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Location: Georgia, on the Florida line, right above Tallahassee
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I still remember the time my mom made a Chef Boyardee pizza kit. I dunno what she did, but the bread blew up to Olympian proportions. The crust on the outside was like ....4 inches thick. The inside was normal. We still ate it though. We have a photo of this. Another time, my mom read somewhere that you could substitute mayonnaise for eggs. She made a cake that way. It was dense. It was so dense, we couldn't eat it. The dog wouldn't eat it. We tossed it outside. The chickens wouldn't eat it. The ants wouldn't eat it. I finally ended up burying it in the back yard.
I haven't had too many trips down that road. I think, like Alton Brown, that cooking is a Science.
My mom can make yellow squash with salt, pepper and butter. It is delicious. I've tried making it, over and over again. It's never as good as hers. My version just tastes like a man had beaten some yellow squash, butter and salt/pepper in a pan, and then tried to make it work. It tastes like its components. Blech. My mom's tastes like "I want to have this for every dinner, forever."
I once baked some mini loaves of bread, that looked delicious....they were in edible. Not sure what happened, they could have been used for door stops.
I no longer bake bread. My family has decided that should not be a hobby for me,
Gravy! It either turns out great, or mush....with lumps.
I still remember the time my mom made a Chef Boyardee pizza kit. I dunno what she did, but the bread blew up to Olympian proportions. The crust on the outside was like ....4 inches thick. The inside was normal. We still ate it though. We have a photo of this. Another time, my mom read somewhere that you could substitute mayonnaise for eggs. She made a cake that way. It was dense. It was so dense, we couldn't eat it. The dog wouldn't eat it. We tossed it outside. The chickens wouldn't eat it. The ants wouldn't eat it. I finally ended up burying it in the back yard.
You have a great talent for telling a story! OMG, this is so funny. I tried making cream puffs once and they weren't flaky at all. I've made cakes that didn't rise early on when I started baking. Various food failures like that. But, for the most part I'm a good baker now.
The first time I ever made home made baked beans was a disaster. I followed the recipe exactly and put all of the ingredients in the pan and into the oven.I cooked that stuff for hours and hours and those beans just would not get done. My new husband was very kind when he said well the sauce on them is delicious anyway.
It was a while before I caught on to the little detail where you have to soak dried beans over night and boil them off before you try to use them in a recipe.
Last edited by shadowfax; 12-22-2013 at 08:58 AM..
My mom used to make the best Cream of Wheat. It was smooth, creamy, cinnamony, with a perfect crust of sugar on top. Add some milk around the edges, and it was heaven. But no matter how hard I try or how careful I am, I just can't get my own Cream of Wheat to come out. Mine always ends up having a sandy texture and TONS of hard lumps.
The worst dish I ever made, though, was beef and gravy over noodles. I used both flour and cornstarch when thickening the gravy. I don't really know how it happened, but the finished product was gelatinous, slippery, and slimy.
Years ago when I was a new wife and trying all kinds of things, I made something called curried eggs. OMG lol I don't think we ever ate anything with curry for years after that. I think that was the only real disaster I ever had while cooking.
I don't have any kitchen nightmares to share. The closest I come is when I have prepared meals that I did not care for but my guests thoroughly enjoyed them.
One was lemon chicken. My husband loved it - I did not (I have not tried to cook it again or eat it).
I have tried to prepare Borscht on 2 occasions - my guests loved it. I did not. I was already biased because the first time that I had Borscht it was in a deli/restaurant in California and I loved it. I must have had their Borscht at least a 1/2 dozen times. I may try preparing Borscht again in coming years but will make less until I have perfected the recipe. Then I will make a full batch that I will enjoy eating for leftovers.
My mom can make yellow squash with salt, pepper and butter. It is delicious. I've tried making it, over and over again. It's never as good as hers. My version just tastes like a man had beaten some yellow squash, butter and salt/pepper in a pan, and then tried to make it work. It tastes like its components. Blech. My mom's tastes like "I want to have this for every dinner, forever."
I had the same problem. I saute yellow onions first until soft. Then, I add the yellow squash, add a little water, and turn the heat on low. Add a little butter.
I still remember the time my mom made a Chef Boyardee pizza kit. I dunno what she did, but the bread blew up to Olympian proportions. The crust on the outside was like ....4 inches thick. The inside was normal. We still ate it though. We have a photo of this. Another time, my mom read somewhere that you could substitute mayonnaise for eggs. She made a cake that way. It was dense. It was so dense, we couldn't eat it. The dog wouldn't eat it. We tossed it outside. The chickens wouldn't eat it. The ants wouldn't eat it. I finally ended up burying it in the back yard.
Reminds me of MFK Fisher's story about the smoked salmon. Did you ever dig it back up to see whether it was still intact? Hers sat -- untouched even by fungus -- all winter on the backyard midden.
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