52 Dishes: weeks one and two

This year has started off with quite a bang (and only a small part of that is a good one) and so my posting of the first week's dish got pushed back (and sometimes forgotten). But, here it is, better late than never!
For the first week I wanted something simple in taste and simple to make. I didn't want to scare myself off in the beginning, I have so many more weeks to do that.
After looking through the possibilities on my pinterest board I decided chicken, potatoes and green beans was the winner.
I went grocery shopping, stood for a good couple of minutes in front of the chicken not knowing which package to get. Being vegetarian during my prime learning-how-to-cook years has left me without a lot of knowledge on meat. I plan to change that this year.
So I picked a package and off I went home. Put everything in a nice glass dish with some cracked pepper, a little butter, some rosemary for the potatoes and some italian dressing on the chicken.
I put it in the oven and waited patiently for everything to fully cook.

recipe

I waited too long. The potatoes and green beans were decent... but the chicken, oh goodness, I dried that chicken out real good.

So, week one was a learning experience to say the least. But I figure that's what this whole year is going to be, a learning experience.

If you have any tips on cooking steak or chicken please send them my way! How do you know when chicken is done when you bake it? It looked all white and weird the first time I checked on it BUT the inside wasn't pink, should I have taken it out then?
Should I get a meat thermometer. Does any one else's mind go to the gutter when meat is said or typed so many times? No, just me? My bad.

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I figured I could make up for my past week's mistakes in this week's dish. I decided to chose one that did not call for any types of meat and figured pasta was a safe bet...

I was wrong.

recipe

This dish, while not looking horrible... was exactly that... horrible. First, I put the rice vinegar into the steaming hot pan which was a big mistake... felt that one in the lungs for a bit. Then I must have measured horribly wrong because the end taste was a horrible kind of tangy. I had to throw the whole thing away. 

Next time I promise to 1) pay more attention to the directions and measurements and 2) figure out how to cut the recipe in half without guestimating on everything. It was a mess. 

I laughed. And offered a try to my stepmom and brother. They declined after seeing my face pucker. 

Oh well, I have high hopes for week three despite all this. Nothing like learning as I go.

xoxo