This is it, ladies and gentlemen!  Tomorrow the big day arrives; the day my kitchen becomes the vessel through which I will cook 1,100+ recipes in one year's time.  Big breath - inhale....and......exhale.  I thought I had my first 3 recipes all picked out, but I was wrong.  Before I go to sleep tonight, I must figure that out.

Mondays and Tuesdays will be a kind of crazy because I have grad school classes both days.  I'll just have to cook while my kids are in school on those days.  I have lots of cool ideas for this project to mix it up a little along the way so stay tuned...

I'm off to research cooking discussion boards (thanks for the idea, Beth!) so that I can get the news out there about my project and blog.  The more people that follow, the more people I can't let down.

Until tomorrow...

MELISSA

Back to School...

Tomorrow is a big day at the Hunt house.  The kids start school, and my fourth semester of grad school also begins.  The whole school thing is going to make my recipe-making a little more challenging, but I welcome this under-taking. It'll be a nice diversion on the really crazy days.

Speaking of recipe-making, the first day of my project begins on Tuesday,  September 1, 2009, just a little over 24 hours away.  I'm well aware of how ambitious this project is, but I'm dedicated, focused and ready for the year-long journey. 

Wish me luck!

MELISSA

Thank You!

It's 11:48 pm - I almost missed a day of blogging - almost!  I just got home from work at the country club so I thought I'd post something quick given the late hour and all.  What I want to write about tonight is that Jill Zarin, THE Jill Zarin from the Bravo Channel's "The Real Housewives of New York City," is following ME on Twitter!!!!  If she knew what a huge Bravo fan I am, she would know how cool I think this is!  I almost passed out when I saw that she was following me when I checked my account this morning.  Now, if only I could get her to follow my blog....

Thanks to the 16 people who have signed up to follow my blog!  I truly appreciate your support, and you'll help me stick to my goal since I know that you're reading what I'm up to and care about my project.  So, THANK YOU!

Have a great night!

MELISSA

Cooking 1,100 Recipes....on a Budget

I have been getting lots of questions lately about how I'm going to afford to cook like Martha every single day for a year.  It's true that we're an one-income family right now as I'm in my final year of grad school, and my husband works fulltime.  However, I'm going to take it week by week, and buy groceries as usual.  I chose The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics because it's full of recipes that are down to earth, down-home, "classic," without too many crazy ingredients.  Of course there are a few "exotic" recipes which will require a trip to places like Whole Foods to buy special ingredients, but most of the recipes use stuff I already have in the pantry.

The other issue is the question about equipment.  I don't have many kitchen gadgets,  no KitchenAid mixer, just a regular ole' hand-held mixer that I bought 10 years ago when we built our first house.  Thanks to my mom I have new pots and pans, great birthday presents.  Martha lists pages of necessary equipment at the beginning of her cookbook, but due to budget issues and realism, I'll have to be creative and use what I've got to make these recipes come to life.  I'm all about improvisation. I can always borrow equipment from my friends if I have to; I'll give them shout-outs on my blog as thanks!  :-)

Hunt out....

MELISSA

It's On Now!!!!

Although I already posted a blog this evening, I had to post another one because I have a story to tell. We went to Borders tonight, and guess what, people? There was only ONE The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics on the shelf at the Borders at the Providence Place Mall. Yes, I repeat, ONE! It's fate, I tell you! I really almost passed out when I looked through the book and saw the pictures of the recipes I will be making (latkes(?!), rainbow sorbet cake(yum but ?!?!), cherry perserves(Christmas presents)), and I laughed really hard out loud sitting on that bench in the store because it seems almost ridiculous that I'll be making all of those crazy recipes. Bring it on; I'm not scared...well, maybe just a little.

MELISSA

Chez Hunt

So, here's my kitchen - Chez Hunt.  This is where I'll make all of the magic happen, and where I will make our gas bill skyrocket baking and boiling and sauteeing and whatever else Martha will have me doing.  It's a nice kitchen, not the largest, but there is enough counter space for me to work with.  Perhaps I should get a movable island...but then the fridge might not open.  I'll just work with what I have.  Afterall, Julie Powell cooked all of that fancy, French cuisine in a kitchen the size of a closet in her Queens, NY apartment.

It's our 10th wedding anniversary tonight so we're off to celebrate by eating at a restaurant; next year I'll be cooking the anniversary dinner....

If you're on twitter, follow my culinary tweets @ 1100recipes.

