Heat wave and golden risotto.

My air conditioner just turned on. It’s loud and rumbly, forcing me to turn up the volume to an unholy level when I’m watching television. Of course then it shuts itself off when it reaches the set temperatures, and, of course, that’s usually when the TV is showing a gunfight, a sex scene or a commercial for adult diapers. That’s just life. Dear neighbors, I am sorry.

But anyway, it has been very hot the past few days, like mid to upper 80s. It is a nice change from when it rained for a week and a half. Everything is very green outside. So it only makes sense that I should spend a good 40 minutes standing over a hot stove, making risotto.

I first made risotto at home during a break from college. Following the recipe, it turned out pretty well. Each time I made the dish, regardless of flavorings, it got easier and easier. Yes, it’s a little labor intensive–although I’ve heard you can make risotto in the over and forego the stirring–but the end result is totally worth the repetitive stirring.

My favorite variations include butternut squash, sweet potato and mushroom. All are very earthy and comforting. I still wanted that comforting feeling, but the only vegetables I had on hand were two sorry-looking sweet potatoes. I decided to roast them up to put on top, and flavor the risotto only with spices.

Enter turmeric.

Turmeric, it’s what makes mustard that vibrant yellow color and is a common spice in Asian and Indian cuisines. Many health claims have been made on this little spice. Reliable health studies on turmeric are still in their infancy. Packed with antioxidants, some link the consumption of curcumin–the active compound in turmeric–with anti-inflamatory properties, and others say it slows the growth of some cancers. For more info check out the American Cancer Society’s take on turmeric, where I found the above information.

But back to the cookery. Turmeric is a very warm, luxurious spice. It’s not spicy, but it has warming type of heat. Does that make sense? Well, moving on.

Creamy Turmeric Risotto with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, makes 6 side dish servings or 4 main dish servings

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes, lightly tossed in oil, salt & pepper and roasted in 400*F oven for 20 minutes

1/2 large yellow onion, medium dice

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or grated with rasp

1 1/3 cups arborio rice

26 oz carton chicken stock

26 oz water (just rinse the stock carton out)

salt and pepper to taste

1 healthy teaspoon turmeric

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1/2 cup heavy cream (optional but good, see explanation in recipe below)

Method:

1. Prepare potatoes and set aside and let cool. In a small pot, combine stock and water and warm on low (warm liquid is easier for the rice to absorb). In a large pot on medium heat, melt butter and oil together. Add onions and a pinch of salt. Sweat onions until translucent, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn. (Note: I prefer to use my rasp zester/microplane for the garlic. Mincing is cumbersome, and with grating you never run into the problem of biting into a big hunk of garlic.) When garlic is fragrant, add turmeric and cook another 2 minutes. This toasts the turmeric and concentrates the flavor.

2. Add the rice and coat in the spice and onion butter mixture. Cook for a minute. Add a ladle of warm stock/water. Cook until the water is absorbed and rice is “dry.” Dry, in my opinion, means that when you swipe a wooden spoon through the center of the rice there is a lapse of a few seconds before the sides come together again. Add two ladles of stock/water, stirring every other minute or so until rice is dry. Repeat adding two ladlefuls until stock/water is gone. This can take a bit, but have patience. Do a little dance in front of the stove. I like to sing oldies and use the ladle as a mic.

3. When all the stock/water is absorbed, the risotto should be creamy and the rice should yield easily to the tooth but still hold its shape. Turn off the heat and add the 1/2 cup cream. Really, you don’t need the cream but it gives an extra oompf, if you will. Basically, the cream takes this from a good risotto to a great risotto. Alternatively, if you don’t have cream you can sub in 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese.

4. Serve warm and topped with roasted sweet potatoes or without if you prefer. Enjoy.

Homemade whipped cream. Enough said.

Thursday it was my turn to host book club. My book for “The Classic Challenge” was Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles.” Like Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” “Tess” is a romantic tragedy. But “Tess” actually has characters who are likable and have souls.

Moving on, the real reason behind this “Challenge” book club – other than reading great literature – is food. Let’s face it, more people are bound to show up if treats are present. My book club ladies are total winners when it comes to setting up a spread. And they try to make it themed to boot.

When we read “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens, the centerpiece of the goodies was a cake draped in gauzy material and decorated with plastic spider rings. It was eerily reminiscent of Miss Havisham’s petrified wedding table.

