Lessons from cooking: I need to practice more of everything

It hit me today. I really am getting better at cooking. And this time I figured that out on my own.

My husband has told me a couple of times recently that I have improved (and he managed to say it in a way that seemed like a compliment). Though I take his opinion seriously – we are frequently brutally honest with one another – it usually takes awhile for my confidence to catch up.

Goodbye Gamey Taste: Venison meatballs

I made meatballs for our annual holiday party to go along with all the pre-packaged items we served. They were a hit and the best meatballs I've ever made. The kicker: No fancy ingredients and a very simple setup.

On the Road: A tourist's view of Maui, Hawaii

For work (and lots of play) we ventured to Maui in October. It was a nice quiet time to go, and I would easily go again. It's unlike any other place in the United States.

A little late, but here are some shots from the places we visited on Maui:

At the Fairmont Kealani Maui - I took this when we were going to Nick's Fishmarket,
a fine dining restaurant there.

Goodbye Gamey Taste: Marinated venison steak

This is the first of a series of posts on cooking venison, aka deer meat. In particular the deer that my husband got while hunting a few weeks ago. I'll post one recipe a week and then rank that recipe on how well it got rid of that wild game taste that so often accompanies, well, wild game. I'm not a fan.

That said, venison is a very lean meat and because of that is a great alternative to beef. There's also something to be said for using the meat that comes from a successful hunt. On the other hand, I admit it would have been better had I not seen Bambi before he was taken in for processing.

40 by 40: How am I doing?

Since I do not yet have 40 items to do before I'm 40, I'd say I'm not doing that well. But in realizing I hadn't updated that part my blog in awhile, I decided to take a look at where I'm at in reaching the goals I have set.

1. Complete a Master's Degree - I finished that right before I set the goal. It's a good confidence-building method.

2. See a Beatle in concert. - Ditto.

40 by 40: No. 25 – See the Great American Landmarks

I'm running a little behind in getting up to 40 things to do before I'm 40. At this rate I might not finish writing the list before I'm 40. So let's get to it. Here's No. 25.

No. 25: While traveling to every state, see the country's most amazing landmarks.

I had marked a link awhile back to America’s Most Beautiful Landmarks, as chosen by Travel+Leisure magazine this summer. I’ve seen some of them, but not all, and I absolutely love to go to the places everyone talks about whenever I travel – however tourist-y they may be. Most of the time, it’s worth it. So why not aim to do so while attempting to hit all 50 states before I turn 40?

The places on the list I have already been:

Adventures in Pork: Fifth time's a charm

Thanks to my father, I finally know how to cook pork. I'll just consider my first four tries at cooking this meat practice.

When I went home to Nebraska to visit this fall, we went out and bought a pork loin to cook for dinner. The idea was that he would walk me through how to do it properly.

I learned the following tips: