Rules of Summer

At my last job, the last 13 months of my life, I had to close nearly every friday and saturday night (work until 10 pm then drive the 30 min through hollywood to get home) and nearly every sunday 10-7.  In a nutshell, I had (slash, have) no social life.  I have a new job with a new manager who actually gives me one Sunday off a month (like I was supposed to get in my old job but didn't) and I even have a few fridays off here and there (if not off at least not closing, and the store closes at 8pm on saturday instead of 10).  Therefore... I am determined to have more of a social life this summer and actually enjoy the summer! So I am making a list of 10 fun things I would like to accomplish by Labor Day.

1. Make time for 'Sunday FUNday' brunch with my girlfriends here

2. Go wine tasting

3. Attend an outdoor concert

4. Have a beach bonfire and roast S'mores and starburst (if you havent tried a roasted starburst, its a must to put on your Rules for Summer List)

5. Go to an amusement park

6. Learn to cook something new

7. Blog more often

8. Take a weekend vacation to somewhere I have never been before

9. Go to Vegas

10. Take Bear on hikes or to a dog park at least once a week

Rachel Ray is my friend

So... if you know me, you know that i am not much of a chef.  Now, there are many reasons why i choose not to cook.  the main one being, im just not very good at it.  the whole multi tasking in the kitchen thing is just not my friend.  boiling this, timing that, stirring that, not burning this, all while trying to flip that and have the right portions and having it all ready at the same time. phew that stresses me out just thinking about it.
one of two things usually happens when i attempt to cook...
1. i make a HUGE mess or
2. i mess up the recipe somehow *example adding 1\4 CUP of cinnamon instead of 1\4 TEASPOON of cinnamon (yes, i have actually done this)
therefore, i usually stick to my specialty.... mac and cheese.  one pot. little mess. and its not very hard to mess up boiling water and pouring noodles in.  My favorite is Trader Joes organic white cheddar shells.  and if im feeling ambitious i might add peas. sometimes if im feeling SUPER ambitious, ill add chicken.

well lately i have started to attempt to cook more things.  cooking for one is never very motivational or inspiring *hence the go-to mac and cheese meal.

The other night i made a delicious Beef Ragu that my sister showed me how to make a while back and turns out to actually be pretty simple.  a little more complex than boiling water, but not too bad for a beginner chef like myself.  I wanted to share it with the rest of you non-cooks so you can learn a new easy and delicious meal to make for one or even a family (i like to make extras then bring left overs to work for lunch)

It's Rachel Rays Lamb Ragu.

for the recipe you will need...

Extra virgin olive oil
ground lamb (I couldnt find lamb at my local trader joes so i used lean beef (96% lean 4% fat) )
onion
cloves
cinnamon stick
bay leaves (*i didnt have but mine still turned out delicious)
salt and pepper
a lemon *need both the zest and the juice
green olives (I dont like green olives so i just skipped 'em)
tomato paste
white wine
chicken stick
fettuccine (i used linguine)
mint
parsley
pecorino cheese (i used parmesan)

then your gonna slice and dice...

pat, cook, crumble, and simmer...

chop, and top...

and enjoy!

(click on the rachel ray link for more exact directions, but this is pretty much what i did)