So what to do for “Tess”? As it happens to be one of my favorite books, failure was not an option. Enter a sure-fire hit, strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream.

SHUT. THE. FRONT. DOOR.

Say goodbye to the Reddi Whip, I’m never* buying canned whipped cream again. (*This is probably a lie. I should not use absolute statements.)

Whipped cream is so easy to make I don’t know why I haven’t made it before now. Seriously, what rock have I been living under?

Anyway, to make a quick dessert even quicker I bought these sponge cake dessert shells from my grocery store. I didn’t have high hopes for them, but they turned out to be pretty good. Even if they had been bricks of sugar bread I doubt it would have mattered. Put enough fresh strawberries and whipped cream on something it’ll be fine.

Fresh strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream, serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

pre-made pastry shells, one or two per person

1 pint fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced

1 pint heavy whipping cream

6 Tbs. white sugar

1 tps. vanilla extract

Method:

1. Place large bowl and beater to electric hand mixer in freezer for about 10 minutes (this helps the cream set up). Put cream, sugar and vanilla into chilled bowl. Beat until hard but pliant peaks form. You don’t want to over whip cream because then it has more of the consistency of butter.

2. Cover dessert shells with strawberries and cream. Enjoy.

Brunch, it’s what happens on Sundays.

I’ll be honest, breakfast is not my favorite meal of the day. It’s not that I don’t like breakfast foods – I’m a caffeine-based organism and eggs and toast rule my world – I just take an issue with the specific timeframe.

There are days when I’m a “morning person,” and then there’s the other 360 days of the year. Waking up refreshed and ready to tackle the day is a fairly rare occurrence, which probably means I’ll died when I’m 58 or some other early age. OK, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic on my sleeping habits (it’s not that bad Mom, I swear). Regardless, breakfast is great, but I’m a huge fan of brunch.

Brunch is lovely because you can still have baked eggs, but people won’t look at you oddly if you scrape avocado over your toast rather than jam. Pizza also sometimes makes an appearance, which is rarely a bad thing.

As I’ve said before, I’m a fan of English domestic goddess Nigella Lawson. And since I’ve had the absolute pleasure of leafing through her cookbook “Nigella Express,” I’ve fallen in love with her breakfast bruschetta.

I like to stay away from the cloying sweet breakfasts I craved as a kid, and since I love avocados, this recipe definitely earns a spot on the regular rotation.

Breakfast Bruschetta, from Nigella Lawson’s “Nigella Express,” page 90, serves 3-6 depending on appetite

For Tomato Bruschetta

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 thickly sliced short pieces sourdough toast (I used rye toast because it’s what I had)

1 ripe tomato, approx. 4 oz., roughly chopped (I used 10 cherry tomatoes because it’s all I had and I’m only serving one person)

salt and pepper to taste

For Avocado Bruschetta

1 ripe avocado

2 tsp. lime juice (I added about 1/2 tsp. lime zest as well)

salt and pepper to taste

4 thickly sliced short pieces sourdough toast (again I used rye toast)

1 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped (I subbed in fresh cilantro because I had it on hand)

Method

1. Drizzle most of the olive oil over toast. Top with chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with remaining oil.

2. Remove avocado flesh from skin and mash in a bowl with lime juice (and zest). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread on toast and sprinkle with the parsley (or cilantro). I actually added the cilantro right into the avocado instead of sprinkling on top. For some reason I feel it’s less likely to get stuck in my teeth that way. Go figure.

Notes on my substitutions

• I know sourdough would be so good, but I didn’t have any sourdough toast on hand. Plus, I love rye toast. It’s all I ever order at Denny’s. I think it’s a Swedish thing. Swedes seem to dig the rye/caraway flavor.

• Parsley would be great in this, but I’m a sucker for cilantro and I had it on hand, so you do the math.

 

Hello sandwich time.

So that idea I had to use my Ginger and Sweet Potato Latkes in a veggie version of a bánh mì resulted in a ridiculously good sandwich.

What knocked this sandwich out of the park for me was the Spicy-Sweet Quick Pickles. I followed the pickle directions from this Catfish bánh mì by Five And Spice recipe and added some heat. Next time I’m at the grocery store I’m definitely scoping out the fish counter to see if they have catfish because the marinade sounds delicious. Plus, I prefer broiled fish over fried.

