Iron Chef Brenna?

For the past month or so, we have had several pomegranates sitting on our counter. Have you ever had a pomegranate? They're really quite good. They're also freaking hard to eat, which I think is part of the reason (if not the main reason) that they've been sitting peacefully on the kitchen counter.

I enjoy eating pomegranates by themselves, but I kept seeing cook-y type people on TV morning shows (did I mention that I'm on vacation...? With very little to do?) talk about how good pomegranates were to cook with.

Well, me being me, and not willing to let sitting pomegranates lie, I decided that I needed to cook something... pomegranate-y.

(The word pomegranate sounds funny after you say it five or so times in a row. Pomegranate, pomegranate, pomegranate...)

I told my mom that I would cook dinner today so that she could have one day off from feeding us hungry masses, and I did some internet searches for 'pomegranate recipe.' I looked for a long time. Not being what one would call a 'cook' normally, I don't really know what constitutes a 'good' recipe. A recipe could include 'arsenic' and I'd be, like, 'I wonder what aisle the arsenic is in at the grocery store?'

Finally I settled on "Roasted Pomegranate Chicken," which looked relatively easy-ish. Then I had a whole huge debate - mostly in my head, with the occasional verbal exclamation - about what sides to have with Roasted Pomegranate Chicken. Potatoes? Cous cous? Corn?

Somehow, I setted on salad, wild rice, and (another recipe!) "Green Beans Amandine."

I was... less than confident in my actual ability to cook, so I gave myself lots of time to get things organized. Then I was all mincing garlic, and juicing pomegranates and lemons (hard, hard, hard) and... boiling water and stuff.

And, in the end, after about two hours of work... it was all edible! Good, even! I think the recipes I picked were pretty fool-proof, so that was good. I am pleased to know that I can cook. And that I don't hate it! I wouldn't say that I love it (no Iron Chef Brenna), but there is a certain sense of accomplishment in preparing a whole menu.

I would rather stick to knitting and crocheting, though, in terms of the domestic arts. They're more portable!

Brenna's Menu:
Mixed Green Salad with dried cranberries, sliced almonds and Raspberry Vinaigrette
Roasted Pomegranate Chicken
Wild Rice
Green Beans Amandine

(I didn't do dessert - that was beyond my mad organizational cooking skillz.)