I’ve been doing loads of cooking at home, but I’ve found myself in a rut. I was only really cooking zucchini at home, with home grown basil and farmers’ mkt squash and garlic. But, after a while, it didn’t seem very good any longer. Just this week I branched out, on my own, to other (yowza) stuff. My friend ML is staying with me for a little while, and I like to cook more for more than one, so it’s been good.

Monday night I cooked spaghetti squash (which is so damn easy: cut it open, pull out seeds and put it upside down in a pan in the oven) with a doctored up pasta sauce from work. I cooked 93/7 Angus Beef from F&E and then added a bunch of garlic and basil and then an eggplant marinara. I put that all over the spaghetti squash (once it had been shredded out with a fork) and tossed a little cheese in. And wow, it was good. And pretty darn good for us! So, I’ll have to duplicate that again. And that time take a picture. Because it was just too good lookin’ for me to pause. I even had some for lunch today. A friend thought I had added a TON of cheese. I said, “Nope, pasketti squash!”

Tonight, which is Tuesday, I made chicken escalopes (I’m still unsure of what that is) from F&E which were breaded, peewee potatoes roasted with s&p and olive oil and then I steamed Rainbow Chard and put balsamic vinegar and olive oil on it. It was simple and amazing. And I did take a picture of the plate all put together (and will try to post it soon). ML asked how much it all cost, and today we counted. It was $10 for the entire meal, from F&E and the Hollywood Farmers Market. For two people. So that is pretty good. Just about the same price as Pho! Anyway, wine was involved, so that increased the price. But not by much! I have some chicken and potatoes left over too. LUNCH! Rainbow Chard is such a great thing that I can’t get enough of it, so darn it, I don’t have any left. Not sure how steamed chard would be the day after, though. ML had never had it, and kept asking me what it was. Oh, how I love fresh chard. And I love to introduce it to people!

My friend Rachael of Chicks with Knives suggested a book to me, after I mentioned that I got caught in cooking ruts. It’s called The Flavor Bible and I got it in the mail last week. I haven’t even used it yet, but I’m feeling better about my cooking. Rachael came over recently and started my thinking outside the box by cooking a butternut squash + kale + mussels all over pasta dish. She taught me how to roast butternut squash, and I think I’ll be eternally grateful for that. Rachael also taught me that it’s okay to just toss things together and that chances are, it’ll be okay. Well, maybe for that I’ll be eternally grateful. But, whatever the case is, Rachael is rad. For those of you in the LA area, you MUST go to a dinner that Chicks with Knives throws. Or at least take a class that Rachael teaches. Here is the list of cooking classes, so do yourself a favor and go take a class.