Fail, Fail, Fail, and Fail :)

Well, I'm not even sure where to start with this post ... but I know it's not with a yummy food picture. I'm in such a cooking rut lately.  I feel like everything I touch is destined for a kitchen disaster.  Honestly, I've been focused on a million other things, so maybe my heart just hasn't been completely in it.  Indulge me in a little self-torture while I share some failed attempts...

#1 Last week I tried mashed cauliflower for the first time.  We adore cauliflower, so I figured that this would be a hit with my fam.  My husband and I loved the mashed version, I got some good pictures, was ready to share them ... and then I couldn't stomach the leftover cauliflower the next day.  It had me wondering, did I really love it, or was I just really hungry?  I think it was a texture issue, so I was hesitant to share with you all.  I have to be certain that I love something.  My goal is to share yummy recipes with you... not something that you try and don't want to try again.

#2  I made some balsamic garlic chicken from a recipe ... in my mind.  Fail.  Again.  The balsamic needed to render and become a little more sweet and the garlic was way too raw-garlicky.  Yuck.  I will say that the chicken made great leftovers for wraps, sandwiches, etc.  So - all in all, not a total fail I suppose.

#3  We make Sunday breakfast together every week and I love it.  Actually, my mister does all of the cooking (maybe that's why I love it so much - and because it's really good).  I forgot the potatoes he needs for part of the breakfast, so I volunteered pancakes as a substitute starch.  I found a great recipe, 5-star ratings ... and somehow screwed that up.  I wanted to turn them into gingerbread pancakes, which I did successfully.  But something about the texture of the actual pancake was off.  They were too thick and there was something grainy in every bite - I still haven't figured out what it was... Seriously??? I'm never usually this off.
(I forgot to mention, the night before I unsuccessfully tried to get my pizza dough to rise.. 3 times.  We ordered in...)

By now, you'd think I might have gotten the memo... but no, I tried again for dinner....

#4  Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken.  Sounds great, right?  Another recipe that was semi in-my-head...  I know, the warning bells should have been sounding.  But usually stuff that pops into my head turns out really well....
So back to the chicken, I'm taking it for lunch tomorrow.  It's edible, but I'm not entirely excited.

I'll conclude this disaster post by telling you that I'm eternally thankful for the ability to prepare food for my family, it gives me so much joy.  I enjoy sharing yummy recipes with you all as well.
Check back friends, I'm not giving up ;)

xo,

I did make these yummy treats with my little sidekick again.. except this time we added Christmas m and m's in the middle and left out the toffee.  SOOOO worth all of the gooey mess!