Cooking in 2017: January 21

Welcome to an all-new series where I post about recipes I make. I did this last year, but I didn't have a fancy running title for it. Also, I'll include pictures every time now.

Rolls

I've been baking bread a lot lately. I'm not super precise in my measuring, which isn't something I necessarily recommend, but it's always turned out great. Well, except when I tried to make bread with peanut flour. Came out like a brick. But I'll keep experimenting with that.

Anyway, these were some rolls. Very delicious. We had them with honey sriracha chicken. Next time, I'll make them 3x the size and use them for sandwiches.

Barley and Bean Salad

This is loosely based off a recipe I found online, but with a couple modifications. I (meaning Sarah) put barley and chickpeas in the crockpot and let them cook on low for most of a day, then garnished with feta, raisins, hot sauce, and a dressing made of lime juice, honey, sesame seeds, and olive oil. It was really good and really filling, especially with a salad on the side. I plan to make this now and again, maybe substituting bulgur and broadbeans or similar ingredients.

Homemade Pizza

I made the crust and the sauce, assembled the pizza, and baked it. It turned out really good! The crust was very doughy, which I liked, but it made for particularly filling pizza. Also, the salami was black and crispy, but it tasted fine. The sauce was just fine, but I'll shoot for a more tumaca-tasting sauce next time. The basil and fresh mozzarella really helped the flavor.

Sushi

My Christmas gift to Sarah was a sushi knife and a bamboo mat and spreader. We made sushi last night and it turned out fantastic. This is my plate, and even though some of the pieces are weird or squished, a lot of them look just right—and they all tasted great. Fresh yellowtail and Scottish salmon from the fish market, nori and rice, and then a heap of add-ins: egg, cucumber, imitation krab, avocado, cream cheese. We made close to three plates full and devoured them with Sarah's friend Jess. It was way easier than I thought, cheaper than comparable rolls at a restaurant, and fun. Definitely going to be doing more of this down the road.