Bon Appetit!

I got around to watching "Julie & Julia" a couple nights ago and loved it! Meryl Streep is amazing, as usual (I'll watch anything with her in it), and I could connect with Amy Adam's character too. The scenery was gorgeous! We immediately wanted to pack up and move to Paris (something I actually want to do one day, maybe, if we have enough money) and go on a food binge. You felt like you could smell everything they were cooking. On the flip side, I felt guilty.
I felt guilty over the fact that despite coming from a background where food is enjoyed and cooked with love and shared, I rarely cook at all. I grew up with a grandmother who made/makes delicious, authentic Mexican food from recipes passed down from her mother, from her mother's mother and from scratch. My other grandmother cooked much the same for her five children and mechanic husband back when that was "what a wife and mother did". And she did. I'm not sure of whether or not she enjoyed it all the time, but she was happy when people enjoyed her food, and I think that propelled her to do it all the time. My father worked jobs as a chef in multiple restaurants and made us kids great dinners and taught us about nutrition (he also used to be a body builder/trainer) and how to cook fish, chicken, beef, etc.
Greg's parents are the same. His father is from Geneva, Switzerland and has promised to make us ratatouille and has a fridge perpetually stocked with amazing cheeses. Greg's mom is actually the only person that can cook chicken that I actually like (I'm notorious for hating chicken), his aunt makes the worlds greatest cheesecake and his grandmother knows her shit as well.
Do you feel the pressure now?
I've mastered only a few things, the best of them being a meatloaf from my copy of "The Joy Of Cooking", a title that I often wonder whether sarcasm is meant to be used when saying it, and enchiladas. My enchiladas bring all the boys to the yard. I'm proud of them. But a batch of enchiladas and a kick ass meatloaf do not a cook make. So I need to up the ante. There are two cookbooks I want to buy-



Because I was inspired and because it's Julia Child. C'mon.


I wanna be your sledgehammer, Julia. Oh wait, that's a tenderizer. God help me on this journey of cooking enlightenment.

And



I know. The two cookbooks are kind of contradictions. Julia used plenty of meat, dairy, eggs, etc and Alicia is vegan, but I've personally tried some recipes from Alicia's book (my friend Colleen is embarking on going full vegan) and they are amazing! I also don't feel like shit after eating a lot of whatever the dish is I'm eating.
I like to mix it up as far as my diet is concerned. I doubt I'll ever be a full fledged vegan, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy many of the recipes and challenge myself with making them. Greg isn't going to give up meat so I'm sure he'll enjoy Julia's cookbook more.

So there it is, another challenge for myself that I'll keep the blog updated on. If you have any recipes you'd like to share I'd love to hear them!

Speaking of cooking and eating, I haven't exactly updated "Operation I Want My Skinny Jeans Back" because I haven't taken too many photos of myself that show any change. I've lost a couple pounds, have been cutting down the soda, drinking more water and avoiding fast food. I'm not super jazzed about any of this as I'm almost positive I'll come back from Mexico with those pounds back on, if not more. So I'll take it more seriously once I get back. I'm not dieting on vacation.

That is all!