Wherein I make cooking my bitch...

So a lot of my recent experiences with cooking have been negative, I must admit. But I'm here to tell you that the past two nights in a row I've managed to turn it around and make something that I was not only proud of, but that actually tasted alright too. Turns out the secret is ------

Casseroles!

Well, don't let me get too over-excited all at once. I know I've messed up casseroles too, so I won't say I've mastered them, but these two dishes turned out well.

1. Chicken casserole. This one didn't make me proud because it was fancy or anything. I got the recipe off the Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup can. Though I did give it a twist by adding some french cut green beans. I sort of melded the Campbell's recipe with a green bean casserole recipe on the back of the Safeway Beans can.

Ingredients : Chicken, Cream of Mushroom Soup (a Smith family tradition, by the way), 3/4 can of green beans, Salt, Pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, then add a little cheese and some french fried onions and you're good to go. Now that I think about it, not only was it my idea to add the green beans, I also added the salt and pepper and cheese. Campbell's must really want your dinner to turn out poorly if all they ask for is soup and chicken. That means I actually improvised, and won! Shiiittttttt yeah!

2. Beef Bourguignon. Ok, this one I'm pretty proud of. It was also in a casserole book, but it is more stew-like to me. Basically involves a bunch of half-decent ingredients (opposite of #1, above) that you cook on the stove top, then bake in the oven for 2 hours. Except that scenario wouldn't work out with my schedule today because I was minding the kids, so I went from the stove top to the slow cooker instead.

I just looked up beef bourguignon on Wikipedia and realized that my recipe was kind of boring compared to the traditional method of cooking, but I think I still got the idea correct. The main ingredient I had a problem with was the bouquet garni. The cookbook said you could find this at most grocery stores and I was looking amongst the spices, but after looking at a picture of it that I googled, I see this isn't something that comes in a bottle. It's basically a few different herbs tied together and tossed into the pot, then taken out before eating, like bay leaves. Oh well, now I know for next time.

Anyhoo, the main point to take away is that I cooked two things that turned out well. Maybe not exactly gourmet cooking, but it was nice to have them taste at least as well as I was expecting, if not better. What I really need to focus on now is side dishes. I usually get so carried away with one major recipe that by the time it's finished and ready to eat I realize I've forgotten to make anything to go with it. Apparently potato chips are not a side dish, though they do fill the rest of the plate quite nicely.