From writer to chef: the story of unemployment.

Hi everyone!

I'm Katie's roommate, Jackie Sher. Not only do we share an apartment, bathroom, washer and dryer, but we also share a kitchen, utensils, cooking and love of all-things food. I have always enjoyed eating out, flipping through recipe books and looking at pictures of food, but never, ever thought that I would be able to assemble anything edible myself (unless it was in sandwich form with raw ingredients or made in a microwave).

I also love to write. Until recently, was paid to do it. Now I am a professional stay-at-home roommate. In my new found free time, I have learned that I *can* cook and that I absolutely love it! There is something deeply satisfying about trying a recipe that I found in a cookbook, or getting inspired by something that was made on the Food Network, and then trying it out myself. It is even more satisfying to feed these culinary inspirations to others.

Katie's mom bought her a slow-cooker a few weeks ago that was still sitting in the box. Every now and again, Katie and I would sit around flipping through recipes and picking out what looked good. Finally, we decided that this past Tuesday I would make something in the slow cooker. I picked out a chicken and mushroom merlot recipe from a crock-pot cook book. We thought this would be a nice dish because it sounded hearty and we were expecting our second snow fall of the year.

Preparation took about 40 minutes. The total cook time took about 7.5 hours. I served it with a huge spinach salad with veggies, fresh bread and some pasta that my boyfriend expertly prepared with seasonings we had laying around the kitchen. Voila! Dinner was served. And will be served again and again for the next 18 days. I made a lot of chicken and mushroom merlot.

It was (relatively) easy to make, with the exception of some cut fingers -- always use caution when working with knives -- and came out, in my opinion, deliciously. I would recommend this dish to anyone who is looking to make a hearty meal that doesn't take too, too much preparation and wants leftovers after.

Next project? I am throwing a holiday potluck tomorrow. I am going to try making three appetizers including zucchini and potato pancakes and mini Italian club sandwiches. If I'm feeling adventurous I might try my hand at making a cocktail for everyone to enjoy involving clementines and vodka ... We'll see.

As Julia Child would say, bon appetit!


(This photo was taken this past summer when I held a dinner party but ordered out all of the food. However, this is a thing of the past. Welcome to the new world of Jackie.)