Moving on. Halfway through making the bánh mì I realized I had forgotten to pick up cilantro. I love cilantro, so I was tempted to stop what I was doing and race back to the store, but I had kind of reached the point of no return in the sandwich making process where everything was done and I was spreading the yogurt sauce on the bread. Next time, and there will be a next time, I’ll probably sub out the mixed greens for cilantro.

Ginger and Sweet Potato Latke Bánh Mì with Spicy-Sweet Quick Pickles, makes one big or two small sandwiches

Sandwich Ingredients:

1 batch of Ginger and Sweet Potato Latkes, recipe found here

Sriracha Yogurt sauce (mix a couple tablespoons plain Greek yogurt with sriracha to taste)

Handful of baby mixed greens, washed

1/2 ripe avocado, sliced

smal pile of Spicy-Sweet Quick Pickles (recipe below)

6-inch portion of baguette, left whole or cut into two 3-inch portions, toasted

Pickle Ingredients, makes about 2 cups pickled veggies:

3 medium carrots, peeled

4 quarter-sized red radishes, washed

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 Tbs. kosher salk

2 Tbs. honey

1/2 tsp. dried chili pepper flakes

Method:

1. For the pickles combine vinegar, water, salt, honey, and chili pepper flakes in a container with a lid and about a 3 or 4 cup capacity (I used a Gladware thing. Use whatever is handy). Slice the radishes into thin rounds. Cut the cucumber in two, scoop out the seed with a spoon, and cut into thin half moons. Use a vegetable peeler and peel the carrots into thin, noodle-esque strips. Put the veggies into the pickling brine and let sit for at least 30 minutes before using. Pickles will last in the refrigerator for a few days. If you finish the pickles before then, don’t throw out the brine! You can reuse it again for a new batch. Discard the brine when it becomes cloudy.

2. Smear each piece of toasted baguette with a healthy dollop of sriracha yogurt. Use more or less depending on your liking.

3. Place lettuce on top of the bottom of the sandwich.

4. Place latkes on top of the lettuce.

5. Put pickles on top of the latkes. Use as many or as few as you like.

6. Put sliced avocado on top of the yogurt sauce on the top slice of baguette.

7. Put the sandwich together and serve with a nice, cold beverage. I cracked open my last Yuengling, which I can’t buy in Indiana, for this sandwich. Yeah, IT’S THAT GOOD.

We have a winner.

Want a quick dinner or fairly guilt-free snack? How about a two-bite, crunchy potato pancake that has a taste of the exotic? The you need these Ginger Sweet Potato Latkes.

What I now call the fried kidney bean disaster of 2012 kind of put me off trying to fry things. That is until tonight, when flipping through my favorites on Gojee I realize I have three different recipes for latkes.

I’m a big fan of the potato pancake (Hello, THREE different recipes). Potato and pancake are two very comforting words. And the latkes I want you to try are very comforting, but they’re also not your Bubbie’s latkes.

Good, traditional latkes have a satisfying crunch but a velvety interior and are best with sour cream and applesauce. Then there are latkes that can feel like glue in the mouth.

What I like about latkes is that they are very adaptable and can take on some hearty flavors like blue cheese. And you can swap out your basic Idaho potato for sweet.

There I was, sitting at my computer with three tabs open to my favorite latke recipes and then another came along on Gojee. Reading this spiced latke recipe rocked my world a little bit.

Using the above recipes as guides, I think I’ve come up with my new favorite latke.

Ginger and Sweet Potato Latkes with Sriracha Yogurt Sauce, makes 8 half-dollar or 4 palm size latkes (serves 1)

Latke Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup red onion, small dice

1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 egg

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour

2 Tbs. grapseed or other neutral oil

Sauce Ingredients:

2 or 3 Tbs. plain greek yogurt

Sriracha sauce to taste

Method:

1. Wrap shredded sweet potato in paper towels and squeeze all the excess moisture out. Repeat squeeze step again with new paper towels, you want to get as much liquid out as you can.

