Sunday, October 10, 2010

Failure Smells Like Blue Cheese

Either I failed to thrilled the Foodbuzz community,
I failed to impress the big wig judges,
Or
THEY failed to appreciate my genius. Yeah, that sounds good. At least that make me feel a little better.

Seriously though, as soon as I got the "We regret to inform you . . ." e-mail from Project Food Blog, I took a deep breath and laid down for a nap in the sun. My kids' laughter sounded sweeter. The fall breeze felt fresher than it had for a few weeks. And I just relaxed.

Fennel Apple Bisque and Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuit. Recipes will be turning up here soon!
When I woke up, I cooked what I wanted to eat. I called a friend to share it with. I enjoyed my meal hot instead of worrying about the taking the perfect picture, only to get frustrated that I am unable to take a perfect picture, then slurp it cold.

Sometimes, failure is the way to go.

Then again, sometime failure stinks like blue cheese. I'm talking about my attempt at Project Food Blog's Challenge #4 - Picture Perfect: post a picture recipe tutorial with mouth watering photos.

Blue Apricot Brulee


Failure #1: Drizzle skillet with olive oil
Fix: It should have been butter or canola oil at the worst.


Failure #2: Add about 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar.
Fix: It was too much. Only add a little drizzle.

#3: Dump in thawed apricot halves and their juices.

Failure #4: Arrange cut side up.
Fix: There should be more fruit to fill skillet and keep from slipping around and toppling.


Failure #5: Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp blue cheese into each piece of fruit.
Fix: This was a huge mistake! Take the blue cheese out completely and subsitute milder goat cheese.



Failure #6: Drizzle a bit of honey into each apricot.
Fix: I should have been more generous with the honey. These apricots were tart!


#6: Cover with foil to encourage cheese to melt. Chop hazelnuts and toast while apricots are on the fire.

#7: Cook until vinegar caramlizes and cheese looks melty. Be careful not to let honey burn.


#8: Sprinkle with toasted nuts.
Looks like it could be okay right?


Wrong.

I choked down one, then another, and was just as dissapointed with the second apricot as the first. The third apricot sat cold on my plate before I shoved it down the garabage disposal with the rest of the skillet apricots. Classic case of trying too hard. Oh well.

Quick run to the grocery store for the back up plan. Pretty good!

Now I'm wondering if those voters and judges were on to something . . . nah.

Dinner rocked - Fire Potatoes and Skillet Poached Tomatoe Eggs. Perfect tasting but too dark for those "mouthwatering photos." You'll just have to grow an imagination! (Recipe link coming later)



Hopefully this flop won't put you off FRESH AIR + FRESH FOOD for good, just blue cheese.

If you stay tuned, you'll catch a new recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash with Kale that I'll be cooking up on KOIN's Studio 6 out of Portland, OR. You can check your local listings for the show time (4:00pm on channel 6 locally), or wait for me to post the clip later this week.

Finally, I want to give a BIG OL' THANK YOU to all you who voted for me and became Fresh FOLLWERS of this blog. I am thrilled that I took part in the challenge not only for the incredibly generous comments I've recieved and people that have found me here in the blogosphere, but for the other blogs I've found . . .

Chat N' Chow - Still in it to win it! Hop on over to see her step by step chicken soup.
edible cville  - The best writer in the competition but like me was given the boot! Oh well. Maybe we should both take a photography class and get new cameras together. At any rate, she has a top notch, honest blog that will make you salivate and laugh (so have a napkin handy to wipe off your computer screen when you read).
Runs With Spatulas - Snappy writing, good pictures, and NUTRITION INFORMATION! I don't know how she does it but at the end of each post she grades the recipe, and includes all the nutrition info you need to know. BTW, this blog is still in the running too and deserves your vote. This time she made ice cream!

15 comments:

  1. Lindsey I for one really enjoyed following your posts these last few weeks, certainly a good thing to come out of PFB is discovering all these fantastic new blogs to read, yours being one. I don't know how that voting/judging works, especially if they let me keep going ;)
    Keep up the taste of the Oregon outdoors!

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  2. I'm sorry you didn't make the last cut, but you did a fantastic job up to here. And now you don't need to stress and worry, you can just relax and enjoy your food that much more. I wouldn't think about PFB as a failure, because there are so many talented contestants. And we ALL have failures in the kitchen, even the top chefs. Sorry the apricots didn't work out, I think it was a good idea. Maybe needs a little tweaking?

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  3. I thought you did a great job with PFB! It happens sometimes in the kitchen when things don't go how you plan them too, the first time I made pizza on the grill was probably the most disastrous cooking experience either. Later on, you'll look back and be able to giggle about it.

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  4. "When I woke up, I cooked what I wanted to eat. I called a friend to share it with". If I don't start being this "friend" whom you are calling to share your food with I'm going to get upset. :)

    Sorry you got the ol' boot. I thought (and still do) that you were the perfect combination of interesting writing, wonderful (but attainable in my kitchen) recipes, and a lovely showcase of it all through your pictures.

    Love you friend, and hopefully I'll see you this week sometime.

    Laura

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  5. Very sad that you didn't make it! But glad that you competed so I could find your blog which gives me a taste of home every time. (Umpqua ice cream! Yay!)

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  6. Failure does sometimes stink like blue cheese, but genius can't come without it- something a competition can't embrace. I love your blog and your writing makes me laugh outloud! I"m looking forward to reading and getting inspiration from many more of your posts!

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  7. I'm so sorry that you didn't get into the round 4 :( That was a tough one for sure. It's still a great experience no matter what. I'm looking forward to reading your blog and keeping in touch!

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  8. I have a lot of favorite blogs that I follow, your blog has been, and will always be one of them!

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  9. Laura, I'm sorry that you are not, I mean were not my "friend." I should have mentioned that I didn't get the word that I was cut until later in the day cause I was busy flipping pancakes with MY FRIEND LAURA WHOM I ADORE! Isn't it enough that I may have injured your hip?

    PS - I was cooking for Ryan but forgot he had a golf game so it was very late and last minute that I called someone who I knew would be free - not home with hubby. So there!
    (Me thinkest thou dost protest too much . . .)

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  10. And thank you everyone for all the encouragement and compliments - there has been a lull as of late so you can keep the accolades coming if you wish.:-)

    Seriously though, I really appreciate the fact that people are still looking at my blog even though the PFB judges aren't!

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  11. Chin up. You made it through more than one round - that's an achievement with the level of talent out there. Take it from someone who was knocked out in round one - ouch!

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  12. Thank you, I feel the love now (with a dash of excuses on the side)!

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  13. I was really surprised and sorry to see you go out. Anybody who makes me laugh is worthy of my attention (even if the judges don't seem to agree!)

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  14. I also got that email... I think we should have gotten feedback. I love this tutorial.

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  15. Thank you so much for the shout out! That really means a lot! I really hate to see you not in the running anymore. I was looking for you once voting opened! I really give you huge props for going after the lutefish in round 2.

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