Day 5: Trying New Recipes

I've had this recipe from EatingWell.com saved in my "Recipes" folder on my desktop for months now and finally got around to making it today. I bought all the ingredients I could a while ago, but I could never find fennel at the grocery store. Last week my brother and I went to the Meijer in Urbana rather than Champaign and...duh duh duuuuuh...they had fennel! I was so excited and put a big bulb of it in my cart. I didn't even know if I liked fennel, but I was pumped to finally find it so I could make my recipe.

I had another strenuous day of watching America's Next Top Model then a bit of yoga and hip hop, so I decided cooking a new recipe would be a good activity for the day.

First, I gathered my ingredients.

Then put on my apron I got for my birthday a few years ago, which I l-o-v-e. Thanks Kati!

And began cutting up the fennel. While cutting it up, I began to grow seriously concerned about whether I would like it or not. Turns out raw fennel smells exactly like black licorice, which I find to be one of the most disgusting smells and foods. I already began planning what I would make instead for dinner once I tasted and hated this dish.

Thankfully, I continued on. It finally began smelling a little better once I added the tomatoes, spinach (my addition the recipe to get in a few more veggies), spices, and finally the shrimp.

Funny how almost everything I cook ends up the colors of Italy's flag...

I was still a little concerned while dishing up my bowl and sprinkling on my beloved feta cheese (I didn't want to waste it on a bad dish!), but I finally sat down and prepared to really give it a chance. I made sure to get a little bit of everything and chewed the first bite very slowly, letting the flavors roll around my tongue and mouth. Thankfully, it was a lot better than I thought it would be, and by the end, it really grew on me and I genuinely liked the dish.

I'm not sure I will ever make it again, but I'm glad I gave it a shot and it made enough for at least two other meals this week. Score!