2. Whisk egg in large bowl. Add potato, onion, ginger, cumin, salt and flour. Mix to combine. In 10-inch frying pan or skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

3. Form latkes into half-dollar/palm size patties, again squeezing any liquid out before you fry. Place in hot oil and let fry on each side until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to plate lined with paper towels to drain and sprinkle with a final dusting of salt if you wish. Repeat until all the latke mixture is gone.

4. While latkes are frying, stir yogurt and sriracha in a bowl. Serve with the latkes and enjoy.

I’m in love with these. This was a totally satisfying dinner, not too heavy but it also didn’t have me pawing for the Oreos later. I paired the latkes with the last bit of my baby greens, so all in all I feel this is a fairly healthy meal.

Great on their own, I imagine these would be amazing in a vegetarian bánh mì on crusty bread with pickled carrots, radishes and cucumbers, topped with lettuce and the sriracha yogurt sauce.

I still have a sweet potato left. I know what’s for dinner tomorrow.

Why is it foaming?

Months ago I bought bags of dried beans in an attempt to cut down on the amount of packaging I was using. Plus, they were cheaper, had less added sodium and weren’t swimming in mystery syrup.

Still, that meant I had these bags of beans just sitting there taking up cupboard space. I bought a bag of black, kidney, garbanzo and great northern beans. First I used the black beans, which are probably my favorite and, I think, easiest to use. I sprinkled them on salads with chopped romaine and shreds of sharp cheddar and black pepper. And I made Ina Garten’s Guacamole Salad, which I will be posting about in the near future.

But then I opened the kidney beans. I soaked them overnight in cold water and then simmered for an hour and a half to cook the beans. From there, theoretically, they can be used in many ways. Confession, kidney beans aren’t my favorite and I was at a loss at how to use them. Then I remembered a rustic white bean mash I used to make in college. It’s basically cooked white beans mashed with garlic, herbs and drizzled with olive oil. Use it as a dip for fresh veggies or spread on small slices of chewy, toasted bread.

Sounds lovely right? Kidney bean mash, at least this one was not so versatile.

The mash itself wasn’t bad. I added garlic, salt and a dash of red pepper flakes. But I wanted to see how far it would go. I had some chicken strips stuffed in the freezer and thought why don’t I bake them and serve them with fried bean patties.

The mash formed well into rounds and the first batch started sizzling well. I was so jazzed; I could already taste those fried little nuggets being dipped into a yogurt and sriracha sauce. And then it all went to shit.

I don’t know where the foam came from. Cooking is all about science, so I’m sure there was some sort of chemical reaction going on. I know beans give you gas, so does that mean they themselves are gaseous? That’s my theory anyway.

So after the first batch of patties dissolved into the oil, I just fried up the chicken strips and served them in a nest of the remaining mash. Over the top I drizzled a few spoonfuls of the cloudy bean oil and then doused the whole plate in sriracha. It was interesting to say the least.

Oh well, better luck next time.

Will travel for gravy.

I’ve been thinking about travel recently. Specifically, how I say I want to but somehow I seem to just stay put. Granted, I’m just a stone’s throw away from being a modern day hermit.

Personally, I love the sound of the word “hermitage,” which is a hermit’s dwelling/residence/hideaway. Some may think creepy, and yet I think, “Hmm, cozy.”

Moving on from hermit talk, lets go back to travel. I’ve been streaming British TV from YouTube for the past few weeks now, and I really want to see Sarah Millican on her tour. Millican is a stand up comic and she’s brilliant. Naturally, most of her upcoming appearances are sold out.

See Sarah in action:

Millican is also a frequent and fun Twitter-er. Follow her at @sarahmillican75.

To get more in the mood for travel, which will happen at some point in 2012, I thought I’d make a very British dish: Bangers and Mash.

I must admit, I do giggle just a little bit at the name, but bangers are traditional British pork sausages and mash refers to mashed potatoes. The glue of this dish, however, comes from onion gravy.

In all seriousness, onions are probably my favorite vegetable. Any recipe that starts with “chop an onion” will, generally, turn out just fine.

I am a big fan of gravy, but as I was making this dish I realized I don’t have gravy all that often. It is featured prominently during holiday dinners, but other than that I don’t make gravy, which is something that must be changed.

Now I’m not going to tell you how to make mashed potatoes or cook sausage. I’m figuring most everyone knows how to mash potatoes. But gravy is a different beast.

