mmm taters

What makes me sad is that I'm not a good cook. I get by alright, but I've been known to even mess up mac & cheese, which I make every single day. I can make pasta, and a mean vegan strawberry cheesecake, but that's it. I can't try something in a restaurant and then go home and make it. No, I have to continue going to the restaurant, and god help me if it closes down.

However, this doesn't stop me from trying to copy the restaurant. Tonight's adventure was based on Potatoes et al*, from Delta of Venus. One thing I will say, my college town had some good fooderies. (I've still never found a better thai place than Sophia's, even in NYC!)

My friend and I used to take our leisurely Sundays in Davis, starting with breakfast at Delta. Potatoes et al for the both of us, with a giant cup of tea, coffee, or juice, depending on how I felt. It was all good, and we've even begun planning for a day trip back to the old alma mater (ok, maybe not actually back to the school) just to eat at our favorite places.

However, I wanted some potatoes et al, and I couldn't wait til April. So I endeavored to make it myself. Thus brings tonight's adventure. How hard could it be to fry up some taters and add cheese and condiments? Evidently more difficult than one would assume:
I fried the potatoes. However, I cut them too large. But they were still edible. We didn't have yellow cheddar cheese, which I blame the boyfriend for, but the white cheese was good. Just not as strong as a flavor. And I didn't use enough. Now add the sour cream and guacamole. I don't have any salsa, but I have tabasco sauce. It's the same thing, right? Now, because I'm a mixer, I stir it all up into a pale green chunk of what I can only assume will be pure yumminess.

The result? Not bad for a first try. Not so good that I want to eat it again in the near future. But I ate it all, dammit. Then washed it down with a glass of sparkling pomegranate juice, then white tea. I really could have used some chocolate ice cream too. No wonder my palate is all messed up!

The point is, this is why I don't cook. I eat pre-made things or I stick to my select aforementioned menu. Or I "let" the boyfriend do the cooking. But what am I supposed to do when he's busy at school? Answer me that, food-god! I can only learn from my mistakes, but we all know I won't.

The thing I want most is a personal chef.


* ~Potatoes et al - $5 - Large order of potatoes topped with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and cheese.