Cake!

Our oven is sadly, out of order, which only intensifies my need for dishes that require an oven, like... cake. I knew, with the ingenuity that exists in the world, that someone had to have a recipe for some cake-like-creation that could be made either stovetop or in the microwave. Correct I was! Chocolate cake! Before we even start, let's detail the pitfalls associated with this course of action:

• Microwaved cake? Gross. Crazy times make crazy minds.
  
• Allrecipes? Why did I go there? I've never had a good recipe come from Allrecipes.
  
• It's worth repeating - cake in a microwave? Only Betty Crocker and her many preservatives seems to have found a way.
  

As you might expect, this was mostly nasty. While it had a vague chocolatey flavor and sweetness, it was dry in the middle and had a mostly chalky taste that was somehow reminiscent of baking sugar free goods, despite the real sugar I added.

We fight on, looking for non-oveny desserts.

I just want to point out

that I haven't had a cooking disaster in almost a month! Go me!

Nor has anyone else! Go everyone!

Fool

Amy made a killer meal for St. Patrick's Day today, with a really tasty brisket and cabbage and the whole-nine-yard. She entrusted me with dessert. I made a Rhubarb Fool, which is apparently a traditional dessert from Ireland or something.

I'll let my sister Elizabeth sum it up: "It tasted like luke-warm yogurt that had been sitting out for a while with a weird after taste." It kind of looked like vomit (dead baby vomit according to Amy... how do dead babies vomit in the first place?). Anyways, FAIL. No pictures... only memories.

Speaking of burning things...

I tried to make chicken and dumplings tonight, but I think something on the bottom of the pot burned? I'm not sure what, but it made the entire pot of food taste sort of burny. It's a shame, because I think it had real potential otherwise.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture, so I don't have proof. But trust me! It was pret-ty sucky.

Melted Melts

Tuna melts with tomato and sharp cheddar on spinach torillas.... EXTRA crispy.

It was all going good until I forgot to take them out from under the broiler.

Hot damn.

oh dear, bojangles'

though it was not actually my cooking, there was a food fiasco with which i am sure you can all commiserate.

today, after a long day, i went to bojangles' in search of some scrumptious comfort food. i bought the only appropriate meal, the cajun filet biscuit combo. and i have to say, i have never wanted to break down and cry so much as when i received this piece of cardboard chicken.

not only did was my "chicken" cold and not cajun-y-delicious, but it was about 1/4th of an inch thick and hard. i do not mean lovely, crispy hard, i mean lose a tooth hard. seeing as how many of you are, in fact, huge bojangles' fans, i am sure you feel my pain.

... and in my time zone, it is actually 8:52pm, not 5ish (since that is really important to this post).

Fail

I have been wanting to start experimenting with some healthier recipes, to see if there are any totally awesome ones. I decided my first attempt would be Eggplant Cannelloni, which is still not super-healthy, but at least has vegetables in it. So I wrote down the ingredients and headed to Trader Joe's (I don't usually go there, but a fancy dinner calls for fancy shopping, right?) When I arrived at Trader Joe's, I realized three things.

1. Trader Joe's doesn't carry eggplant, or anything else I would ever need/want.
2. Are eggplants even in season? Do they have a season?
3. I have absolutely no idea what capers are (of course, I do now. I looked it up when I got home)

Anyway, since I realized I am not yet educated enough to attempt such a fancy meal, I ended up buying the ingredients I could find and some frozen dinners, which I plan on making tonight. I'm not sure why I still bought a few of the ingredients. Now I have this random assortment of food in my apartment and nothing to do with it.

A summary for Rachel:

I decided I wanted to make Eggplant Cannelloni tonight, but I realized I didn't have any eggplant, garlic, shallots, capers, goat cheese, roasted red peppers, olives, parsley or oranges so I went to the grocery store. While I was there, I realized I'm dumb, so then I just bought a frozen dinner, and it was good.