To be perfectly honest, this was not my best gravy. I sliced the onions into half-moons instead of dicing them, which made making the roux difficult. The gravy was a tad gluey and hard to whisk due to the stringy onions. Since I was also just making one serving of mash and cooking one sausage, I probably made too much gravy, but it was fine reheated and spread like onion jam on toast the next evening.

The following recipe is an imprecise and likely flawed onion gravy. I’ll have to make this a few more times and update with a better version, but this served me well when I wanted a taste of England without the cost of airfare.

Beer and Onion Gravy, recipe (or rather formula) by EMLundblad

Ingredients, makes about 1 1/2 cups gravy

1/2 large yellow or white onion sliced (probably better to dice it)

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 Tbs. AP flour

1/2 to 3/4 cup beer, I used Yuengling (please don’t use a light beer)

water, amount based on desired consistency (I used about 1 cup)

salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1. In 10-inch skillet melt the butter over medium heat and add onions. Cook and caramelize onions for about 30 minutes, lowering temperature if onions are frying rather than caramelizing. You want color here, but not burning. The more the onions caramelize, the richer the gravy.

2. Once the onions are done add the flour. If you need to add more butter to balance the fat with the flour do so. Cook for about 10 minutes, to get rid of the flour taste and deepen the roux. To make it easier to whisk you may want to remove the onions before adding the flour. Again, I’m still playing around with this.

3. When the roux is ready, like a thick gravy or a loose paste, add the beer and whisk. If you really like a thick gravy you don’t have to add the water, but I think it needs the water to thin it out and to lighten the flavor. I love Yuengling, but has an almost sweet finish – at least in my opinion. It pairs wonderfully with the caramelized onions, but it can be a little sweet as a savory gravy. Without the water I found it a little overpowering.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over the bangers and mash or really anything. Like I said, this made too much for one. But ate the left over gravy at two more meals, reheated and spread like onion jam over toast and as a sauce for green beans.

Cooking with Nigella.

I know this was a “holiday” week where I really only worked Tuesday through Friday, but gosh it felt longer. I did, however, love coming home putting on my flannel PJs with the coffee cups on them and sinking into my couch for a few hours of reading my Christmas presents.

Santa, cleverly disguised as mom and dad, brought two Nigella Lawson books this year. I’ve been slowly working my way through “Nigella Express” and am itching to start “Nigella Kitchen.” I’d read both at once, but I like to really read through recipes. Plus I spend most of my time trying to figure out how to make the dishes with what I have available at my local supermarket and my stash of cookware.

“Lamb, Olive and Caramelized Onion Tagine” – the name alone has me drooling. Very ladylike, I know.

I’m on the go again this weekend, and the next for that matter, so I’m still struggling to actually cook a full proper meal. But when you’re living on your own, no one can tell you that mustard roasted veggies, a celery stalk with peanut butter and two squares of dark chocolate aren’t a complete meal.

Grainy Mustard Roasted Potatoes and Onions, serves 1 as main course or 2 or 3 as a side

1 medium baking potato, leave skin on or take it off your preference, cut into half-moons

1 medium yellow onion, peel and slice into half-moons

1 or 2 Tbs. whole grain mustard, I like mustard so I tend to be a little heavy-handed here

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400* F

2. Combine potato, onion, mustard, oil, salt, pepper and turmeric in a bowl. Best to do this with your hands (wear a latex glove or a plastic sandwich baggie over your hand if you don’t want turmeric stains in your nail beds).

3. Dump the mess onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up. Roast for 25 minutes, or until they reach the desired level of doneness. I like my potatoes nicely burnished and the onions with a slight char to the edges. I really can tell they’re done when I start to smell the mustard grains slightly burning in the oven.

I think Nigella would approve.

Culinary Limbo.

Hello, my name is Elizabeth and I have had CCBNS since Dec. 20, 2011. CCBNS, or Christmas Cookie Break Now Syndrome, started when nice and caring colleagues bring in all manner of sweet treats baked with love. It is horrible.

I mean, the goodies are lovely and delicious, but my sugar intake has skyrocketed and I find myself wandering to the cookie plate more than I should. It doesn’t help that the “feeding station” is on top of the short filing cabinet right next to my desk. I’m moving that tomorrow to the perfectly adequate, and in fact much more suitable, location of the wooden conference table in the back of the newsroom.

It is a really good thing I don’t own a scale.

