I have a new resolution to try at least one new recipe every week. It gets pretty boring making the same things all the time, so at the risk of making some truly bad tasting new things, I am experimenting in the hopes of discovering some new gems. A few weeks ago I made classic lemon loaf. It turned out well, especially the second time when I added extra lemon icing. Yum. This past weekend, I tried to make eggs benedict. Not so yummy. They weren't exactly bad, but they sure weren't my new favourite either :(
The reason I decided to start this recipe experimentation (besides the rote repetitiveness of always making the same things) was that I have a bad habit of ripping recipes out of magazines and adding them to my pile. I have one kitchen drawer FULL of untested recipes. So, I developed a system. I choose a recipe to try. After I have made it, if we both agree that it's terrible, the recipe goes in the garbage, and my pile is one recipe lighter. If the recipe is okay, but not stellar, I give it another try, perhaps tweaking something (like adding extra lemon icing on the loaf). After the second try (if a recipe gets a second chance), the recipe either goes in the garbage (if it still isn't great), or then I copy it into my "black book" of recipes, which holds only my tried and true recipes. Of course recipes that are awesome from the start go straight into my black book. Unfortunately, the eggs benedict did not even warrant a second try, that recipe is now in the trash.
The reason I decided to start this recipe experimentation (besides the rote repetitiveness of always making the same things) was that I have a bad habit of ripping recipes out of magazines and adding them to my pile. I have one kitchen drawer FULL of untested recipes. So, I developed a system. I choose a recipe to try. After I have made it, if we both agree that it's terrible, the recipe goes in the garbage, and my pile is one recipe lighter. If the recipe is okay, but not stellar, I give it another try, perhaps tweaking something (like adding extra lemon icing on the loaf). After the second try (if a recipe gets a second chance), the recipe either goes in the garbage (if it still isn't great), or then I copy it into my "black book" of recipes, which holds only my tried and true recipes. Of course recipes that are awesome from the start go straight into my black book. Unfortunately, the eggs benedict did not even warrant a second try, that recipe is now in the trash.
PS. The lemon loaf actually turned out exactly like the picture, which is definitely something to consider when rating new recipes.
