
Six Months of Learning How to Cook
I have exciting news! It’s been more than six months since I moved to the big bad city and became an adult! That means six whole months where I have been trying to figure out how to cook things without poisoning myself. My goal for the next six months is to try new dishes (thanks to good ole’ Pinterest) and become a good cook. I thought it would be fun to list some of my favorite meals I’ve been cooking since this big move and compact in six months.
Salads
- Extra Feta Please: The easiest thing to make on this list is a good ole’ feta salad. Feta is my far my favorite cheese because it packs so much power. This salad includes: insta pot chicken, extra feta, diced tomatoes, spring mix, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Crabby Patty: Rob and I took a stab at making crab cakes! I took a ton of things out of the recipe because I’m a. a big baby and 2. hate mustard. I used this recipe (minus the mustard). If I did it again, I would have cut the onions and peppers a little bit smaller.
- Introducing Trader Joe’s Chicken: I recently found out Trader Joe’s seasoned chicken is the best thing on this planet. This particular salad has the Pollo Asado but the pesto is my favorite by far. It’s the easiest thing to cook for the week and just slap on a salad or a side. (Also, roasted corn is a game changer for any salad).
Repeat Offenders
- Santa Fe Stuffed Peppers: One of my favorite things to cook of all time is this dish. I actually learned how to cook this with my dad before I left the nest. The full recipe is here but let me tell you it is way easier than it sounds. Plus, if you have left over stuffing it tastes great on a salad – perfect for lunch and dinner!
- Roasted Veggies: I seem to always go on a food faze where I eat something over and over until I’m tired of eating it (aka why you see so many dishes having tomatoes and mozzarella on the side). I love baking cut up sweet potatoes, broccoli, and onions in the oven for the perfect side all week. Don’t forget to add a random spice and olive oil.
- Sweet Potato Tacos: If you have never tried replacing a taco shell with a sweet potato, boy, are you missing out! This is something you need to try as soon as you stop reading this blog.
Lazy Cooking Ideas
- Stir Fry with Cauliflower: If I’ve been away for the weekend and haven’t had time to go grocery shopping, Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Stir Fry is the way to go. You can easily just pop in some shrimp and you’re good to go.
- Lentils + Shrimp: Trader Joe’s Melodions Blend is perfect to throw together after a long day. The frozen package comes with green garbanzo beans as well as red and green lentils. I typically throw shrimp in it and have an avocado based side.
- Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burger: Another lazy idea is throwing a veggie burger on top of a salad. Trader Joe’s cowboy veggie burger is incredible. You just put it on the toasted oven for a few moments and then you’re good to go. I also like grabbing a quinoa mix at Trader Joe’s to add to my salads.
What are your go to meals to cook? Whats on your list of things you want to try out? Let me know in the comments down below. (P.S. Check out my Pinterest food board to get more recipe ideas).
As always,


28 Comments
don't give a jam
loving all this cooking inspo! crab cakes are amazingggg & i love that you included lazy ideas & repeat offenders 😍 my go-to is usually a pasta dish or a stir-fry!
PeculiarPorter
Ahh that makes me so happy! Crab cakes are my jam! I definitely want to get good at making them!
jenniferpickering22gmailcom
I love crab cakes but have surprisingly never made them!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
PeculiarPorter
They’re actually surprisingly easy! I highly recommend you take a stab at them!
Ashley
I see you, Top Chef! You have really mastered some yummy + healthy dishes! I have some Pinning to do. 🙂
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
PeculiarPorter
I’m so excited to keep finding more more things to try!
Matija
Good on you for trying all these recipes instead of opting to buy food! I’ve been on a meal prep journey this year where I’ve been trying to bring food to work everyday. Not only has it helped with my gut problems, it’s saved me so much money!
My favourite meal to cook is a Lentil Stew as there are so many ways you can make one. My favourite breakfast is Overnight Oats 🙂
matijascorner.com
PeculiarPorter
Not only is meal prep good for your bank account but it’s good for the environment as well (producing less waste). Both of those dishes sound sooooo good! I need to try both of these out!
kathrineeldridge1
Love that you found ways to make the cooking process smoother and tastier. My fave go to recipe is Sticky Rotisserie Chicken. It’s on All Recipes. So easy to make and tastes amazing!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
PeculiarPorter
Oh my goodness, that sounds amazing! I’m definitely going to check that out!
dousedinpink
You’ve been cooking some tasty recipes! Those sweet potato tacos sound delicious!
Jill – Doused in Pink
PeculiarPorter
They’re my favorite! Plus, they’re super easy to make!
geniussr
You have learnt so much in six months… you are a top chef now…. love all the food pictures.. looks scrumptious.. thanks for inspiration hon…
PeculiarPorter
Thank you so much! Pinterest is beyond helpful!
Margot
Everything look pretty good and easy to make.
It’s so hard sometimes to find some good cooking ideas so thanks you for sharing. It’s really inspiring.
xx
Margot
https://troughthepasturesofthesky.com
PeculiarPorter
Ahh, that is so kind of you to say Margot!
Rachael Thomas
Everything looks so good! That Feta salad looks amazing and I need to try those sweet potato tacos!
Rachael
http://www.threadsforthomasblog.com
PeculiarPorter
I’m a sucker for anything with feta in it!
Jessica
This sounds amazing dear! Love your recipes.
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
PeculiarPorter
Thank you, Jessica!
This Main Line Life
Ha, you’re so funny. Love some of the veggie recipes you have here.
PeculiarPorter
Thank you!
Helene Goldnadel
Cooking, like everything in life, takes lots of trial and error. Burning several dishes is part of getting better. All the best chefs start on the same boat.
https://abouthelenegoldnadel.wordpress.com/about/
PeculiarPorter
Ahh, that gives me hope!
jessysfashionbook
Wow you’ve really made some tasty dishes! They all look so good. I’m definitely trying those Sweet Potato Tacos!
https://jessysfashionbook.com
PeculiarPorter
You’ll have to let me know if you like them! I’m a big fan!
em-ily-hein
I LOVE this post!! Cooking definitely takes some practice, but all your meals look so good!!
Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen
Enjoy the journey, it will only get better! Oh, and tastier!