1 out of 21

A good friend of mine decided to start a project - 1 out of 21 - that encourages us to be proud of what we do in the kitchen, and perhaps more importantly, take more ownership of what we eat. The premise is really simple, but brilliant: out of the 21 or so meals you cook each week, make (and share) one you're proud of.

To me, this clicked instantly. As much as I love cooking, I've recently found myself in a bit of a rut. Whether out of habit, ease, or fright I set into a standard resume of basic Italian dishes. Most of them had been improvised, but once I had it down, I just kept making it.

In an effort to spice things up a bit, I joined a CSA to eat more veggies and force myself to be more creative. It has definitely helped, but as I kept turning back to epicurious and various cookbooks for advice with beets, kale, and the like, I figured it was time to embark on a real adventure.

The results so far have been great. My "1" I'm guessing will be quite different from many. Ironically, I'm afraid to cook from a cookbook. I'd rather conjure up ideas and add spices along the way. It's a fun way to cook, but, unless you really get adventurous, it actually has been holding me back. So I joined teams with Jamie (read earlier posts) to expand my repetoire. For the next while, my "1" will involve the oven - an item I have used almost exclusively for mac and cheese, baked ziti, and chicken marsala.