Cook, 2, 3, 4...

I have been cooking up a storm.

Pozole, blackberry pie - including the crust, jams, enchiladas, mid-eastern chicken and couscous, pad Thai, a wedding cake, Italian meringue buttercreams, banana everything (cakes, bread, pancakes, etc...), Dolmas, and so on and so forth...

Chad has been such a sport about my cooking. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been anything to suffer though exactly, but it hasn't exactly been the most convenient hobby for him... Take me wanting to make Dolmas, for example - I needed a jar of grape leaves to complete the recipe. Finally, all four Silverdale grocers, a ferry ride and a hoity-toity store in Seattle later - Chad found me my grape leaves. Then the Pozole - trying to find hominy and dried Mexican chilies in Silverdale... big fun. Then, the seemingly easy banana cake, when I needed cream cheese for the frosting. No worries, Chad the magnificent went, after working all day, to pick some up for me. Then half way through mixing the batter (and his trip to the store), I realized I didn't have any eggs... he went back for me. Oh and the berries... all the picking trips for the berries... What a sport.

I think the reason for all this cooking is boredom. Its not that Washington is boring, or my life is boring - its that I am having a hard time convincing myself to get out of the house without Chad. I don't really want to go out, and do fun things or spend money without him. This is a new place, with new adventures - and I'd like to find them with Chad. So, I sit at home a lot (well at least close to home) and instead of feeling totally unproductive (you can only clean a house so many times...) I cook. This way I have a few hours of entertainment, and I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor with Chad.

Its fun, and I am getting pretty good at it. The thing is - I am running out of ideas. All the things I have had swimming around in my head - I have made. All that's left is Mole - a real undertaking I've heard. Any ideas? I love all food - the more complicated and tasty the better! Hmmm maybe a curry - both Thai and Indian! Ok, more ideas then that!