I got 99 cookbooks in my kitchen, FUN!

Haaa today's title is a stretch even for me, sorry about that. It's rainy here and that makes me sleepy and joke-reachy. It's also a lie, as I have over one hundred cookbooks. How do I know this? Because incessantly inspirational person Jennie announced that she is going to cook one recipe from her cookbook collection every week throughout 2013 and as I glanced around I thought I should definitely do that too.

If you're havin' food problems I feel bad for you son

So I counted them to see what I was dealing with exactly and when I realized there were over one hundred of them I knew that I must spin this very reasonable goal out into a ridiculous project that will make me miserable by March. Yay! One recipe from every cookbook it is. (Watch out, Heidi Swanson! Just kidding, one of your books is totally in there.) NEW YEAR NEW PROJECT HEY I think my coffee is kicking in. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the problem with all of my past endeavors was a lack of adequate scope.

I've actually rounded it off to an even hundo, and here is a quick accounting of how even though I don't feel that I need to explain my art to you, Warren Internet. I am not counting my canning books because they are so specific, although if I get a preserving itch along the way I will certainly consult them. I am counting the five slim volumes of the PILLSBURY HOLIDAY COOKING COLLECTION as one book. I am not counting the instruction booklet that came with my mixer. I am not counting the three organic cooking-for-baby/kid books, nor am I dwelling on the fact that I could have written the words "apples, crackers, cheese" on a Post-It and saved about $40 there.

I am counting the cocktail and sangria books, as well as the slightly weirdo Amy Sedaris and Achewood books. I am also including what seems to be a promotional pamphlet from Tabasco which promises to help me "cook like a MAN." Neat!

Of note: five of my cookbooks contain the word "chocolate," and that is not counting the Hershey and brownie ones.

I know it will be hard to narrow down which bit of deliciousness to pick from some of them. Some of them look very interesting. Some look very...interesting.

Anyway, why don't we get started? No time like the present, am I right fellow New-Year-ambition enthusiasts? Cookbook #1 is my most recent acquisition, The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook, which I received for Christmas from my brother-in-law. This is a giant, serious, amazing-looking tome. They test and test and re-test. Testing is right there in the name. It has many tasty-sounding recipes with easily acquired ingredients and thorough technique explanations. Every recipe introduction includes reasons why homemade versions of this particular dish usually suck, which amuses me.

I went with Almond-Crusted Chicken with Wilted Spinach-Orange Salad, transcribed here. Nice, simple, good flavors, fairly healthy. Thumbs up, will re-visit many times.

If I were a smart person I would spend the entire year cooking out of this one cookbook and live a happy, contented life, but that's not really my style.

So, off to a good start! I'm sure the quality of the other 99 is just as high I'm looking at you, book titled "Stuff It!".

On the kidfront, my cosmetics mentorship continues apace.