Saturday, March 6, 2010

I'll leave the baking to {him}

While there are many attributes in which I thankfully inherited from my beloved mother, I begrudgingly admit that her baking skills was not one of them. I do not enjoy the process, nor the results. As my frustration levels rise at the very thought of baking, I can't help but consider why I have produced a shameful number of baking failures. Thus, after an in depth analysis concerning the cause, here is my final conclusion, impelling me to confess: I {don't} follow the recipe.

Okay, okay, I know this analysis deserves an automatic, "Duh." But, believe it or not, there is a reason behind my madness: strict adherence to recipes restricts my creativity. Perhaps, I stand alone in this theory, but as I follow a recipe with rigorous precision, I feel limited by the scrupulous measurements required. To me, the joy of cooking comes from making the recipe my own through personal modifications and estimations. I prefer to think of recipes as a guideline, not a commandment. Thus, exact obedience to a recipe is a meticulous process which I do not enjoy.

6 comments:

Alli said...

It's about time! I was thinking I did something to offend you! Whew, glad to know I'm in the clear!

I totally agree with you. It's so much better to add your own touches to any recipe. You are also amazing at 'just whipping things up' ::ahem:: bacon salad = delish!

We are loving Boise, but missing you. Please-oh-please stop by if you ever head up this way.

[love you]

Gairyn Anderson said...

Hahaha! My frustration levels rise as well when trying to cook a meal in the kitchen! I'm glad that I'm not the only woman that feels this way.

I GLADLY shove/toss/push/pass the torch to my hubby on this one. I don't bake so well...or I should say I mix a mean batch of baked goods, I just tend to OVERBAKE them. Therefore, making everything very, very dry. Yeah :{ So, Joseph watches the baked items and takes them out when ready and they turn out AWESOME! So, we kinda tag team the baked goodies;)

I love that you have a blog, Gina!! And that you found mine!:) I love you, cousin!! You and Brandon are SO MUCH FUN!! WE love you two! TTYL!!

gina marie said...

@Alli: So glad you will never forget bacon salad. That was a perfect product representing the joy of cooking. No need to measure. No need to freak out if one tiny ingredient is not in the cupboard. Instead, just load the goods with what you have, empty out the fridge in the process, and trust it's gonna taste good! But then again, how can you go wrong with bacon? It's meat candy, remember?

@Gairyn: Thank you cousin for your empathizing remarks. You bring up a whole new reason to augment my dislike: the BAKING part itself! How could I forget to mention this? Temperamental foods are not my forte! I mean, who has time to watch the cookies with undivided attention? That totally limits a woman's capacity to multi-task. Sure, you can use timers, but even then, it's only a matter of seconds until it's too late. Thank you for the insight. So true.

p.s. I tried commenting on your blog, but it didn't publish. I will try again!

Eileen said...

As an avid baker, I have to say that there is definitely something comforting about following the recipe and having your work turn out the way you anticipated. However,my husband also suffers from too much creativity in the kitchen and yields results such as you've described. In fact, your post has inspired me to write another blog post of my own! LOL! Thanks cuz! :) I love you and your blog, thanks for sharing!

We are the delightfully happy Denhalters said...

haha, Gina, you always make me smile. I seriously miss you. Where are you?

Anonymous said...

i disagree. those banana bars were yummy.