Piano
Cooking/Baking (and Grocery Shopping)
With my extra time this year, I've also been working hard to learn some new dishes to make for us. So far, I've tried pad Thai, zucchini cobbler, slow cooker roasted leg of lamb, quinoa mushroom risotto, fresh tomato marinara sauce, chicken and red wine sauce, and even cinnamon crunch bagels! Matt says they've all been successful. It's been pretty fun to go through my recipe app and try new things. I've been cooking mostly Western stuff lately because our friend gave us a bottle of red wine, so I've been experimenting with dishes that use up the wine. Now, I'm going to start working my way through some new Chinese dishes. I've never been good at cooking Chinese dishes before because the style tends to be very 随便, informal, free, not following a recipe but just instinct. Well, as someone who has very little instinct for cooking, I've been watching a bunch of tutorials on YouTube about Chinese cooking. I've linked the best channel above. It's made by an American husband and a Chinese wife, and they do an awesome job explaining everything step-by-step with authentic styles and ingredients. Even if you're not in China, their channel is a great way to learn how to cook Chinese dishes. They gear it toward any English speakers, whether you're in China or overseas.
Matt's in New York this week for work, but when he gets back, I'm going to try making my first legit Chinese dish (like more complicated than fried rice legit) - 手抓饭, which is a Xinjiang style rice dish with lamb, carrots, and raisins. I'll post pictures next week if it turns out well.