My own cooking challenge

Friday was a big day. It was my last Friday off for the summer - so sad! - and I was very productive. I got my first filling. As I mentioned in a past post, I was told I have my first cavity. Well, now it's filled and you can't even tell it's there! It really wasn't bad at all. I was nervous. I had no idea what to expect, and I was definitely overreacting. It was a little weird to see the dust coming out of my mouth while they were drilling. All I could think was that's my tooth!, but it didn't hurt at all. Being numb though, it the weirdest sensation. It felt as though my mouth and cheek were really swollen, but when I looked in the mirror, I looked normal! So weird. I thought of it as a rite of passage though. I am now an adult, with decaying teeth. So sad.

After my filling, I went to get a haircut. My friend recommended a stylist and let me just say that she was awesome. I'm so happy with my haircut. She did exactly what I asked for and styled it in a way that looked good on me. She was really nice and we ended up having a lot to talk about. For all of you looking for a new stylist, I completely recommend Danielle at Di Moda Salon in Hamilton, NJ.

Kurt and I are big fans of food/cooking reality shows. I really love how popular food and chefs have become. I feel like it's become so much more accessible now that it's all over TV. These shows make food and cooking looking fun and interesting. I love to cook and try new recipes, but given that I don't have much free time and that I am a creature of habit, I end up cooking and eating the same things all the time. Contributing to that is also that I usually cook for myself and I find it to be difficult and not worth it to buy ingredients and cook for one. Now that Kurt and I live together and there's two to cook for, I want to make new things. I'm sick of the same old, safe dinners. While I would love to start cooking new recipes and finding new and interesting foods to eat since I know that people who try new things are happier in general, I'm not sure how realistic this is. Tomorrow, we're going grocery shopping after work and my goal is to buy some different and new ingredients to try out some recipes from my cook book library. We'll see how far I get.

On my nightstand:

My Life in France by Julia Child. This is Julia Child's memoir and is absolutely wonderful. Julia Child is one of those people that I wish I could've known personally. She was such a life force and so passionate about cooking and culture. She threw herself wholeheartedly into everything she tried, from cooking to television to learning French. As with any memoir that takes place in Europe, it makes me long to go back to Italy and France. It is a very inspirational book. It makes me want to learn every language there is, travel the world, and cook through her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I can really see why Julie Powell started her Julie/Julia Project.