Culinary MASTER?

(Easter dinner 2008- first meal I ever made entirely from scratch)

When I was single, I thought I knew how to cook... but when I became a wife, I learned quickly how wrong I was! I have in the last 3 years learned many things in the kitchen. I now laugh at all the ridiculous things I used to do. There are too many to name, but one of Spencer's favorites is the first time I made him pasta. Instead of draining the pasta immediately when it was finished cooking, I just served the noodles directly from the pot of bubbling water on to the plate, then poured the sauce on top. Spencer loves reminding me about the "swimming pasta". He still teases me sometimes by grabbing the strainer for me and saying, "don't forget this!"

Before Kaden was born, I began a task of making a list of all the things I've made us for dinner. On a piece of paper I numbered it 1 through 100. The objective was to make 100 different recipes for dinner. And I am so thrilled to announce that on Saturday night, I finally did it!!!

For all you thinking that's no big deal... allow me to pat my own back while informing you of the following: many hours were spent searching cookbooks, food blogs, and recipe sites to create new menus every 2 weeks to find new and exciting dinners to entice our taste buds; Often new recipes = new ingredients, which calls for additional hunting through the grocery store for spices I've never used, and often never heard of; Working up the energy/desire/"ganas" to actually get in the kitchen and fix it was not easy on long days; and setting aside the time needed to prepare the new foods (I'm very slow when cooking new stuff... I don't wanna mess it up!). It wasn't just 100 meals... it had to be a NEW recipe that I'd never made before. Think about your own recipes you make on a regular basis. If you count them up, they're not as many as you think (unless you already do this sort of thing. In which case, my hat's off to you!). I have gained a great appreciation for food. I had no idea it would take so long to get up to 100, and its a real accomplishment for me. If you knew me 3 yrs ago you'd agree!

(Citrus Chicken & rice)

I didn't go through all the trouble for my benefit. I would have been perfectly content having the same things every week. Leftovers and overs and overs. That's how I grew up. It never bothered me. Then again, I didn't know any better! Thus, my initial motivation was to please my honey's taste buds. Spencer gets "bored" with food. He calls it getting "-outed". To give you an example, here's a common dialogue:
ME: Do you want enchiladas for dinner? SPENC: Mmm... nah, I'm enchiladad-out.
It makes me feel good inside when Spencer enjoys a nice warm meal that I made for him. And I wanted to offer a larger variety of delicious dinners. He never asked me to take on this recipe hunting task. I did it as a self-improvement goal. I may not be a culinary master, but I do feel like a better person... well, at least my tummy sure thinks so!

(Eggplant & Saucy red beans w/ rice... my first vegetarian recipe)

I've written the list of 100 below. Sadly, not all the recipes were delicious. So if it has an (X) next to it... that means PLEASE NEVER MAKE THIS AGAIN!

Creamy Chicken curry. Stroganoff. Benson Delight. Beahm Casserole. Meatloaf cakes. Grilled stuffed burritos. Chicken broccoli casserole. Omelets. Calzones. Lemon chicken strips w/ potatoes. Roast, potatoes, & carrots. Pork ribs & green bean casserole.. Tonkatsu pork & rice. Chili & scones. Chicken enchiladas. Beef Enchiladas. Italian chicken chowder. Chicken pot pie from scratch. Chicken roll ups. Taquitos w/ Spanish rice. Chicken cacciatore. Philly Cheese steak sandwiches. Chicken fajitas. Ham&Swiss pie. Stuffed chicken breasts & cheesy potatoes. Creamy White Chili. Hamburger pie w/ bacon & tomato. Chile Relleno bake. Cheese Waffles. Special Italian burgers. Haystacks. Crepes. Gringo empanadas (X). BLTs. Napsacks a.k.a pancakes. Grilled cheese & tomato soup. Red sauce mushroom tortellini. Chicken broccoli alfredo pasta. Cordon Bleu. Fried chicken & corn bread. Stirfry chicken. Ham fried rice. French toast. Taco soup. Taco salad. Ham & twice baked potatoes. BBQ pork sandwiches. Chicken & dumpling casserole. Stuffed pork chops. Grilled stuffed pork wraps. Rouladin. Sicilian Casserole. Ravioli w/ marinara. Pasta Milano. Garlic shepherd's pie. Japanese curry. Homemade mac&cheese casserole w/ stewed tomatoes. Breakfast burgers. Southwest beef supper (X). Beef & barley stew (X). Italian fritata. Pad Thai chicken. Tandoori Chutney chicken & rice (X). Wisconsin Cauliflower soup. Mama's Chick-bac-pea & rice. Croque monsieur. Citrus chicken & rice. Beef roll-ups (X). Eggplant & saucy red beans. Loaded potato & bacon soup. Indian stew (X) Mexican Lasagna. Jo's Crockpot chicken tacos. Meatball subs. Lemon alfredo chicken. Fish tacos. Red vinegrette pork w/ mushroom. Fresh mozarella & tomato bagel toasts. Sun-dried tomato chicken pitas. Orange chicken & rice. Tereyaki steak & mashers. Lime chicken taquitos & jalapeno bacon thingies. Crunchy french onion chicken. Spicy pork & peppers. Green chile chicken empanadas. Filipino egg rolls. Baked sesame seed chicken. Waldorf chicken wraps. Baked chicken parmesan. PW Mexican Lasagna. Baked chicken kiev w/ bacon. Chicken & wild rice soup. Chili-orange pork ribs. Ham pasta dinner w/ sweet red pepper. Broccoli cheese soup. Cheesy baked ziti. Sweet & spicy chicken tacos. Coconut curry chicken.