Remember, I don't know, a year and a half ago when I decided to cook my way through Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris? I naively thought that this would be a fairly easy, straightforward endeavor that would take a couple months, tops.
Well, here we are, 18 months later, and I'm still not done. My interest/enthusiasm/dedication to the project has gone through waves -- there'll be times when I'll whip out three recipes in a week, and then I won't make another one for a month. BUT. There is a light at the end of the tunnel! I've recently tallied my remaining recipes, and I am getting closer...so close...which has really motivated me to get 'er done, as they say. As of today, I have four appetizers, seven lunches, six soups/salads, eleven dinners, eight vegetables/sides, and six desserts to go. With coconut madeleines on the menu for tonight, that number will be down to five desserts tomorrow. I have a few recipes reserved for Easter dinner in a few weeks, too. My game plan is to finish up the chapters I'm furthest on -- appetizers and then desserts, and then tackle the rest in as efficient way as possible.
I'm really excited about finishing this project (I already have my next challenge in mind, but we'll get to that later). I've learned a lot so far, and the biggest take-away has been a rush of confidence in my kitchen skills. This is going to sound immensely immodest, but so many things I make just turn out right, the first time, which is always incredibly validating -- a good thing, too, since I saved some of the hardest recipes for last. I'll need that confidence to carry me through the rest of the project!
My hope is to post an update relating to this every time I finish a chapter, so be on the lookout for that.
