Friday, November 13, 2009

The Posts That Could Have Been

Being a food blogger, pretty much everything I make is made with the hope that it will end up in the blog. And fortunately, there have been over 200 posts of great recipes that I have loved. However, over the year and a half that I've been doing this, there have also been some real disappointments. And since I am a food blogger and take pictures of just about everything that I make, I have documentation of the good AND the bad!

I've come up with my own criteria as to whether or not I will post certain recipes.

1. Did my husband and I both like it? (this is overridden when I absolutely LOVE something, and Mr. Picky just won't be open-minded, love ya babe!) I would say my kids have to like it too, but let's be real, for the most part they just don't eat much dinner at all, no matter what it is.

2. Did we eat the leftovers? A lot of times we will like it enough to choke it down at dinner with a positive attitude, but the idea of eating the leftovers seems repulsive.

3. Would I make it again? This is something that I can usually determine about thirty seconds into eating it. Even if it's not bad, I just don't like it enough to make it again.

So here are a bunch of dishes that I've collected (unknowingly) over the months that just didn't make the cut. Sorry it didn't work out guys, you just weren't what we were looking for!

Milk and Honey Bread, smells delicious while baking, but the flavor is just too strong for everyday use, and it's too dense. Horrible sandwiches.
Lemon Caper Chicken. Edible, especially with a little honey mustard sauce, but none of us wanted to eat it again.

Apple Crisp. Completely delicious, who doesn't like apple crisp? But the recipe was so standard, I just didn't think it would be anything ya'll haven't seen before.


Linguine and Pork with Peanut Sauce. Fun idea, fun to make, not so fun to eat. I kind of liked it, the rest of my family hated it.


Gnocchi with olives, tomatoes and red onions. Disgusting. None of us liked it.


Pork Tacos with cabbage and red peppers. Too tangy, too dry.

Paula Deen's grilled chicken. I liked it, but just not enough to make it again. Plus we made this at my parents and I never got the recipe, lol.


Lemon Lime Cheesecake. Very delicious, but again, I never got the recipe from my mom, and I didn't like the picture!
Cakelets (is that word?) with lemon curd or homemade pudding and berries. I don't exactly know why I didn't post it. It was delicious and definitely pretty. I think it's because I never got the recipe for the cake, plus, you have to have a special pan to make it.
Three Berry Buckle. I'd give this dessert a five out of ten, enough said.
Shrimp and Linguine with Feta and Spinach. I really like this dish, my family HATED it. What do you do?



So there you go! Now with Thanksgiving coming up I better get my act together and whip up some blogworthy recipes to share. Happy weekend!

37 comments:

Libby@CookingWithLibby said...

How funny. I think all of us fellow food bloggers can relate :) I have a category on my blog called "My Mess Ups"....which documents the ugly side of the recipes I try. Cooking is all about trial and error...and sometimes some recipes work...sometimes they don't. I'm always asking my husband how things taste to him so I can write it in my blog...lol. As far as my kids go, even though their opinions matter, sometimes they just won't eat what I make. But that's no different then any kids I have met :) Now I know what I used to put my mom through when she would cook dinner and I wouldn't eat it...lol.

Jennifer said...

That was awesome! I have had some horrible disasters that I cant bring myself to post!

Leslie said...

Yep..I think we all make those flops. I too have a bunch.

Katy ~ said...

Teresa, I hear you. I have similar stories LOL. It happens. Not everything is as delicious as we anticipate. Oh, well, that's the fun and risk of trying some new.

Alissa said...

What a fun post to read!! Well just for the record, everything you've ever put in front of me I've absolutely LOVED... I think you're a genius:)

Kim said...

I loved this post. I think we're all in the same boat. Sometimes the recipe sounds so good and then it's a total flop. I think it's the flops in the kitchen that teach you how to be a better cook though. Great post.

Jenn said...

Mmm...Those dishes look mighty good. Mess-ups or not, we all have them. Usually for me I try to salvage them by turn it into something else. I love leftovers, too. But that's just me. Saves me from having to cook the next day or later in the week. I guess it just comes down to what you preference is.

♥peachkins♥ said...

oh my. I've had food like these that are definitely not worth posting..heehee

Anonymous said...

Lol, that was SO interesting...to see the "reject" dishes...I totally understand what you mean as a fellow food blogger though!

As for me, I always post every new and creative dish I come up with. Even if it's bad. Actually, that makes it more interesting when I bitch about it. lol.

Palidor said...

All the food looks really tasty! It's funny how the pictures can make non-delicious food look scrumptious. Thanks for sharing these!

Barbara said...

