Can't win 'em all

For the most part, I don't usually have a meal that falls flat on its face. And this one didn't either really, it was just...blah. I don't understand why. Granted, usually I use allrecipes for my dinners. This time, I tried one of my favorite healthy yet delicious food blogs, skinny taste. I made the pineapple shrimp fried rice, which looked amazing. It tasted...less than amazing. It had so many of the right ingredients, things I love! Like shrimp, rice, pineapple, green onions, garlic...but somehow I just didn't pull it off. Not that it was horrible, let's just say there will be no repeat performance.

And Jim, who always puts a positive spin on any disappointment I might encounter, said, "Well, this will be good for your blog." That's one of the things I love about him. He doesn't lie to me and tell me it was phenomenal when it wasn't, but he manages to find a sweet way of turning anything negative into a positive. And he's completely right. Because I know you all are probably sick of hearing me say oh this was so delicious blah blah blah. Well this wasn't. I'm not even going to bother with a picture it was so not delicious.

So, like a real trooper, I'm going to shake it off and come back with an even bigger challenge... a dinner party! Jim and I are officially settled into our new place, and we wanted to celebrate with a dinner party, which is an excellent excuse for me to cook up a storm. It will probably be 7 adults and 2 kids, so here's what I'm thinking for a meal that will tick all the boxes: late-summery, easy on the oven (it's hot), comforting, kid-friendly, delectable.

Maple Garlic Pork Chops
Garlic Roasted Mashed Potatoes
Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Peach Cobbler

Sounds great huh? I don't have an appetizer planned yet but I'm thinking I'll get the recipe for this delicious bean and corn salsa from my stepmom, Robin, which she made for our couple's shower... it was fantastic! I kicked around the idea of a cheesy corn bake (like Jack Stack's for those of you who are familiar with Kansas City) but I did a trial run of my non-restaurant version and it came out lackluster, so I think I'm going to go with the macaroni. Needless to say, I am already very excited at an opportunity to cook so much for so many people...plus, Jim and I can finally repay all the many dinner's we've had at their homes which we couldn't reciprocate in our old (little) apartment.

And in non-(directly)food-related news, I really want to start a book club. I think moving into this new house has gotten me bitten by the hostessing bug, but to my credit, I've been scouring Augusta for a good book club since I moved here. I love to read and discuss books, but I suspect deep down I want an excuse to make lots of tiny little appetizers and desserts. Anyway...that's about it for now.

Oh! One last thing, I started using pinterest in my spare time which is a super neat site that lets you visually track sites that interest you. Here's a link to mine, just in case this blog didn't quite overload you.