Read The Instructions!

As I cooked tonight's dinner, I was surprised that I had no panic or fear. I am beginning to look at the whole thing as a challenge and really want to learn to cook. No, sorry, let me correct it - I NEED to learn to cook. Every guy should! (Wow, I can't believe I'm writing this! What a transformation!). 

Let me tell you something I am not so proud of. Tonight I got so carried away with the preparation of ingredients and watching over the poor chicken that ended up in a pot and was quietly simmering there, that I forgot to read the instructions on the pack of cream of chicken soup. You are supposed to mix it in cool water and then bring it boil, instead of pouring it into the boiling water (I can almost hear most of you saying, "Duh!"). Yup, that's my glorious moment for tonight. As I'm sure you all know, when you pour the cream of chicken soup mixture into the boiling water, you can stir all you want, still it won't dissolve. So what should a not-so-smart guy do in a situation like that? Pour that darn soup down the drain and start from scratch? Nah, at least I know that much. I called the reinforcements. In came Matet with a grin on her face. "Next time read the instructions!", she said. Again, duh! (She was gracious enough not to say it out loud)... So, the lesson for today - Don't rely on your own wisdom (I know I don't have much of it anyway), just read those instructions!

OK, with that off my chest, let me share with you the details of my special dinner number 2.

Dish # 1 - Toasted Bread with Salsa

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 minutes 

4 slices of wheat bread, toasted or fried with butter
1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup olives, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons French salad dressing, or extra-virgin olive oil

Mix all the ingredients for salsa. Toast the bread, and top it with salsa.

My experience: Matet made this a few days ago, and I really liked it, so I decided to give it a try. Instead of toasting the bread (which tends to dry the bread), I chose to fry it with butter. The rest is kind of obvious.
Our verdict: Easy and quick to make, this makes a great and healthy appetizer or breakfast.

Dish # 2 - Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 5 minutes Cooking Time 40 minutes

• 9 ounces boneless, skinless chicken meat
• 3 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1-1/2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon onion, chopped
• salt to taste
• 4-1/3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons cream of chicken soup, from a pack
• 
  
• 1. In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and olive oil.
• 2. Chop up the chicken, and add it with the onion and garlic to the pot. Let it simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.
• 3. Break the spaghetti into small pieces, no longer than half the size of your pinkie; add to the pot. Stir occasionally. Remove the chicken. Get rid of all the bones and skin, and shred the meat. Put it back in the pot.
• 4. Dissolve cream of chicken soup in a cool water, and add it to the pot. Stir for 5 minutes.

My experience: All I had to do was to follow instructions. Oh silly me!

Our verdict: Very nice and filling soup.

Dish # 3 - Pork Chops with Watermelon Salsa

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 minutes Cooking Time 10 minutes

4 thick-cut pork chops, at least 1/2-inch-thick each

1/4 cup flour

salt and pepper

oil for pan-frying

For the Salsa:

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup red watermelon, chopped

1/3 cup yellow watermelon, chopped

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 red onion, chopped

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Dredge pork chops in salt and pepper, then in flour. Pan-fry until done. Keep warm while preparing the salsa.

2. Toss all salsa ingredients together and serve with the pork chops.

My experience: Making this dish was quite fun and straight forward.

Our verdict: Pork chops and watermelon may not be the first combo you think of (we did not, for sure), but this salsa completely cuts the fatness of the pork chop and makes for an elegant and quick meal. Keep the meet warm, and allow that salsa flavor to permeate the meat. Nothing too special about the pork chop, it's the salsa that you remember after eating this dish. You can also substitute the pork chops with chicken breast or fish fillet.

Dish # 4 - Fruit Salad

Serves 8 Time to Prepare 10 minutes

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (16 ounce) can cherry pie filling
• 1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 
  
• 1. In a large bowl, fold together the condensed milk and whipped topping.
• 2. Add the pie filling, pineapple, marshmallows and pecans (if desired). Mix well and refrigerate until chilled.

My experience: I used all-purpose cream instead of whipped topping, omitted the pecans, and added mandarin oranges. The cherry pie filing was incredible! I think if I do this salad again, I will add bananas and pecans, and probably some red wine. 

Our verdict: The more variety of fruits, the better. Pecans would have added some crunchiness. It turned out a bit too sweet (tolerable levels), so we wonder if it would work to substitute the condensed milk with plain yogurt. Not sure. Red wine would definitely go well with that awesome cherry pie filing!

Thanks again for reading the transcript of my therapy session! Huge thanks to my one and only sister who has decided to cook everything I will cook! That's special and means a lot to me. If after reading this or any other cooking therapy post on my blog you decide to try cooking a dish or two, please share your experience. It would be great to find out how it went for you and what you thought of the end result. 

On a personal note, I am slowly moving from fear of cooking to an excitement about this experiment and challenge. As I close for the day, I am beginning to think that fear (whatever shape or form it takes for each of us individually) tends to grow big in our heads. But when we open up and share it with someone else, and take the first steps to confront our fear, we realize that it is not really that big and we certainly should not allow it to control us or to shape who we are. I'm glad I started this journey.