goal 101-- 11/12 cook a new dish

Ian and I were on the road for the entire month of November. It is an adventure that I know I am very special to have been able to experience.

I'm giving myself a pass on the "new dish" for November. While I didn't cook anything new, there were plenty of new eating extravaganzas and when you add them all up I think they are perfectly aligned with the motivation behind this goal.

For instance, our second morning of the trip (while we were waiting for the AAA guy to come after our car broke down on the FIRST night!), we made camp-stove breakfast in the vestibule of a rest area in Idaho just North of Utah. That is a first.

Fine dining at my Dad's house. A multi-course meal after a work day! The sea-food soup (name escapes me) was awesome, and I tried lamb, it was delicious. Also a first.

Thai 9 is always on the list of eateries when we visit Dayton, OH. My mouth waters just thinking about it. This is the eel lunch special.

Collards from my dad's garden to the far right (we didn't get around to cooking them as soon as we thought we would) along with some organic samples from the local grocery store. Ian had talked up my collards skills so much, they were requested for the Thanks-o-ween family dinner. One of the first times I've tried to recreate an awesome dish, away from home!

It was quite a spread at the Thanks-o-ween dinner. All sorts of yummy veggies and foods.

Knowing we would be visiting New Orleans later that week, Ian made sure while we were in Asheville, NC that we ordered the beignets at Mayfel's so we could compare them to those of Cafe Dumonde.

The first beignets I've ever had. Granted, I've tried lots of other types of fried dough. Every nationality that has discovered hot cooking oil has a version of fried dough. Mayfel's are the superior beignet.

While it was rumored to be the best pizza ever, we realized the by-the-slice doesn't offer you the creme of the crop at Satchel's. We are eating in the front of the VW bus that is parked in the yard of the restaurant.

Some lawn-sitting. Ian's favorite Florida past-time. While in Gainesville we were treated to another thanksgiving proportion feast (and given a to-go platter of delicious pulled pork and sides).

Jeff and Ian. Also, the slow cooker. Not featured, the deep fryer with which we figured out the best way to deep fry nori, and whole baby red potatoes, a culinary first for me!

Cooking over the fire pit at Cape San Blas Florida. While we only got to spend one night at this magical haven, it was relaxing enough to last another week.

So glad we got to have Po'Boys while in NOLA. I tried soft shell crab for the first time.

My brother's delicious!!! vegan pancakes (setting on top of a Fajita painted platter).

Best tacos I've ever had? I think so, Torchy's Tacos in Austin were super duper delish.

Family style barbeque at the Salt Lick somewhere outside of Austin, TX. Piles of food that they just keep refilling and they let you take left-overs! Man!

We were given leftovers from the leftovers from Ben and Gina's Thanksgiving feast. In the foreground Ben's homemade smurf bread. Ian ate mostly Ham for the rest of the trip, and as a testament to how much he loves ham: we were at the grocery store yesterday and all the hams are on sale. He really wanted to spend 17 bucks on a little ham "If we had that meat slicer my Dad has, this would be perfect!" I gave him a look and he said "I know, I know I just ate all that ham from your brother. I. just. love. ham." Just about anyone else would be sick of it by now, right?

So the way I see it, I may not have actually "cooked a new dish" in November, if you take the literal sense like my previous posts for the goal. . . yet I was quite adventurous and experienced a number of firsts with food while on our month long travels.

With only three days left in December,  I need to get my hiney in gear with a new dish for this last month and 12/12 for this goal. I'm inspired to make Empanadas. I told Ian I've made them before so it wouldn't count. He said that since they were baked (opposed to fried like these will be), and how I can't remember what city I was living in or what they're filling was: those first ones don't count. He says Empanadas will count as a New Dish for my goal 101. I'm fit to agree with him, especially after having our appetites whet by the empanadas chef Frank Maldonando made on an episode of Throw Down with Bobby Flay.  I may or may not use his recipe.

Goal 101 may be the longest recurring goal I've ever consciously worked toward. I don't remember every saving up to buy a bicycle or anything like that. I'm getting giddy with anticipation to check this one off the list! I almost thought I'd blown it because I didn't have a new dish for November. Then I remembered one of the great things about goals, you can change them and sometimes you're still working toward what you had set your mind to even if it's not the literal translation.

Stay tuned for some Empanadas so good looking you'll be looking for a ticket to Portland!