Adventures in cooking

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Traditionally I can cook about six dishes: chili, tacos (and it's cousin taco bake), chicken Parmesan, pasta (in various, non-complicated forms as in i can heat noodles and pour sauce on top), Dijon blackened chicken and beef stroganoff (but not as well as mom).

I've made some new progress. i made up a recipe of baked eggs in tomato sauce after having it in a restaurant. My newest success may not be the last thing I made (that would be cookies for a cookie exchange, and before you get excited the main ingredient in the cookies was box cake mix), but it was definitely the most impressive.

Pupusas.

For uninitiated, pupusas are a traditional Salvadorian street food made from corn masa and stuffed with goodies like cheese, beans, chicken, etc. I became addicted to them at the Brooklyn Flea market, otherwise known as the best part of living in Brooklyn. When we were hosting our Fall into Mexico in October, Alison had baked goods covered so I thought I should contribute. A quick Martha Stewart video and I was ready. Plus, due to a birthday bowling trip, i had to make them in record time.

I mixed the flour with water, even eyeballing it to get the right consistency, rolled them into balls, filled them with goodies and cooked them. You top them with tomato sauce and sour cream and traditionally pickled cabbage (which I declined to include). They were the hit of the party, along with Alison's incredible pumpkin whoopies, which probably took more skill than making all of my aforementioned six dishes plus the pupusas combined.

Next on my list of things to make: something in my crock pot besides beef stroganoff , any suggestions?