Monday.

I have decided that every Tuesday I am going to try a new dinner recipe. This is just one part of a goal I have to become more domestic. I can't say for sure why exactly I feel the need to be domestic...it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a woman though. I don't feel its something I HAVE to do, but more that I want to be good at more things. Everyone likes people with lots of skills. Anyway-

Tonight I am going to try an Italian-ish recipe. Aaron gave me the idea for some sort of stuffed mushrooms. He always picks the most difficult ideas. But now I'm determined to do it. I have a just-challenging-enough recipe. Here it is:

• 12 whole fresh mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.
3. When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

Pretty easy, right?

I'm sure I'll find some way to screw it up. Just like when I screwed up instant jello pudding. Or the fish nuggets.

Besides cooking skills, I'm also trying to become more frequent with my cleaning. Too bad my mom can't read this blog- she probably has no idea what a blog is, let alone how to turn the internet on (her words..not mine)- because she would be so proud. I am starting to realize more and more how important it is to be clean and keep things tidy. Picking up my room, wiping off the bathroom counters, doing my dishes right after I use them, doing laundry frequently..etc. I figure these things can only help me when I eventually have my own house and can't rely on my Mother to remember to wash my towels or yell at me to do the dishes. I will miss that.

I am looking forward to 2011. There are a lot of great things happening in my life currently. I am excited to take the GRE, explore schools and fill out some applications. It makes me nervous to think about there I'll be this time next year, but I hope its somewhere fun and exciting. I am devoting this year to preparing myself for my future. Volunteering, getting work experience (hopefully), getting in shape, not letting my brain go to mush (this will probably be difficult), and getting into a grad school that I want (or any grad program, really). Education is so important to me. I know that education is the key that opens the door to the life I want. Sounds cheesy but its so true. I'm surrounded by people who are very supportive of my decisions and I'm so grateful for that. I'm so happy that 2011 is here and I have all my friends back from their missions and I'm very happy I have Aaron. Yes, 2011 will be very good.