Cooking Page: How Easy Is That?

I'll admit: when it comes to cooking, I'm not the best chef. That said, I've made a 2012 commitment to showing noticeable improvement in my culinary skills. :) My secret weapon? The help of my friend Shalah, who is a natural in the kitchen. Instead of splurging on high-cost cooking lessons, we have created a girl's night where we choose a new recipe, one of us grabs the groceries, the other picks up a bottle of wine, and we get to work! I'm amazed at how much I have to learn. (If you don't believe me, ask about my lemon zesting technique for the recipe above.)

For our first dish, we made Ina Garten's lemon chicken from her Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That? cookbook. It was delicious! As side dishes, we made roasted brussels sprouts and potatoes. This week, we're at it again with plans to attempt our own version of chicken parmesan. Details (and hopefully pics) to come!

Who taught you how to cook? Do you have any tried and true tips that every cook should know?

PS—I just picked up Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook — there are so many great recipes that I can't wait to try!

(Image 1, 2, 3, and 4)