Exploring new recipes

In the past week I have been doing quite a bit of cooking.  Some of the produce I got from my Horse & Buggy Produce delivery included Swiss Chard and zucchini and I had to find a use for them.  Pinterest has become my go-to for finding new recipes. I just type the ingredient I want to use into the search and something good usually pops up.  That's how I found this recipe to use my Swiss chard.  At first, I thought it tasted too green, as if I should have put more cheese in it. But the flavor grew on me and it has made a great appetizer for my salads.

I then had to find something to bring to the PICU cookbook release party.  A friend suggested I make bread even though I didn't have any bread recipes in the cookbook.  A pinterest search for zucchini turned up this recipe. My only alterations were using regular flour and vegetable oil.  The cheesiness of this bread was fantastic and I would certainly make it again!

Last night, I pulled some taco meat out of the freezer and realized I only had 2 store bought tortillas left.  I decided to try another pinterest recipe.   These also turned out well, but I know they are NOT healthy because I know how much butter I put into them.

This morning has me trying to make sandwich bread from my sourdough starter.  It is very satisfying to watch it rise and know that my starter is alive and active and it amazes me how adding some salt, flour, and water can yield something edible.

Project in progress

This is the current project I'm working on. I started it around Memorial Day and I hope to have it finished soon. The next project will be a late grad present for my cousin's daughter who is going to UVA. I can't wait to get started!

Summer reading list

I am just now compiling a summer reading list. I should be able to get 2 books in per month for the next 3 months, so I will attempt the following:

1.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - I have heard so many good things about this book and I've seen everyone reading it so I figured I'd give it a try

2. The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman - this book was recommended to me by the community reading group

3. Half The Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn - I watched a documentary about this book with a friend from work and then she loaned me her copy to read

4. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards - I got this book at the library book sale years ago and I finally started it on my vacation

5. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - I got this one at this year's library book sale. The woman at the check out said it's a good one 

6. Radical by David Platt - this one has been in my reading stack for a while. After reading so much fiction this summer I'll need a book to bring me back to reality.