Uncategorized

A recipe book for the rest of us.

18 Comments

.

In general I’d say I’m a good cook. People like to come over for dinner, my dishes are requested at potlucks, and Lord knows my husband doesn’t complain. But every once in a while I’ll try a new recipe and things will…. how shall we say? … go astray.

I read the directions, I do just what they say… but the result is often inedible.

Perhaps I need this:

.

.

I wouldn’t count on it, but let’s see.

.

.

Who knew there was such a thing.

.

.

Cheese? Good.

Kale? Bad.

Got it!

.

.

I’m afraid I can’t follow that rule. Growing up with a father who died after his fifth heart attack… and living with a man who has had triple bypass, I don’t add salt to anything.

.

.

Well, if the lobster says so… it must be true.

.

18 thoughts on “A recipe book for the rest of us.”

  1. Good post, very sensible overall. Kale bad? Roger that!
    I have a salt shaker but I don’t cook with salt either. It’s not due to health matters. I’ve found that there’s no right amount of salt, so it’s best to salt your own food. I don’t use much myself.
    The helpful tip I didn’t see was to vet your recipes. Cathy and I cook new stuff at least once a week and sometimes I’m really rolling the dice. Real Simple and Cooking Light have some interesting fare but the directions leave stupid choking in the dust. Example: ” Gently stir 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt into 4 quarts of rapidly boiling water.” REALLY?
    The most useful thing I have learned is to accept that I will fail. I make this Thai fried noodle dish called pad se ew. Cathy used to order it every time we went out for Thai. I decided to learn it myself and I did, but it took me the better part of twenty tries to get it right. It’s a beautiful feeling in my heart whenever Cathy tells me how good something is but pad se ew is special. I’ll be making Chinese take-out this evening. It’s a challenge. How about you?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. I’d eat a pork chop if you dragged it through the mud. If you don’t have any, try sweet soy sauce. It’s not salty, more a molasses flavor. My generic Asian sauce is usually made up of vegetable oil, a LITTLE bit of sesame oil, pepper, garlic powder and ground ginger. You can fool around with the proportions to get what you like and you’re on your way.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. I’m right there with you, I consider myself a pretty good cook, seeing as my mom taught me how to cook and she owned a restaurant. She was an incredible cook, but as she’s aged, she doesn’t have taste perception anymore. This past Thanksgiving she made four different cheesecakes and forgot to add sugar….to all of them. I’ve had some instances where I follow directions and somehow it’s a cooking clusterfuck. Right now I’m trying to master the art of French omelette and hollandaise sauce. French omelette going great, hollandaise sauce……mostly scrambled eggs in butter 😵‍💫.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. When it comes to salt, I am one of the luckiest people in the world. My mouth gets it, my body not so much. But please don’t do what happened to me to get this way. I contracted ulcerative colitis, and before they diagnosed it, it had spread through my entire colon. I had to have the whole thing removed. Not going into detail, your colon is a very important part of your food processing system, especially the elimination part. Having no colon is horrifying. But the offset is, most of the salt you take in is absorbed through the colon. Not having a colon, I actually require a larger dose of salt to get a smaller absorption rate. My food tastes wonderful.
    But for hospital stays, I have to smuggle in my salt shaker. Even with my doctor’s note, they refuse to give me the salt my hody needs.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      3. Yup, or I would have to kill either myself, or the doctors who screwed up my surgery. My philosophy does not allow me to do either. So salted food, here I am.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. I don’t enjoy eating out much . . . in part because restaurants tend to do a salt dump with so many dishes. Too salty = unpalatable to me.

    Good luck putting good food on the table in 2022.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment