Branching Out

Okay so I really need to branch out and try new things. I'm not talking about sky diving or getting a extra piercing. I'm talking about in the kitchen. To be honest, I'm not a bad cook. I'm just not an adventurous cook. I cook chicken breast, rice and veggies. Or Spaghetti and garlic bread. Tacos or burritos. You know things you can't really mess up.  I also never bake. The closest I come to baking is those blueberry muffin packets that you add only water, and basically my 6 year old does all the work for me.  So I am determined to step out of my element and start looking for recipes that are new and different.  I want to try one once a week, and then if I like it I will take a picture and post about it and my experience.
I don't know why the kitchen is such a scary place for me. I think maybe because food isn't cheap and it takes work and planning to whip out a great meal. Every once in a while I will really surprised myself and make something that is so delicious. But because I don't write it down, I forget about it and I never make it again or can't remember how I made it.  I would like fast and easy recipes, but ones that still taste like I slaved all day in the kitchen. KWIM?  Another thing that intimidates me is the cooking language. There are all these different vocabulary and definitions for how to do something. Not to mention all the different utensils and thing-a-mu-bobs to prepare or cook with.  OH and lets not forget the ingredients that some recipes call for, it's like you have to travel to some foreign country and pick/grind the ingredient by yourself. I mean, who really keeps their pantry stocked with some of those things, and you'll never use it again unless you make that one dish again.  In spite of it all, I want to try. I want to explore. I want to become better. Why? Well because I want my kids to grow up and say "my mom cooks better than your mom" LOL no, not really. But I want my girls to learn. I want them to have the experience and knowledge that I didn't have when I got married. Sure, I have come a long way and my family isn't starving by any means but I want them to enjoy cooking. I want them to have fun with it.
SO! the first recipe that I tried was off of a friends blog. It's a cheesecake recipe. I've made cheesecake before but not like this. I learned that even a cheesecake needs a water bath :) I learned that if I am going to prepare this type of cheesecake, i need to do it earlier in the day. I also learned that you need to have the right size pan so your cheesecake doesn't overflow once it starts to bake. And lastly, I learned what a spring pan is!  So I will be posting pictures of this cheesecake. And I hope it tastes amazing because Cream Cheese is not cheap and I used a lot of butter just for the crust soooooo.... we shall see :)