Funny post! You are a good sport. Most of the time I dump my failures and don't post them. Have to say though- your photos are good even though they didn't make the taste cut!

Anonymous said...

Loved this post! Yep, I always have high expectations for my food, and am disappointed when its just "okay."

Have a great weekend!

sara cardon said...

Ahhhh, yes. I'm glad you've exposed us to the darker side of cooking.:) Just goes to show it's not the cook who's bad, it's just the recipe!

Joanne said...

I have so many photos sitting on my computer that I will post in an emergency - i.e. should I ever run out of really good things to post. Usually I don't end up posting things if they are (a) too standard and don't seem to add anything interesting to the blog world or (b) if the photos are bad. It's interesting how picky we get...

Jenna said...

That's so funny. I hate those nights when you plate a delicious looking meal, get all excited that you'll have something wonderful to post, and then you take a bite--UGH! I have a file of "Not quite ready yet" recipes...someday I'll tweak them...but there really are so many good ones that are fine right now! ...Thanks for the fun post!

Trish said...

I can so relate! I think yep, sometimes people post things I KNOW they would not make again...just to make a post. Rather, I think my blog...and yours...and well...most of us are really just trying to journal our honest recipe and kitchen success. And we are willing to share those with others of like mind. I like your honesty here.

Sasha said...

I like this post. This happens to the best of us. Sometimes, I'll think of a recipe in my head and it seems like the greatest idea ever and then I cook and eat it and I realize it was kind of a failure. But that's ok, practice makes perfect.

I might steal this idea...

Elizabeth said...

I love this post. I too have a whole folder of "didn't make the blog" recipes. I like your criteria, very reasonable!

Reeni said...

Most of those looked pretty yummy! I was thinking this week of doing the same thing! A post with all of my 'duds'.

Erica said...

What a great idea! I kind of enjoy posting my "fails" - especially when I've learned something from it! I want the apple crisp recipe- pleeeeeeeeeeassssssse! ;)

theUngourmet said...

I love that you saved your photos even though you didn't like it. I've deleted mine and now I wish I wouldn't have. It would be fun to do a post like this! :D

Lara said...

What a creative way to post about the coulda beens. I certainly have more than my fair share myself.

Julie said...

Live and learn, eh? The gnocchi made me laugh though :)

Donna-FFW said...

I love your criteria for determining whteher a recipe is blogworthy.

I will not post anything I didnt like, I loved your slide show of photos, I have enough to fill a folder too of my mishaps and failings..

jor said...

haha! I loved this post.

Barbara Bakes said...

I have lots of pictures and recipes that aren't blog worthy too! Although I think people do appreciate know that not everything always works out.

Pam said...

It's so frustrating when you take the time to take pictures while you cook in hopes of a great recipe only to be disappointed.

figtree said...

This is sooo funny! I have made so many flops, yet dont have the guts to post them. Your pics made me feel better, now I know Im not alone :)

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

great post... that's not so bad at all... you should see my ashes that once were ribs (with 8 people coming for dinner)

MaryBeth said...

I think we are all in the same boat, and if you don't admit it then your just too afraid of what others may think. We too of course have made some items that we didn't like of just thought didn't look blog worthy.When trying something new you just never know how it will turn out or even if it will turn out...

Debbie said...

I've had some disasters and some dishes that were just ok. Usually I don't even both to take pictures. I got a kick out of your post since I can defintely relate very well!!!

Christy said...

Great post! It's so nice to see that other bloggers do indeed have "flops" too! I experience more than my share of them and you're encouraged me to post about them. It may further encourage someone to continue trying their hand in the kitchen!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I've had some disasters too and then i find stuff on my card and can't remember what I did or what it was.

It's getting to the pint that the girls are asking for repeats and that's all they want. They don't understand I want to keep on going for the blog. Since they are usually gone on one of the weekend nights, that's when I cook to blog.

The Blonde Duck said...

LOL. I feel the same way sometimes!

em said...

Looks to me like your fam aren't fans of linguine, but you are...

Glad you posted some of the FAILs--thanks for keepin' it real!

Emily said...

SO TRUE!!! This is my life too!

Lynn said...

I love this post, Teresa! I have soooo many of these, too, recipes that I diligently photographed and planned to blog about, but then changed my mind when they turned out to be less than spectacular. I, for one, really appreciate that you only share the winners! Because there are lots of mediocre recipes out there, and who needs more of those? Thanks for doing all that pre-screening. I know, it's a tough job to eat up food, but somebody's gotta do it ;) I think that shrimp dish at the end looks fantastic, by the way. I'd eat it all up with you.