Tools Of The Trade

My path to kitchen discovery has been riddled with excitement and new purchases.

I LOVE new purchases!

I figured that if I was going to attempt this whole cooking thing, and succeed at it, I was going to need some tools to aid in my pursuit.

First things first. Where to start? What to cook? It almost seemed like a message from above when I came across this book during an errand to my local wholesale superstore:



I flipped through this publication and was excited to discover that I could most likely successfully execute the majority of the recipes listed. I was excited to start, but felt that the book was naked. It needed something. So on a different errand to my local Crate & Barrel I purchased this:



So now that I knew what I was cooking and my brand new book was no longer naked, I needed to focus on what to wear whilst I'm doing the cooking. Thanks to Mom for this fabulous Christmas gift:



And yes, in case you were wondering, this ensemble includes BOTH leopard and giraffe prints. Stylish I know, but please don't be jealous.

And finally, this is me attempting my very first recipe of 2010: steak burgers with shoestring fries accompanied by a garlicky dijon mayo sauce. And beer. Except I didn't make the beer; I just poured it.



I managed to NOT burn the house down or chop anything off my body. A success in my book!

And yes, it was delicious. Brian even says so!