Oh, that's right. I have a cooking blog.

I have also not done much cooking, beyond crepes. And I will be eating crepes until I am completely sick of them- they are the working person's solution for when grilled cheese gets old. Just make up a mess of them to store in the fridge. Fill and heat when you get home. It's dinner in two seconds. And you can pretend you are in France while you eat them.

Speaking of France, y'all have got to get Glorious French Food. Not just because James Peterson is handsome and has a very approachable take on French cooking, but because his recipe for leek and brioche tart may be the most delectable, rich, sinful thing I have ever put in my mouth. My husband, who hates tarts all the time and eats them only because I insist on making them, loves this tart. This tart will make you cry. This tart will change your life. This tart may be the best thing I have ever cooked.

I also made, a while back, the chicken pot pie from the current Cook's Illustrated. I am glad I read the instructions first, since the idea of a chicken pot pie in a skillet makes me think easy and fast. Isn't that what one pot cooking is supposed to be about? This was time consuming and elaborate and took up most of my Sunday.

However, I will totally be blocking off a few more Sundays this winter for this dish. The veloute is made with chicken stock which you simmer the just browned vegetables in (and into which you scrape the fond leftover from the chicken, which you have also browned and then roasted in the skillet you brown the vegetables and simmer the stock in) so it is like a triple strength carrier of chicken goodness. And the pastry is tender but also crisp on the outside. I think sour cream is the secret to perfect pastry. And when you present people with a pastry shell you have cut little decorations out of, they think you are some sort of genius.