Just to update on that last post, the Stars won last night and Calgary lost, so it is now official: the Dallas Stars and the Anaheim Ducks will match up in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning Thursday, April 10th.

It is still possible for the Stars to catch the Ducks and get home ice, but it's tricky. With two games left, we would have to win both and have help from the Ducks. I'm assuming we own the tie-breaker with Anaheim because of the head-to-head advantage. In that case, they would have to lose outright one of their last two and either lose in overtime or in regulation in the other game (in hockey, you receive a point in the standings just for making it to overtime). It probably won't happen, but we'll see.

Home ice in hockey is a huge advantage. In my opinion, it's the biggest home advantage of any sport because it actually affects the rules of the game. The home team gets to make every shift change last, effectively allowing them to see what the visiting team is throwing out there which gives them the chance to match up player to player the way they want to. It'll be tough, but man, is it going to be exciting!

I've decide to try my hand at learning to cook better. It's been fun so far. I've always enjoyed it, I just haven't ever had the expertise to make more than spaghetti or a mean taco salad.

So I went to Tom Thumb and got stocked up on some basics (I had less than nothing at home). Spices, vegetables, sauces, cheeses - enough to have a base, but not too much that things would start to spoil. Then I hit the Internet - foodnetwork.com has been good to me so far - in search of some easy to intermediate recipes to try. I have to say, it's been quite a success so far!

I started out with a Penne Marinara with Roasted Vegetables (that's what's pictured below). It was a lot of ingredients and it took a while, but it was worth it because it turned out great. My only mistake was putting it back in the oven after I had had some. I was trying to make it just a little warmer, but I ended up burning a little of the penne around the edges of the plate. That's okay, though, I'm learning, right?

Then on Easter Sunday, I went for dinner at my parent's house proclaiming that I would be preparing the victuals. I prepared Chicken Marinara and Fingerling Potatoes with Herb Vinaigrette. Everyone seemed to really love it, especially the potatoes! The only mistake I made was I didn't separately baste the chicken from the flour, eggs and bread crumbs. Instead, I sort of did all that at the same time. It looked like that was going to create a disaster, but aside from the chicken turning out with less of an attached breading than I would have liked, it was fine.

Finally, last night I made an Italian Meatloaf that I thought was spectacular. My mom makes amazing meatloaf - I'm a man today in part because of that meatloaf. But, Mom, you've got to try it this way sometime! The main differences are you use marinara sauce instead of ketchup (yes, I'm going to try something sans marinara soon), you saute onions, bell peppers and garlic and add spices like basil and oregano to it. It's quite yum.

I've always loved the show Top Chef. Tom Colicchio is a genius and I can't wait to eat at his restaurant, Craft Dallas. Doing this makes watching one of my favorite shows that much more interesting and it gives you a very real appreciation for these people, from their talents as chefs all the way to their spot-on palettes.

I'm off to figure out what to try next! Why do so many delicious-looking dishes have to have frakin' shrimp in them? Bleh...