You could even bring it to your Superbowl party!
What I learned this week is that you shouldn’t convince yourself that you suck at something without giving it a true shot. Also, be kind to yourself. If you don’t get it right the first time, there’s always next time!
And just for fun, here’s a picture of what I look like after dicing onions. My husband was laughing at me the entire time.
So there’s my second day! Stay tuned to 28 more days of #30DaysProud!
