Sure Things

There are a handful of  really important yet simple things in my life that are just sure things.  I trust them.  I know them to be true.  Some of these sure things include:

1) My love for Jude.
2) My love for my husband.
3) Yoga makes me a nicer person to be around.
4) An afternoon ride in the woods on my bike resets my energy.
5) There's no place like home.
6) Cheese is delicious.

It would be nice to have every decision and choice in life result in a sure thing.  But life is, excitingly, complicated and uncertain. As much as I crave routine and predictability, I fully recognize that by always playing it safe, life has the potential to become stale and boring. As I sat down to plan out my meals on Sunday morning for the upcoming week (hello, routine) I made a concerted effort to venture away from my old standbys and reach for cookbooks that haven't been cracked in a few years.  I know, I know, I live on the edge.
I settled on a new-to-me recipe for Southwestern Sheperd's Pie.  I thought it sounded perfect for the Tuesday night swap.  In retrospect, the name should have clued me in that this would be a bust. I don't know why I thought a gooey mess of veggies and chicken under a pile of chile mashed potatoes sounded awesome, but I was trying to shake things up and try something new.  Long story short, the dinner was not so hot and while this blog is a simple chronicle of the meals exchanged between Jenny and me, I do not want to endorse any less-than-delicious meals.

I would like to add the following to the sure thing list above:

7) Meat pies of any variety, but especially those of the shepherd and southwestern variety, are gross.

This swap bust won't deter me from taking chances in the kitchen in the future.  I want to buck routine and my need for playing it safe and try new recipes and find new passions. In the meantime, I will leave you with one of my hands-down favorite dinner sure things ever.  This dish is fresh, absolutely delicious and wildly simple to make. I will close with one more sure thing for the list...

8) Salmon Bulgogi with Bok Choy and Shitake Mushrooms is damn good.