Day 108 of 365 - Failed Recipes
In the last couple of weeks I have made what I would consider as failed recipes, for food I was preparing. This has become a more common occurrence in recent years, as I've been trying new recipes frequently. Something can look so good online, or almost make my mouth water as I read the recipe ingredients. But, it does not turn out as expected.
I don't like wasting food, so unless the taste of something I make is simply weird or awful, I will eat it anyway. Sometimes my husband has to bear with a less than desirable dish, because that's what I've made for dinner, but I'll finish the leftovers for lunches myself on other days to avoid waste.
One of the things I have discovered, by trying recipes from a variety of sources, is, that how the preparation instructions are written makes a big difference to the outcome. I'm realizing that my favorites are the ones that have reliable instructions and expected results. Of course, I cannot predict this on a first time attempt.
It seems as if some of the online recipes I have copied and printed are briefly written, to make them more appealing, and perhaps to give one the sense that they are easy. But, personally, I'd prefer more detailed instructions instead of having to go through trial and error.
My favorite cookbooks will describe just what the consistency of something should be, or tell you how long to mix or process something, for the recipe to work. As I write about this, it makes me wonder how much chefs actually follow recipes, or whether their training and instincts just allows them to go more with the flow in their cooking.
And, if you have been following my blog, you won't be surprised at me going off on a tangent about how life is like cooking and failed recipes too.
In our younger years we rely on our caregivers and teachers to guide us, to give us the 'recipes' for living with ease and comfort in our world. Then, as adults, we're expected to become independent and productive, mostly by following other sets of rules or directions.
But, life does not always, maybe seldom, turn out the way we expected. Why are we so surprised when this happens? It's a given in life that change happens. We're surrounded by examples of it in our natural environment all the time. However, we are culturally ingrained to believe that if we do everything 'right' our lives will be perfect. This is so untrue.
As we get older, and have more perspective on life, changes are less surprising and more expected. They can still be unpleasant, but maybe we're not quite as shocked. Reviewing different aspects of our lives, we will all have things we are proud about and things we regret. But hey, if we are still here, above ground, we are living our lives and have made it through various transitions.
And, in this senior phase of life, tasting it's sweetness day to day becomes more of a priority than laboring towards some future and distant goal of perfection. We start to ask ourselves more often perhaps, what we are waiting for, why we are postponing focusing more on enjoying life. So, maybe trying new things and new recipes, just for the pleasure of doing it, is worthwhile in itself.
How this unfolds for every person is different, according to their interests and abilities. But, there are lots of options, possibilities, and choices that we can make to enjoy life more, despite the changes that ageing brings.
And if something does not work out as planned or expected, oh well, we can try again or let it go. Or, we can make the best of it and appreciate the experience and what we learned from it. After all, as my mother used to say of a less than beautiful recipe, it all gets mixed up in your stomach anyway!
I don't like wasting food, so unless the taste of something I make is simply weird or awful, I will eat it anyway. Sometimes my husband has to bear with a less than desirable dish, because that's what I've made for dinner, but I'll finish the leftovers for lunches myself on other days to avoid waste.
One of the things I have discovered, by trying recipes from a variety of sources, is, that how the preparation instructions are written makes a big difference to the outcome. I'm realizing that my favorites are the ones that have reliable instructions and expected results. Of course, I cannot predict this on a first time attempt.
It seems as if some of the online recipes I have copied and printed are briefly written, to make them more appealing, and perhaps to give one the sense that they are easy. But, personally, I'd prefer more detailed instructions instead of having to go through trial and error.
My favorite cookbooks will describe just what the consistency of something should be, or tell you how long to mix or process something, for the recipe to work. As I write about this, it makes me wonder how much chefs actually follow recipes, or whether their training and instincts just allows them to go more with the flow in their cooking.
And, if you have been following my blog, you won't be surprised at me going off on a tangent about how life is like cooking and failed recipes too.
In our younger years we rely on our caregivers and teachers to guide us, to give us the 'recipes' for living with ease and comfort in our world. Then, as adults, we're expected to become independent and productive, mostly by following other sets of rules or directions.
But, life does not always, maybe seldom, turn out the way we expected. Why are we so surprised when this happens? It's a given in life that change happens. We're surrounded by examples of it in our natural environment all the time. However, we are culturally ingrained to believe that if we do everything 'right' our lives will be perfect. This is so untrue.
As we get older, and have more perspective on life, changes are less surprising and more expected. They can still be unpleasant, but maybe we're not quite as shocked. Reviewing different aspects of our lives, we will all have things we are proud about and things we regret. But hey, if we are still here, above ground, we are living our lives and have made it through various transitions.
And, in this senior phase of life, tasting it's sweetness day to day becomes more of a priority than laboring towards some future and distant goal of perfection. We start to ask ourselves more often perhaps, what we are waiting for, why we are postponing focusing more on enjoying life. So, maybe trying new things and new recipes, just for the pleasure of doing it, is worthwhile in itself.
How this unfolds for every person is different, according to their interests and abilities. But, there are lots of options, possibilities, and choices that we can make to enjoy life more, despite the changes that ageing brings.
And if something does not work out as planned or expected, oh well, we can try again or let it go. Or, we can make the best of it and appreciate the experience and what we learned from it. After all, as my mother used to say of a less than beautiful recipe, it all gets mixed up in your stomach anyway!
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