Trying New Things: Pie

(photo by Leslie)

(photo by Leslie)

(photo by Leslie, still going to count it towards the 365...so 291/365)

Tonight I tried pie for the first time! Leslie made it tonight, so when Ally and I both got back from our respective jobs we split a burrito and had some pie. I'm not sure eating it with a burrito was the best idea, so I only ended up having a few bites, but I'm looking forward to having another piece one of these days! You're so domestic, Leslie. (;

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Trying New Things: Peppers

258/365

Before today, I had no idea there are certain peppers you can just eat! One of my hall sisters is president of the club on campus I mentioned last week, so today she was preparing a few Latino dishes for tonight's meeting. I walked into the kitchen where she was listening to music and cooking when she asked if I wanted a pepper. I was very confused, and apparently I gave her a strange look, which I know because she recounted it to a few people later, haha.

So I tried a pepper! And it was good! Just a yellow one, because apparently it's the sweetest, but it was good! Thanks for letting me try one, K. (:

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Trying New Things: Quinoa

170/365

We tried something new for dinner tonight: quinoa! It's a grain I've seen mentioned around the web a good amount, and when I mentioned to my mom that I wanted to give it a try, she was on board with it and we began looking up recipes on Pinterest. We eventually decided on this one. We had a little bit of difficulty figuring out how much dry quinoa we needed to make cooked quinoa to use for the dish, and we accidentally added an extra 1/2 cup of it to the meal, but I don't think it altered it too much. Overall it was fine, but was just kind of boring. I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that quinoa is a grain, just like rice, so it tasted pretty much the same as rice, which is practically tasteless, right? Or is that just me?

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Trying New Things: Yarn Cakes (by Hand)

155/365

I finally made a center-pull ball of yarn, with my hands! Well, the three glue-sticks taped together helped as well. I've wanted to have center-pull balls of yarn instead of the store-bought skeins, but never really had the motivation to until Haute Knit Yarn posted on instagram about a flash sale.

"Hold up," I thought to myself. "I need this yarn. At $6.50 less than usual, why not?? Isn't being a knitter all about trying new yarns?" So, with that, I made my first Etsy purchase. It arrived within a few days, and has been sitting in my room ever since. I finally got pictures of it today for my stash on ravelry, which meant I could finally get it wound up. I haven't decided which pattern I'm using this with quite yet, but I've got a pretty good idea. I'm definitely thinking a cowl or infinity scarf.

My first experience winding my own yarn cake: I will do it again. As much as I would love to buy that $18 wool winder on Amazon (hint, hint...my birthday is in a few months...just saying...), I can't bring myself to do it. I definitely think I will start winding all my yarn up like this, just for a fresh look.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Trying New Things: Gluten Free Mac & Cheese

I have recently had an urging to try new things. It really started with breakfast food, which is a topic I'll blog about after I try a few more things, but it's spreading to all areas.

I've always been a picky eater. I always stick with pasta and/or chicken. I love chicken. I don't like a ton of spices and crazy variants of things, yet something has changed within me lately (maybe it's that your taste buds supposedly change every seven years?) that has me wanting to venture out a little bit. It's not an extreme thing, but just kind of a challenge I have with myself.

Saturday night we went grocery shopping, and I was picking out something for me to eat for dinner (the rest of the family had something I just do not like) and I ended up with a few different things. This gluten free macaroni and cheese was one of those things. While it was double the price of the other pastas I know I like (a whopping $1 difference! but still) I just knew I had to try it. I follow way too many gluten free bloggers to not try it. I had it tonight with my dad's hamburgers, and it was really quite good. I don't think I'll ever buy it again - because that $1 does add up! - but I'm glad I tried something different. YOLO, right?

- rl