major breakthrough today:

First dinner from scratch with no recipe.

Good for two reasons:

1) it tasted great!
2) it was soup!

Now I have to post the method to my madness or else I'm afraid I might not be able to replicate it!

I started with organic chicken stock -- the biggest plastic carton they have. My pot was filled about halfway. Trimmed, browned and shredded a package of boneless/skinless chicken thighs, chopped carrots, celery, a whole onion, and added a drained can of stewed tomatoes. Oh, and you know those little plastic cartons of locally grown herbs? I chopped up a carton of basil (removed stems) and put the ENTIRE carton in my soup -- probably about a cup and a half! I boiled this mix and added a little cilantro powder, a bit more garlic powder, and sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste. That simmered for about twenty minutes and then I brought it up to a boil again and added half a bag of egg noodles for five minutes before I brought it back down to a simmer and served a few minutes later. We have been heating it up watching football all day today!

This gives me hope that I may be a little bit more than an average chemist in the kitchen!

Yes, I realize I'm basically setting myself up for failure, but at least you will enjoy reading about my mishaps in upcoming posts!