You all know bad things come in threes, right? Yes! They do! Especially plane crashes...and appliance failures - like the clothes dryer dying followed by the microwave sparking out of control after the refrigerator in the garage gasped it's last breath...appliances speak to each other via electrical circuitry, when one decides on a "productivity slowdown," the others join in, it's called appliance solidarity...feel free to quote me on that. Also, IF I burn something while cooking then I know something else is going to over-flow right after something else is dropped...mark my words and start counting when you're having a bad day...after the third thing you can breathe easier!
Here's my latest run of bad luck...
No. 1...I needed to make French Nougat...something I've never done but I was asked to do this for a church party...having just come out of three days of candy-making, I thought, how hard could nougat be? Well, let me tell you, candy-making is a SCIENCE and I FAILED science in school...miserably! It's all about chemical reactions and boiling points and LACK OF HUMIDITY - something we never lack for in the Northwest! So of course the French Nougat didn't set up...it was a pan full of gelantinous goo (pictured above on the left) that tasted good but didn't set...Plan B...run to the drug store to purchase 20 Look Candy bars - cut and put into little candy cups (pictured in the center above) so they can fool all of the unsuspecting Non-French people at the party!
No. 2...Jessica Seinfeld's Crock Pot Lasagna...What WAS I thinking?!? I saw her on Oprah talking about her new cookbook and she demonstrated her lasagna - said it tasted great and saved time...well, with French Nougat to ruin I needed to save time! I followed the recipe to the "T"...it was dry as the South of France! IF you want to try it you can find her recipe here ... but if you want good tasting lasagna that isn't as dry as Provence, DON'T waste your time or your ingredients!
No. 3...The mister walked into the kitchen last night. Yes, that's the third bad thing. He waltzed through the door in rare form and said, "Did you make pie today?!" He said that as he was shimmy-ing around the Christmas boxes that are waiting to be sealed and taken to UPS...all NINE of them...and when I told him there would be no pie for him, as I had been too busy shopping, wrapping and packing for HIS side of the family, he said, very matter-of-factly...."Well then, what do I pay you for?!?" Seriously, can someone please tell me why homicide is wrong?!?
But then, after three bad things happened, something good happened arrived:
TWO Mary Englebreit Cookbooks! I couldn't figure out why I had ordered them - or when - and then I looked inside and discovered I am a contributor to the cookbook!
(I love cookbooks that lay flat!) Since it can take a couple of years for a book to be published I cannot remember how my participation in it came about! But I do know they printed one of my all-time favorite recipes - my Cuban Pork Roast Sandwiches with Cilantro Aioli is in the book!!! (This recipe has not been posted on my blog but I'll rectify that very soon!) And the books are both signed by Mary Englebreit herself - which more than made up for the mister's rude remark! I'm keeping one book for myself and the other one is going to someone special...and if YOU would like one of these wonderful cookbooks you may order one by clicking here...it would make a great stocking stuffer!
12 days till Christmas!!