So Many Dishes

To be honest, I have had relatively few kitchen failures, especially given how much I cook. But two stand out, for very different reasons, and one of them is a failure of a different kind.

My most recent and most disastrous experience happened about a year ago. Our church has a social hour after the service, and members volunteer to bring some “goodies.” Ken had been saying for months that he was hungry for carrot cake, but it’s too much for us. I decided that it would be the perfect thing to make and take.

I have a wonderful cookbook called America Cooks, which I’ve owned since the early 70s. A collection of recipes from the American Federation of Women’s Clubs, it’s a gem. My copy is literally held together with duct tape. It has a carrot cake recipe that I’ve made successfully any number of times without any problems.

Yes, I’d made that recipe, but not in at least ten years, and definitely not in my finicky new oven. The timer went off at the end of the baking time, I opened the oven to check, and the middle of the cake was raw. The tester didn’t come out with crumbs, but with still-liquid batter clinging to it! I shook my head, closed the door, and tried 10 minutes later. Not much better. By the time the center cooked, the edges were hard as rocks. Out it went. Thankfully, there was a package of quick bread mix in the cupboard so that I had something to contribute.

The other fail was probably 20 years ago, but it was memorable in its own way. Our family loves football, and we have tailgated often at University of Central Florida games. I have always made pumpkin cupcakes from an old Southern Living recipe, slathered with cream cheese icing, and they are a family favorite.

But one year, I decided to make something else for the tailgate. I found a recipe for cream cheese Kahlua brownies. I thought they were fantastic, but everyone else said, “where are the cupcakes?” They mumbled through the whole game and all the way home about not having cupcakes. The brownies may not have been a failure, but I certainly felt like one. That recipe is still in my file, but I’ve never been able to bring myself to make them again.

May all your recipes turn out just right. Happy eating!