MELISSA

I'll Make 1,100+ Recipes...with a Little Help from my Friends Van, Otis and James

Good morning!  I haven't officially started my project yet (September 1st, just in case you forgot), but I've decided to blog before my start date because the "Before the Project" blogging is just as important.  So, here I am typing about how I'm kind of freaking out about this project, sweating it a little bit and wondering if it was such a good idea to alert the World Wide Web that I'm an over-ambitious woman bent on proving to myself, and everyone else, that I can accomplish this. 

I have to admit that I'm feeling a little bit nervous about this endeavour; Martha's cookbooks are no joke.  They're meticulous, detailed, beautiful - serious stuff.  I keep telling myself that if I just follow the recipes word-for-word and line-for-line that I can do it.  I'm also kind of in denial, but man, it's a good place to be! :-)

I'll just listen to Van Morrison, a little Otis Redding and add in some James Taylor while I cook, bake, grill, slice and dice, and I'll make my kitchen into a zen den of cooking excellence and exploration.  It could be like meditation or some free therapy, right?  Here's to hoping!  :-)

MELISSA

Who Ordered Dominos? Me!

I have a week to go before the September 1st start date of my culinary quest, and we're having pizza for dinner tonight - good ole' Dominos!  I'm just resting my hands and mind before I have to cook 3 recipes a day...

I know that I already posted a blog today, but I wanted to write about some of the reactions I'm getting.  People are mostly supportive of the idea, and I have a feeling that everyone thinks I'm a little bit crazy for doing this and blogging about it.  Thanks to the 7 people who signed up to follow this blog - Jennifer, Stanley, Kim, Jeanne, Katie, Mary Beth and Dan, my husband of 10 years. :-) I guarantee some interesting things will be written during this year.  You have to admit that it's an intriguing project and brave, if nothing else.  One of my close friends (I won't name names) seems to think I'm a little ridiculous and doesn't get why I'm even doing this.  There doesn't have to be a reason for everything we do; I'm looking for a challenge and some fun and some writing on a daily basis. Plus, if the recipes turn out well, my family can expect at least one delicious, home-cooked meal every, single day.  Hey, the family that eats together, stays together.  Just saying...

Well, the man in blue just pulled into our driveway with the pizzas.  Time for dinner.  It's pizza for dinner this Tuesday night; who knows what will be for dinner NEXT Tuesday night (September 1st) - poached salmon, gingered flank steak sates, crab bisque?  Who knows - there are a lot of possibilities in 1,100 recipes.  I do know one thing; it won't be Dominos.

MELISSA

A Wicked Crazy Idea

So, last night I saw the movie Julie & Julia, which I can only describe as delightful. Truthfully, it was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Beyond enjoying the movie itself, I recognized a bit of myself in Julie Powell, and I felt a connection to her writing side. I have lots of creative ideas, but like Julie, I rarely follow through my creative ideas to completion - afraid of failure and mediocrity. I, too, am a wannabe writer (one of my lifetime dreams is to write a novel), and although she actually did write a novel before she even started blogging (which I haven't), I felt for her and her quest to define her voice in this world. People want to make their way in this world, carve out their own little niches where they feel in control and in charge of their own destinies, where their voices can be heard, or read. Simply said - everyone, whether they admit it or not, wants to accomplish something, be known for something, and try to make their own special, place in this big, crazy world.

After watching Julie & Julia and updating my facebook status when I got home last night, the idea of "Melissa & Martha" came to me. Julie had Julia Child as her cooking idol, and I have Martha Stewart as mine. Plus, the names Melissa and Martha go well together. With Julie Powell as my inspiration, I am going on an adventure of my own with the goal of making all 1,100 + recipes in The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics (the 2007 revised and updated edition) in ONE YEAR's time. If you do the math, that comes out to about 3 recipes a day.

Since I'm a stay-at-home mom to two children (ages 7 and 5) and two Beagles (ages 12 and 8), a wife, run a house, go to graduate school full-time and currently have a part-time job on weekends working banquet events at a country club, I have my work cut out for me. However, the driving force behind "Project Melissa & Martha: 1 year and 1,100 recipes," is to practice writing. What better way to find my writing-voice then to blog daily about making 1,100 plus recipes?

I AM NOT a culinary genius, but I don't have to be. To successfully complete this project, I just have to make each dish to the best of my ability. Some recipes may be delicious, others will be disastrous. However they may turn out, I'll write about them, including the good, the bad and the really, really ugly details.

The start date of this project will be September 1, 2009, and from that date, I'll have exactly 365 days to make all 1,100 + recipes. May the cooking angels smile down upon me because I'm going to need all of the help I can get.

MELISSA