Signature dishes.

There are so many things I want to learn how to cook or bake.  I long to have certain fall back recipes that are so stellar that everyone always asks for them.  I want my home to be filled with the smell of nourishing foods.  I collect cookbooks and peruse the photos.  My tiny apartment kitchen doesn't have the space for making complicated dishes, but I know I could cook a lot more often than I do.

I read somewhere that if your goal is to learn to cook new things, commit to making one new recipe a month and, at the end of the year, you will have at least 12 new things in your arsenal.I recently tried a few new recipes with red lentils and was amazed at how good they were.  I've also nailed down yummy hamantaschen in recent years.  I'd love to be able to cook gourmet vegetarian food.  In fact, attending The Natural Gourmet's chef training program is on my Life List.  

Things I'd like to conquer:  my mom's recipes for pumpkin bread, blueberry buckle, rice pudding and cupcake icing, challah, chana masala, rugelach, apple pie, anything with tofu that tastes like it was made in a restaurant, falafel, spinach empanadas and/or arepas, green curry with eggplant, crepes, homemade pita with my own hummus, black bean soup, flan, vegetarian paella, corn bread, a killer go-to appetizer and chocolate cake.  And I might start with the infamous no-knead bread recipe for a bread making primer.  I fail every time I attempt bread.

Do any of you have a signature dish?  What is it?  Care to share the recipe?

{Photo credit: LaTur}