New Project

So last year, remember that movie that came out- Julie and Julia? Well, I never saw it. But I did read the book, that the movie was an adaptation of. And the idea sounds fun.

I want to have a cooking project too. This week Dan and I cooked a few times, and each time its a struggle to find a recipe from the millions of websites and cookbooks/magazines that I have at my disposal. Its such an overwhelming quantity of options available, that settling on any one is maddening.

So... I am going to buy a cookbook. And then I'm going to cook my way through it until I've tried everything. Sound great. Only one problem. What cookbook?

Thats why I need your help, dear readers. Here are the criteria I will use in weeding through the again maddening number of choices out there:

1. Not overly complicated. Julie cooked through Julia Child's The Fine Art of French Cooking... if you don't know about french cooking, its horribly complex. I don't really have time, energy, money, or motivation to learn how to sautee goat hooves or disembowel my own whole chicken or whatever other craziness is out there to learn how to do. I also will not be running all over Houston looking for ox bones or veal livers. I need run-of-the-mill methods, with things you can buy at the regular grocery down the street. Also, I don't have alot of kitchen gadgets and I don't want to have to go stock up, so I need simple prep as well as simple ingredients.
2. Healthier food. Aside from complexity, French food has one additional downside: FAT. Butter, cream, oil... I don't disagree that soaking vegetables in one or more of these ingredients makes them taste awesome, but it isnt otherwise so great unless you want to die of a heart attack at 35. So... healthier options please!
3. Not too big, not too small. Ideal recipe size would be 4 servings; enough to feed me and the boyfriend dinner, and then lunch the next day. Though I know you can always double something that is made for two, it is often alot harder to split down something that is made for 16.
4. Boy-friendly. While I love to eat all manner of fancy things, funny things, chocolatey things, fruity things... boys are different. Boys need beef and carbohydrates and... beer? Idk, exactly, but I think I'd know if it was too girly when I saw it.

Let me know if you have any suggestions, so I can get to cooking!