No Substitute for Preparation Adventures

Let’s talk preparation, Gentle Reader. Preparation is key, whether it be throwing a war, or throwing a party. Proper preparation is what separates the professionals from the amateurs, adults from the kids, us from the animals!... Well, you get the drift. And that, Gentle Reader, happens to be the one skill I tend to lack.

It was a lack of preparation that kept me from doing a recipe correctly this weekend. In my describing it to a friend, I called it “some sort of potato-scalloped-casserole-thingie”. Granted, once I scraped off the top layer, it was still enjoyable. But  being both lazy and frugal, I hate to waste food and that was more work than necessary. Next time, I need to actually read the recipe instead of just skimming. Proper preparation is also what turned my potstickers into Chinese meatballs. Let this be a lesson to you, Gentle Reader, that the introduction of any moisture onto the wonton wrapper can cause it to stick to itself with a force stronger than glue. Next time I premake them to freeze, I’m either flash-freezing them, or dusting them with flour before packing them together.

Either way, I ended up with a gelatinous, glutinous mass of what was once wonton-goodness. It was hard to identify. Was this a science experiment gone wrong?

I tried to pry them apart for an hour. However, I realized that the wrappers were tearing around the filling, allowing all the protein-joy to spill out. Eventually, fortified with my “rocket-fuel sangria”, I just started ripping off pieces and patting them into a flattened meatball shape. Anything to get me out of the kitchen, off my feet. Sangria can only carry you for so far, Gentle Readers. Even rocket-fuel sangria.

It is preparation actually, that causes me to make substitutions with my recipes, sometimes with disastrous results. Luckily, my potato-scalloped-casserole-thingie actually came out nicely with the wrong cheese. I found the original photo to be bland and white, involving potato, sour scream, and Swiss cheese. Cheddar made the bacon pieces stand out, as bacon always should. However, not all my stories involve happy endings, Gentle Reader. A blueberry turnover that I created with my cooking cohorts Kathryn and Phyllis became a lackluster affair, and I could not bring myself to finish the dessert. Alas, phyllo and puff pastry cannot be substituted for each other. 

 

However, isn't it a truism that what does not kill us makes us stronger? I have not died yet, to my knowledge. Nor have you, I assume. Go forth then, Gentle Reader, into that culinary frontier! For it is only by our mistakes that we can strengthen our culinary might, and perhaps in doing so, one day rule the world by its collective stomach. 

(Photo by edinacross)