I got to spend Christmas with the family, which was fantastic as per usual. The night before Christmas Eve was spent with friends, many of whom I had not seen in months if not years.

But the week between Christmas and New Years is like culinary limbo, at least for me. With just a four-day workweek, and then heading back to my parents’ house on Friday, I don’t have much time to cook.

To supplement my current diet mainstay of slowly staling (is that a word? Check yes) Christmas cookies, I’ve gone to the tried and true quick meals that are not prepared in a microwave.

Lizzie’s Tuna Salad

1 can tuna packed in water (make sure it has the dolphin safe seal – SAVE FLIPPER!)

2 or 3 stalks fresh celery, diced

2 Tbs. dill relish

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

black pepper to taste

1 1/2 tsp. whole grain mustard (optional)

sriracha for serving (optional)

pocket pita bread

Method

1. Rinse and drain tuna. Combine tuna, celery, relish, yogurt and mustard. Season with black pepper (and salt if you need it) to taste.

2. Serve stuffed into pocket pitas and drizzle with sriracha for an extra bite. This is also good served over a bed of lettuce or on a toasted sesame bagel.

This is really as close as I get to cooking during weird vacation/holiday weeks. Since I don’t care for mayonnaise, I usually substitute greek yogurt in any recipe that calls for mayo. It has less fat, more protein and is overall better for a person. Plus yogurt has all those probiotics … or whatever good thing Jamie Lee Curtis is hawking these days on TV.

Extra crispy: No more stressing over burned cookies.

As Friday was payday, I spent – literally – the evening paying off bills and balancing my checkbook. Really scintillating stuff I tell you. In celebration of having no bills hanging over my head, and a positive balance in the checking account, I decided to make Nestle’s classic chocolate chip cookies.

In true fashion I didn’t have enough chocolate chips or chopped walnuts to make the full recipe. I also didn’t relish using up all of my butter for cookies, so I cut the recipe in half. Yes, I’m dangerous and monkey about with established baking rules of precision and order.

After beautifully creaming the butter and sugar, I went to add the flour. Quickly found out that I only had a meager cup in my flour canister. Whoops. Into the bowl went all the flour I could scrape out. Into the 375 F oven went the cookies, which I promptly forgot about.

About 15 minutes later I remembered I was making cookies. Despite the edges and bottoms of the cookies being a bit charred extra crispy, they were still edible. I’d show you photos, but with the cookies being edible and all … well, they are no more.

Sometimes I feel a tad inadequate in the world of food blogging. This is a simple, casual food blog. I enjoy reading the well-established bloggers. I’ve read some blogs for years, sticking around because of the quality of writing, outrageously lovely photos and delicious recipes.

But sometimes, in my opinion, I can’t find the mistakes. I’m a very type A person in most respects (not with baking, obviously). I like to be right, and I really dislike admitting I’m wrong. As my harshest critic, I have always been hard on myself after making a mistake. This is especially true at work. I’ve lost countless hours of sleep over grammatical errors, not double checking facts or sloppy proof reading. And rightly so in some ways. I detest unprofessionalism and those careless mistakes weigh on my mind weeks after they occur.

I’m trying to break out of that shell when it comes to my personal life, in and out of the kitchen. I am done stressing over small missteps. The missed workout, bad hair days, that strip of leg hair you missed while shaving even after going over each leg TWICE and, of course, burned cookies. From here on out I promise to share those recipes gone awry. Sometimes food blogs only show the perfectly burnished meringue or golden roasted chicken. The aftermath of when the dog made off with the Christmas ham and necessitated some Chinese takeout isn’t often seen.

Mistakes in the kitchen often yield the best stories. For example, my friend Beth once tried to make her own brown sugar by mixing white sugar and maple syrup (she wasn’t far off though; you use molasses). Then there was the time in eighth grade I made blueberry muffins with my friend Robyn. We were so messy, it’s amazing any batter got into the muffin cups. We didn’t wipe off the excess on the sides of the muffins, and so our muffins ended up being fringed with charred bits. We laughed and called them tutus.

In an open plea to the food blogosphere, I’d like to hear about your mistakes. Share those times when nothing is going right in the kitchen until you pour a glass of wine, and say “To hell with it.” I’ll pop a cork with you. To life’s crusty bits, cheers!